Senate Democrats Reach Deal on Reducing E-rate to $7.17B
Senate Democrats reached a deal Thursday on changes to the American Rescue Plan Act COVID-19 budget reconciliation package (HR-1319), including cuts to proposed funding for E-rate remote learning use (see 2103010050). Lawmakers maneuvered before the vote to alter broadband funding…
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included in the measure, including the $7.6 billion for E-rate, amid wrangling to secure unanimous Democratic caucus support (see 2103030063). The Senate voted 51-50 Thursday to begin formal debate on HR-1319, though there will be further delays because Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., insisted the full bill text be read aloud. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., vowed to keep the chamber in Washington until a final vote. “No matter how long it takes, the Senate is going to stay in session to finish the bill this week,” he said. The substitute amendment that the Senate Budget Committee circulated Thursday would cut the E-rate money by $428 million to $7.17 billion, as expected. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, and other centrist members of the Democratic caucus reached agreement with leadership to allocate $10 billion of HR-1319’s $350 billion in state and local government funding specifically for broadband and other infrastructure projects “directly enabling work, education, and health monitoring, including remote options.” King and three other senators, meanwhile, urged the FCC, Department of Commerce and other federal agencies to “align the definition of what constitutes high-speed broadband service across federal agencies” at 100 Mbps download and upload.