Patrick Leahy: “nobody can deny that the digital age has brought many benefits and many challenges to all of us. In my home state of…”

“nobody can deny that the digital age has brought many benefits and many challenges to all of us. In my home state of Vermont, the Internet has revolutionized how we work and how we learn: Distance learning brings the best teaching tools right into rural communities, and new business models let Vermont businesses reach new and far-flung customers. As suppliers who use the Internet, we enjoy access to a range of goods and services unimagined when I was growing up, and the vast panoply of information and entertainment offerings on the World Wide Web are at the fingertips of many Vermonters. Of course, we must work to ensure that everyone can reap the benefits of the digital age, and I am striving both here in Washington and in my state to do what is necessary to bring affordable and reliable Internet access to every household. I am confident that, with continued focus and perseverance, the day of universal access is coming and we will all take part in the many advantages of the digital age. But there are other problems that require immediate attention, because they threaten the development of the web. We will never be able to make the Internet an entirely trouble-free zone, but we will also never be justified in failing to make efforts to defend and improve it.”