Trump Wants $2T in Infrastructure Spending, Talks With ISPs
President Donald Trump said Tuesday he’s interested in pursuing $2 trillion in infrastructure spending as part of the next bill addressing COVID-19. Congressional Democrats have been pushing for future COVID-19 legislation to tackle infrastructure issues since Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (HR-748) last week (see 2003260063). Trump and other administration officials spoke with major U.S. ISPs about the providers’ efforts to increase network capacity to accommodate increased telework and distance learning use.
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“With interest rates for the United States being at ZERO, this is the time to do our decades long awaited Infrastructure Bill,” Trump tweeted. The $2 trillion “Phase 4” measure “should be VERY BIG & BOLD” and “be focused solely on jobs and rebuilding the once great infrastructure.” The administration restarted talks with House Ways and Means Committee leaders on infrastructure spending after his February State of the Union speech, lobbyists told us. Trump said then he wanted to prioritize broadband access improvements (see 2002050060). Trump halted talks with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and others last year because of investigations into his administration (see 1905220076).
Pelosi and House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-Calif., said Monday funding for broadband and other infrastructure projects is a priority. “We would like” the next measure to include “an infrastructure piece that takes us into the future,” Pelosi said in a call with reporters. “If you don't have access to the internet, you can't do telemedicine and you can't learn when you're not going to school in person," Pallone said. "You can link all these to the coronavirus," which shows "the need to “address the infrastructure so this doesn't happen again if there's another pandemic or disaster of a similar nature.” Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., has similar goals (see 2003250046).
Trump, National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow and administration “5G Czar” Robert Blair were among those on a call with executives from Comcast and eight other ISPs, a White House spokesperson emailed. The ISPs indicated their current " business is more than anybody’s seen before because everybody’s inside," Trump said at a news conference. "They’re all making calls."
Trump “thanked" the ISPs' executives "and their staffs for their tireless work to keep Americans connected during this time of social distancing,” the administration spokesperson said. “Our free-market based networks remain strong, secure, and the envy of the world. The President thanked these leaders for not only rising to the increased demand, but extending services to all Americans at no additional cost and for waiving bills and late fees.” On the call were LionTree CEO Aryeh Bourkoff, Sprint CEO Michel Combes, Altice CEO Dexter Goei, Liberty Media Chairman John Malone, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, Charter CEO Thomas Rutledge, incoming T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson and Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg. T-Mobile is buying Sprint (see 2003310062).
Verizon discussed "network performance” with Trump, Vestberg said in a statement. “Our network is providing a necessary lifeline.” AT&T outlined how it's keeping its customers "connected during this critical time, particularly for first responders on our FirstNet network," a spokesperson emailed. AT&T employees are "managing the demands and trends in network usage. We continue to see high demand for more connectivity and our network is performing well." CenturyLink Federal Legislative Affairs Director Brad Schweer indicated CEO Jeff Storey was also on the call. The other broadband providers didn’t comment.