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Obama Touts Municipal Web in Cedar Falls, Where Everyone’s Wired

U.S. President Barack Obama delivers a speech at the Federal Trade Commissions offices, January 12, 2015 in Washington, DC. — U.S. President Barack Obama delivers a speech at the Federal Trade Commissions offices, January 12, 2015 in Washington, DC.
Photo by Aude Guerrucci-Pool/Getty Images

Todd Shields and Margaret Talev

January 13, 2015, 9:40 PM UTCUpdated onJanuary 14, 2015, 9:48 PM UTC

U.S. President Barack Obama said laws that impede local governments from bringing competitively priced, high-speed Internet to their residents hold back businesses and raise prices for consumers.

Obama used the the well-wired city of Cedar Falls, Iowa, which provides broadband access that’s almost 100 times faster than the national average, as an example for the rest of the country.