House Lawmakers Monitoring Broadband Issues, Wait for Trump Infrastructure Package
Key House Commerce Committee lawmakers continue to examine issues that likely will factor into an expected broadband deployment section in President Donald Trump's long-promised infrastructure package, telecom aides said Friday during a Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition event. Democrats released three infrastructure proposals this year that include broadband language in a bid to influence debate ahead of the White House's plan. Administration's infrastructure principles released last month focus on targeted investments and efforts to encourage “self-help” (see 1705240050).
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Details of the package “need to be ironed out,” but House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., is strongly interested in ensuring broadband deployment funding is prioritized for unserved communities, said her staffer Charles Flint. Broadband language in a final package will need to include an update to the FCC National Broadband Map, not revised since 2014, Flint said. “We need to slow down” until the FCC service maps are current, so funding is going to the appropriate areas, he said.
House Commerce Democrats “have a heavy preference” for targeting funding for unserved communities and reflected that in the Leading Infrastructure for Tomorrow's America Act, said David Goldman, committee Democrats' chief telecom counsel. HR-2479 proposes $40 billion for broadband deployment as part of a broader infrastructure package. The plan is aimed at “starting a conversation” about what the broadband title in an infrastructure bill would look like, Goldman said. Blackburn “doesn't have an official position” on HR-2479 and the subcommittee is evaluating it, Flint said.
Blackburn is continuing to monitor FCC work to fix issues with the E-rate program process, Flint said. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai criticized Universal Service Administrative Co. for its oversight of the USF schools and library discount program, including the troubled online E-rate Productivity Center portal (see 1704190026 and 1706010071). Blackburn is “happy to see” Pai act to “clean some of that up” given the E-rate program's importance to community institutions, Flint said. Blackburn “would like to see that turned around,” he said. House Commerce Democrats are also concerned about the E-rate program's troubles and are “watching to see how the FCC deals with that,” Goldman said.