Lobbying on Broadband Infrastructure Increases Ahead of Trump Proposal Release
Entities lobbying Capitol Hill and federal agencies on broadband infrastructure issues more than doubled in Q4 compared with the same period in 2016, disclosure filings released through our deadline Tuesday show. Overall lobbying spending by telecom companies and associated groups increased during Q4, though three of the top four carriers -- AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon -- reported expenditures dropped or remained flat. Tech sector firms' lobbying priorities during the quarter included lawmakers' focus on extremist online content and legislation aimed at curbing online sex trafficking (see 1801230061). Partial figures on Q4 spending were available Monday (see 1801220057). Tech lobbying spending reached a recent high (see 1801230068).
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AT&T spent $3.6 million, down from $3.7 million. Verizon reported just under $2.3 million, down from $2.5. T-Mobile remained essentially flat with expenditures of around $2 million. Sprint said lobbying spending rose to $610,000, from $583,000. Comcast increased to $4.3 million from $3.8 million. Charter Communications said it spent $2.6 million, up from $1.9 million. Cox Communications reported $830,000, down from $940,000.
At least 58 companies and groups lobbied on broadband-related infrastructure, up from 22. Rising interest in infrastructure came in the lead-up to the White House's anticipated release of President Donald Trump's infrastructure legislative package, which has been delayed. The Trump administration is expected to roll out the proposal during or around the time of the Jan. 30 State of the Union address (see 1801170054).
Lawmaker interest in the White House's infrastructure plans continued to increase Tuesday. Trump is “going to have to play a big role” in leading the push for infrastructure legislation, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters. “A lot of it will come down to how is it paid for.” The substance of Trump's legislative proposal “will matter” in determining “whether there is bipartisan support,” Thune said.
The House Communications Subcommittee said it set Jan. 30 for its broadband infrastructure hearing, which will focus on resolutions and bills that subcommittee members filed during the past two weeks aimed at laying out their vision of a broadband title in omnibus legislation (see 1801110058, 1801160048, 1801170055, 1801180058 and 1801190048). Trump's executive actions earlier this month aimed at improving broadband deployments in rural areas (see 1801080063). The hearing begins at 10 a.m. in 2322 Rayburn.
Concerns about how the administration planned to allocate funding for broadband projects in its proposal mounted. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and other leaders of the House Rural Broadband Caucus led a letter from 71 members urging Trump to allocate “dedicated” broadband funding. Draft “funding principles” for the proposal indicate broadband and other telecom projects will be eligible for some of the funding (see 1801220035). Grace Koh, National Economic Council technology, telecom and cybersecurity assistant, cautioned last month that the proposal is unlikely to contain stand-alone broadband funding, but said broadband would be an "asset class" eligible for general infrastructure funding (see 1712070016).
“We are concerned about recent reports that your forthcoming proposal may not include investments in rural broadband connectivity,” the lawmakers wrote Trump. “Rural communities must have adequate broadband infrastructure. ... The future well-being of our communities is dependent upon this technology.” Senate Broadband Caucus leaders sent a similar letter to Trump last week (see 1801170054).
House Communications ranking member Mike Doyle, D-Pa., told us last week he would be closely following what the White House and subcommittee Republicans propose for broadband funding as part of the infrastructure push. He had no specific concerns with the measures House Communications Republicans were proposing to shape the broadband title, noting they would amount to “window dressing” if a final bill didn't also include satisfactory appropriations. Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., told us she would defer to Trump to announce “what we will do” about funding amid questions about whether the White House would propose block grants to states.