Preview Of President Obama’s Cedar Falls Visit

President Barack Obama comes to Cedar Falls today to promote programs that would help companies provide low-cost Internet service to communities across the country.

Obama will detail his broadband plans when he speaks during a private event at Cedar Falls Utilities (CFU) around 2:30 p.m. His speech will be streamed live.

During today's visit, the Chief Executive will announce steps he'll discuss in next week's State of the Union address to help more Americans get access to fast and affordable broadband.

According to a "fact sheet" from the Office of the Press Secretery, Obama wants the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to remove legal barriers that harm competition by Internet service providers. The President believes current FCC regulations inhibit local communities from responding to the broadband needs of their citizens.

Part of the President's plan is to help cities and towns across the country improve their service with government grants and loans.

Obama chose to visit Cedar Falls because it was Iowa's first gigabit Internet city. CFU offers Internet service that is 100 times faster than the national average, providing up to 1 gigabit per second to every home and business in the community.

During his stop, the President will tour CFU and attend a fiber optic splicing demonstration. Company officials plan to show Obama how the city is connected to the world through high-speed broadband.

The Chief Executive will deliver a speech to a small group during his stop in Cedar Falls today. The event is by invitation only and is not open to the public. His remarks, through, will be streamed live. To watch it, click on the link above.

For other details on the President's visit, click HERE.