WASHINGTON – Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) has been voted ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
Matsui previously served as vice chair of the subcommittee during the 117th Congress. She is the first member of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community to lead her party as chair or ranking member of a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee.
“I am honored to be named ranking member of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee,” Matsui said in a statement. “As vice chair of the subcommittee during the past two Congresses, I am proud of what Democrats have been able to accomplish and I look forward to building on that progress. I am ready to find common ground to promote innovation and equity in technology.
“This subcommittee will help determine whether America maintains its technological leadership in the 21st century. From developing the next generation of communications networks to expanding access to affordable broadband, we are uniquely positioned to deliver benefits for all Americans while boosting economic growth.
“As ranking member, I will fight for policies that meet the needs of the modern economy and solve the problems of the future. To keep the U.S. at the forefront of wireless communication, I will work to ensure the federal government is a driving force in maintaining a healthy spectrum pipeline.
“I am going to continue my work securing American telecommunications networks while deploying open and interoperable technologies. And I will fight to close the digital divide to ensure all Americans have access to reliable broadband and a free and open Internet.”
Matsui has long spearheaded efforts to secure the nation’s technological future. She co-authored the CHIPS Act, legislation that secured $52.7 billion of funding to restore semiconductor manufacturing back to American soil.
As co-chair of the Congressional Spectrum Caucus, she has also been a leader to ensure a healthy spectrum pipeline for years to come. She co-authored the Spectrum Innovation Act, which would extend fixes to the process for making the lower 3 GHz band available for auction and fund important initiatives, including the FCC’s rip and replace program.
She is also co-author of the bipartisan Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act, which was passed in 2020. The legislation reaffirmed a bipartisan commitment to protect America’s communications networks’ supply chain and worked to prohibit Huawei, ZTE and other equipment from threatening America’s telecommunications networks.
Matsui has also been a national leader on policies to close the digital divide and ensure strong net neutrality protections. She was a key proponent of the Federal Communications Commission’s Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (now the Affordable Connectivity Program), which provides financial support to low-income Americans for broadband service and certain devices.
She also co-authored the Digital Equity Foundation Act, legislation that would establish a nonprofit foundation to leverage public and private investments to make critical progress on digital equity, digital inclusion, and digital literacy.