MANILA, Philippines – US President Barack Obama outlined a planned executive action Tuesday, January 13 (January 14, Manila time) that would potentially speed up broadband speeds in various parts of the US while reducing the cost.

Planned as an announcement on Wednesday and as part of his State of the Nation address the following week, the move sees the White House filing a letter with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to end restrictions in 19 states that may be holding back the advancement of broadband services – and consequently, economic opportunity – in those states.

The president will also call for the Federal Government to remove all unnecessary regulatory and policy barriers to building out broadband services and fostering competition for better services.

In a video outlining his plan, Obama expressed the same frustrations the average consumer faces on a daily basis. “You know what it feels like when you don’t have a good Internet connection. Everything is buffering, you’re trying to download a video, you got that little circle thing that goes round and around. It’s really aggravating,” Obama said.

He added, “There are real world consequences to this, and it makes us less economically competitive.”

The White House also said the president would grow an initiative to promote broadband deployment and adoption, as well as funding a broadband loan program for rural service providers in areas with underserved or served broadband needs. – Rappler.com