President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris announced this afternoon that their administration secured commitments from 20 leading internet providers to either increase speeds or cut prices so tens of millions of low-income households can get high-speed internet at no charge.

This public-private partnership will cover more than 80 percent of the US population across urban, suburban and rural areas and has a chance to dent the pervasive racial, income and educational inequalities that sustain the digital divide.

President Biden said during his speech in the White House Rose Garden that high-speed internet today is what the telephone was for previous generations.

“It’s pretty consequential. And only going to keep growing, this need,” he said. “High-speed internet is not a luxury any longer — it’s a necessity.”

Vice President Harris, who leads the administration’s efforts on the issue and spoke before Biden today, expressed similar sentiments.

“In the 21st century, access to the internet is essential to success,” she said. “Every person in our nation, no matter how much they earn, should be able to able to afford high-speed internet and a high-speed internet plan.”