,,iv  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #ha  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of 
,,representatives  ,february #bf1 #bjac 
,mr4 ,markey 7for himself1 ,ms4 ,matsui1
 ,ms4 ,eshoo1 ,ms4 ,hahn1 ,ms4          
,bordallo1 ,mr4 ,welch1 ,mr4 ,peters of 
,california1 ,mr4 ,watt1 and ,mr4       
,mc,govern7 submitted the following     
resolution2 which was referred to the   
,committee on ,energy and ,commerce     
,,resolution  ,supporting the           
designation of ,national ,digital       
,literacy ,day4  ,whereas ,congress has 
long recognized the need to close the   
digital divide for ,americans of all    
ages2 ,whereas the ,telecommunications  
,act of #aiif spurred a significant     
increase in broadband access in the     
,united ,states1 with only #ae percent  
of ,americans having broadband access   
deployed to their homes before enactment
 and #ih percent of ,americans having   
access to either fixed or mobile        
broadband today2 ,whereas this          
dedication to closing the digital divide

 has continued through the evolution of 
programs such as the universal service  
,schools and ,libraries ,program        
7commonly known as ,e-rate71 which has  
provided funding of more than #cj       
billion over the past #ac years and     
helped ensure that almost every school  
and library across the ,united ,states  
has ,internet access2 ,whereas this     
dedication was further demonstrated     
through the ,american ,recovery and     
,reinvestment ,act of #bjji1 which      
called for the creation of the ,national
 ,broadband ,plan2 ,whereas the         
,national ,broadband ,plan set a goal of
 having a #ij-percent broadband adoption
 rate by #bjbj2 ,whereas these and other
 programs have strived to create a more 
productive1 creative1 and efficient     
,nation1 where affordable broadband     
,internet is available everywhere and   
everyone has the means and skills to use
 valuable broadband applications2       
,whereas the ,united ,states has taken  
enormous strides during the last two    

decades in moving from analog to digital
 communications technologies and from   
limited access to near-universal access 
to mobile broadband1 but more work      
remains to be done2 ,whereas it is      
estimated that #ajj million ,americans  
have not adopted broadband ,internet in 
the home and one in five adults have no 
digital literacy skills2 ,whereas having
 no digital literacy skills means that a
 person does not possess the knowledge  
of how to operate a computer or use the 
,internet2 ,whereas ,americans who do   
not use the ,internet are missing out on
 opportunities to further their         
education1 to access innovative health  
care services1 and to find and qualify  
for a job2 ,whereas more than #hj       
percent of ,fortune #ejj companies now  
require online job applications2        
,whereas the impact is particularly     
great in urban1 low-income1 minority1   
and rural areas1 and less than one-third
 of the poorest ,americans have adopted 
broadband2 ,whereas there is growing    

evidence of a skills mismatch1 which    
leaves unfilled many jobs that require  
basic digital skills1 such as knowing   
how to use a computer1 perform an       
electronic search1 and upload or process
 a transaction2 ,whereas without        
increased training in these skills1 this
 problem is likely to worsen in the     
future1 with nearly #hj percent of jobs 
in the next decade projected to require 
digital skills2 ,whereas the digital    
divide keeps teachers from assigning    
,internet-based homework if a           
significant percentage of their students
 do not have broadband access at home1  
and teaching to the lowest digital      
denominator does not work for our       
children or our country2 ,whereas       
digital literacy is essential for       
education and preparing our children for
 the economy of the future1 but when    
roughly one-third of ,american children 
do not use the ,internet at home1 all   
children are impacted2 ,whereas         
,national ,digital ,literacy ,day is a  

purely volunteer event during which     
,americans can focus on increasing      
awareness of what the ,internet has to  
offer by helping others overcome their  
concerns and fears about getting online 
through emphasizing how the ,internet is
 personally relevant to their lives2    
,whereas leaders in the public and      
private sectors have worked together and
 should continue to collaborate and     
partner to bring the benefits of the    
,internet to ,americans of all ages2 and
 ,whereas ,march #ba would be an        
appropriate day to designate as         
,national ,digital ,literacy ,day3 ,now1
 therefore1 be it  ,that the ,house of  
,representatives--  7#a7 supports the   
designation of ,national ,digital       
,literacy ,day2 and  7#b7 reaffirms the 
continued need to promote digital       
literacy1 broadband access1 and         
broadband adoption in the ,united       
,states4