The House Appropriations Committee voted by voice Thursday to advance the Agriculture Subcommittee’s FY 2021 bill, which includes a major increase the Agriculture Department's rural broadband funding allocation. The panel urged USDA in a report on the measure to examine how it can address broadband mapping issues separate from the FCC and do more on precision agriculture and connectivity in tribal areas. House Appropriations also released its report on the Legislative Branch Subcommittee’s FY21 bill, which includes $91.4 million for the Copyright Office (see 2007070063).
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
The House Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee approved by voice vote Wednesday major funding increases for the FCC and FTC for FY 2021. The bill includes $60 billion in broadband infrastructure grants and money to implement the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act (HR-4998) and Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act broadband mapping law (S-1822). Riders on other telecom policy issues may make an appearance once the full committee marks up the measure, lawmakers and lobbyists told us.
The FCC said Monday its NPRM for implementing the 2012 spectrum law's mandate for public safety to move off the 470-512 MHz T band by 2021 proposes “to issue licenses only where net winning bids would exceed the total estimated relocation costs for all public safety T-Band licensees subject to mandatory relocation.” Those costs are expected to total $5 billion-$6 billion, while GAO found last year revenue from a T-band spectrum sale would be unlikely to exceed $2 billion (see 1906210050). FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced in May his circulation of the NPRM and simultaneously called for Congress to repeal the auction mandate (see 2005150053). The FCC seeks comment in docket 13-42 on its proposal for a licensing trigger and “on the statutory meaning of certain terms that will inform the likelihood that net winning bids will in fact exceed total estimated relocation costs.” The commission wants commenters to discuss “how to address any deficit in net winning bids -- should we require public safety licensees to relocate on a city-by-city basis if the bids for a particular urbanized area meet or exceed the cost estimates to relocate public safety licensees in that particular area? Similarly, should licensees be required to relocate on a channel-by-channel basis within urbanized areas where bids for that channel meet or exceed the cost of clearing the channel?” Comments are due 30 days after Federal Register publication, replies after 60 days. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel supported the NPRM because she believes the rules mean “this auction is destined to fail” given proceeds “would need to be greater than the revenue raised from the FCC’s previous nationwide auctions” in the 24 GHz and the 28 GHz bands combined: The agency “does not have the authority to waive this statutory requirement, even if under present circumstances this auction is clearly not in the public interest.” Congressional “action that would stop this auction and allow public safety authorities to continue to communicate using the T-Band is the best way forward,” Rosenworcel said.
The House Armed Services Committee advanced its FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (HR-6395) Wednesday on a 56-0 vote. The committee added two anti-Ligado amendments to the measure (see 2007010070). Additional amendments House Armed Services advanced include several that would implement March recommendations of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (see 2003110076). Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., meanwhile, was able reach a deal on a manager’s amendment to that committee’s FY21 NDAA (S-4049), which also has anti-Ligado language. The manager’s amendment now includes language from the Utilizing Strategic Allied (USA) Telecom Act (HR-6624/S-3189) and the Open Technology Fund Authorization Act (HR-6621/S-3820). HR-6624/S-3189 aims to fund creation of an NTIA-managed open radio access network R&D fund to spur movement to open-architecture, software-based wireless technologies (see 2001140067). The modified text would repurpose $75 million from the FCC Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Fund for R&D purposes. The original HR-6621/S-3189 would have provided more, which would have been drawn from spectrum auction proceeds. HR-6621/S-3820 would establish the Open Technology Fund as an independent grantee of the U.S. Agency for Global Media charged with “countering internet censorship and repressive surveillance and protecting the internet as a platform for the free exchange of ideas." The new Inhofe manager's amendment, as earlier, includes language from at least three other tech and telecom bills: the Developing Innovation and Growing the Internet of Things (Digit) Act (S-1611), Deepfake Report Act (S-2065) and Harvesting American Cybersecurity Knowledge through Education (Hacked) Act (S-2775). Senate leaders agreed to vote once the Senate returns from a two-week recess on an amendment to attach the text of the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (Chips) for America Act. S-3933 would allocate $10 billion to match state and local incentives and direct the Commerce Department to establish a $3 billion grant program.
The House Armed Services Committee voted Wednesday to include in its FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (HR-6395) two amendments aimed at hindering the FCC’s approval of Ligado’s L-band plan, as expected (see 2006260051). The Senate continued to consider its Armed Services Committee-cleared NDAA version (S-4049) with anti-Ligado language intact (see 2006110026). Senate Armed Services Chairman Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., attempted but failed to advance by unanimous consent a manager’s amendment to S-4049 containing additional telecom and tech language.
The House began considering amendments to the Democrats’ Moving Forward Act infrastructure legislative package (HR-2) Tuesday, including 10 on broadband. The underlying measure contains $100 billion in broadband funding, with $9 billion for a Broadband Connectivity Fund to give eligible households an “additional broadband benefit” and $5 billion for E-rate. It also includes $12 billion for next-generation 911 (see 2006180062). House Majority Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina and other Democrats pushed for the measure's adoption. Republicans argued it's a purely partisan measure that has no chance of making it through the Senate or getting support from President Donald Trump.
The amplified national conversation about racism after recent police-involved deaths of Black people is providing an opening to grow momentum on Capitol Hill for legislation to place new limits on prison phone charges and increase media ownership diversity, lawmakers and lobbyists said in interviews. Lawmakers sponsoring some of the bills told us they are pushing to ensure such language is included in the next COVID-19 aid measure and other vehicles, including the House Democrats’ Moving Forward Act infrastructure legislative package (HR-2).
House Science Committee ranking member Frank Lucas, R-Okla., would support including broadband in a broader infrastructure measure, he said during an appearance on C-SPAN’s The Communicators to have been televised this weekend. “Broadband is one of the great equalizers of our society,” he said. “It’s important that we help encourage equalization” of access because a continued lack of it will result in the "continued brain drain of rural America." Broadband "is to us what the pencil and the tablet was to my great-grandparents 100 years ago," Lucas said. House Democrats recently unveiled their Moving Forward Act infrastructure legislative package (HR-2), which includes $100 billion in broadband funding (see 2006220054). Lucas emphasized the need for any infrastructure package to prioritize funding for rural broadband projects. Many providers "who want to access" existing funding "tend to want to deploy" broadband "in the very fringes of the suburbs," Lucas said. "We have to continue to push out into the countryside."
The House Armed Services Committee’s current version of the FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act doesn’t include language to intervene in FCC approval of the Ligado L-band plan. Proposal supporters said they are gearing up for a fight if committee members attempt to attach such amendments to the measure. Ligado opponents believe they have a good chance of prevailing because the Senate is considering its Armed Services Committee-approved FY21 NDAA version (S-4049) with related language intact, and a standalone bill is still in the pipeline.
House Commerce Committee ranking member Greg Walden of Oregon and other Republicans introduced a legislative package Thursday containing the language from 26 existing and new bills aimed at streamlining broadband deployments. It follows House Democrats’ proposal (see 2006220054) for $100 billion in broadband funding, contained in both the Moving Forward Act infrastructure legislative package (HR-2) and the stand-alone Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act (HR-7302). Walden and Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., released a COVID-19 broadband legislative framework last week (see 2006190062). President Donald Trump’s administration said in an NTIA-led American Broadband Initiative progress report it made progress in increasing rural broadband access.