Wicker Leads Accelerating Broadband Connectivity Act on RDOF
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker of Mississippi and two other committee Republicans filed the Accelerating Broadband Connectivity (ABC) Act Monday in a bid to accelerate broadband deployments by Rural Digital Opportunity Fund recipients (see 2006170018). The measure would allocate…
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$6 billion to an FCC-run Accelerating Broadband Connectivity Fund that would provide money to RDOF phases I and II awardees that commit to begin construction within 180 days of receiving the money and make broadband service available using the infrastructure within one year. It would require an “expedited” rulemaking to set up the incentive fund. “One of my top priorities is expanding access to broadband for communities of all sizes,” Wicker said. “The coronavirus pandemic has further underscored this pressing need.” The bill's co-sponsors are Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia. NTCA, USTelecom and the Wireless ISP Association backed the legislation.