President Joe Biden plans to sign the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Monday, as expected (see 2111080067), the White House said Wednesday. Biden plans to say at the signing ceremony that HR-3684, which includes $65 billion for broadband, will provide access to “high-speed internet for every American,” among other priorities, the White House said. Deputy Commerce Secretary Don Graves hailed the broadband money, during a Wednesday call with reporters. “Reliable high-speed internet is a necessity,” especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. “I’ve heard too many” stories “about families during the pandemic being forced to make the difficult decision of who received remote learning each day because their internet connection wasn’t strong enough to support more than one user at a time. That’s an injustice and it needs to end.” He noted NTIA will disburse about $48 billion of the broadband money, and Commerce has a “wealth of experience from carrying out” similar programs like the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program. An administration official said rules will reflect what was learned from past mistakes, speaking on condition of anonymity to reporters. BTOP had been controversial. Commerce plans to seek input from state governments, the telecom sector and other stakeholders on those rules, including how the department will define what level of service a recipient must provide via a required “low-cost” plan, the official said. Department representatives had no clear timeline for finalizing potential rules but suggested they could require the full amount of time set out in HR-3684 because of the “complexities” in the planning process.
Jimm Phillips
Jimm Phillips, Associate Editor, covers telecommunications policymaking in Congress for Communications Daily. He joined Warren Communications News in 2012 after stints at the Washington Post and the American Independent News Network. Phillips is a Maryland native who graduated from American University. You can follow him on Twitter: @JLPhillipsDC
Backers of two bills aimed at mandating improvements to spectrum policy coordination between the FCC and other federal agencies are hopeful President Joe Biden’s recent FCC and NTIA nominations (see 2110260076) will mean a clearer path to those measures’ enactment. The House Communications Subcommittee unanimously advanced one of the measures, the Spectrum Coordination Act (HR-2501), during a Wednesday markup. The subpanel also unanimously cleared the Data Mapping to Save Moms’ Lives Act (HR-1218).
The Senate Commerce Committee plans a confirmation hearing around Nov. 17 for FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Democratic commission nominee Gigi Sohn, as expected (see 2111010061), committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., told us Monday. Nov. 17 is the likeliest date for the meeting, but it could happen “the day before or the day after,” Cantwell said. It will certainly happen “that week.” The hearing may also include NTIA administrator nominee Alan Davidson, but that hasn’t been finalized, she said. Senate Democrats hope to fast-track confirmation during the limited legislative time left this year following President Joe Biden’s nomination of the trio last week (see 2110260076).
Some House Homeland Security Emergency Preparedness Subcommittee members signaled interest during a Tuesday virtual hearing in beefing up first responders’ communications infrastructure around the National Mall, the Capitol Building and other federal facilities in Washington, in response to the Jan. 6 insurrection. Other members cited the need for improving foreign language speakers’ access to wireless emergency alerts and other public safety communications platforms, and pressed Federal Emergency Management Agency Director-Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Antwane Johnson on how that entity has implemented fixes to prevent a repeat of the 2018 false missile alert in Hawaii (see 1801160054). The Tuesday hearing was a follow-up to an October one that highlighted communications issues first responders continue to face 20 years after the Sept. 11 attacks (see 2110070059).
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., urged House Democratic leaders Monday to hold a vote this week (see 2110290066) on the Senate-passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (HR-3684). He criticized lawmakers in the party’s liberal wing during a news conference for holding the measure “hostage” until there’s a deal on the Build Back Better Act budget reconciliation package (HR-5376). Both measures include billions of dollars for broadband, though the amount in a Thursday revised draft of HR-5376 is significantly lower than Democrats originally sought (see 2110280074). Continuing to delay a House vote on HR-3684 “is not going to work in getting my support” for HR-5376, Manchin told reporters. “The political games have to stop.” Congressional Progressive Caucus members intend to vote for both HR-3684 and HR-5376 this week, Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said during a CNN appearance after Manchin’s comments. “We’ve got to trust” that President Joe Biden will handle Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, the two Senate Democrats who have remained holdouts on supporting the reconciliation plan, Jayapal said. “We remain confident that the plan” for HR-5376 will get Manchin’s support, said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
A revised draft of the Build Back Better Act budget reconciliation bill (HR-5376) released Thursday retains funding for next-generation 911, the FCC Emergency Connectivity Fund and other telecom programs included in a House Commerce Committee-approved proposal, albeit with less money than first proposed and as expected (see 2110010001). The $1.75 trillion measure also includes reduced amounts of broadband affordability and some other telecom money Senate Democrats sought (see 2109020072).
Senators told us they believe there's a feasible if narrow legislative window to reconfirm FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel this year, act on fellow Democratic commission pick Gigi Sohn and affirm NTIA administrator nominee Alan Davidson. The White House announced President Joe Biden’s intent to choose the trio Tuesday, as expected. Biden designated Rosenworcel Tuesday as permanent chair. She had been acting head since January. The White House also nominated Winston & Strawn patent lawyer Kathi Vidal as Patent and Trademark Office director.
President Joe Biden intends to renominate FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and designate her as the permanent agency head, the White House announced Tuesday. Biden also intends to nominate public interest lawyer and ex-FCC official Gigi Sohn to the vacant commission seat and Alan Davidson for NTIA administrator. All three moves were expected: See here and here.
President Joe Biden is expected to renominate FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel with an intent to designate her as permanent agency head and name public interest lawyer and ex-commission official Gigi Sohn to the agency's vacant seat, according to a senior Democratic congressional official, an industry official and lobbyists.
Facebook was the top lobbying spender from tech and telecom in Q3, supplanting Amazon, the leader in recent quarters (see 2107210049). NCTA and Comcast again rounded out the top four. Most major tech and telecom companies' lobbying spending rose in Q3 compared with the same period in 2020; Huawei, the Computer & Communications Industry Association, IBM and Dell had the largest percentage increases. Apple, Broadcom and T-Mobile outlays dropped.