President Obama Speaks In Cedar Falls [Gallery]

President Barack Obama praised Cedar Falls for its efforts to improve broadband access during his brief visit to the city on Wednesday (January 14, 2015).During a 20-minute speech in front of about 200 people inside a warehouse at Cedar Falls Utilities (CFU), he congratulated the community on being an innovator in the world of technology.

Note: Speech begins at the 38:58 mark

In 1994, in what the President called "a visionary move, ahead of its time", Cedar Falls residents voted to invest in a city-wide broadband network. Five years ago, the network was upgraded to a high-speed fiber-optics system. During his speech, Obama recognized the city as a global leader in digital economics because of its internet capabilities.

"Here's what that means -- your network is as fast as some of the best networks in the world," the President said. "There's Hong Kong, Tokyo, Paris, and Cedar Falls. That's the company you're keeping." The President chose to visit Cedar Falls because CFU provides internet service to every home and business in the community that is 100 times faster than the national average. Obama said the city is showing the world how small, rural towns can compete globally in today's high-tech economy.

"What you're showing is that, here in America, you don't have to be the biggest community to do really big things. You just have to have some vision. And you have to work together."

During his speech, Obama said networks like the one Cedar Falls has are good for business, communities, schools and the market-place because they promote efficiency and competition. According to the President, 45-million Americans lack access to high-speed Internet service and there are millions more who live in locations where they have only one choice for broadband service.

"Today, in 19 states, we've got laws on the books that stamp out competition and make it really difficult for communities to provide their own broadband the way you guys are," Obama said. "In some states, it is virtually impossible to create a community network like the one you've got in Cedar Falls. So, today I'm saying we're going to change that, enough is enough, we're going to change that so every community can do the smart things you guys are doing."

Obama came to the Cedar Valley to announce a new national broadband initiative ahead of his State of the Union address next week. The President said current federal regulations inhibit local communities from responding to the broadband needs of their citizens. He wants the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to remove the legal barriers that, he believes, harm competition by Internet service providers.

"I believe that a community has the right to make its own choice and to provide its own broadband if it wants to. If there are state laws in place that prohibit or restrict these community-based efforts, all of us -- including the FCC, which is responsible for regulating this area -- should do everything we can to push back on those old laws."

Part of the President’s plan is to make government grants and loans available to help cities and towns across the country improve their broadband service. The President was in the Cedar Valley for only about two hours on Wednesday. Air Force One landed at the Waterloo Regional Airport about 1:30 p.m. and departed for Washington, D.C. around 3:30 p.m. Before his speech, President Obama attended a fiber optic splicing demonstration at Cedar Falls Utilities.