Lawmakers Divided on Connectivity Priorities at House Communications Hearing

“We must prevent our kids from falling into the homework gap,” said Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., supporting the remote learning proposal that the committee advanced Friday (see 2102120066). “This funding will allow millions of teachers, students and families to access the technology and tools they need to participate in virtual classrooms and other online activities.” It's “long overdue,” since “we have known about the homework gap for years,” said Communications Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa.

President Joe Biden was to have continued his push for infrastructure and pandemic aid legislation Wednesday afternoon at a meeting with labor leaders. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., wrote Democratic colleagues Tuesday that he expects the chamber to vote on its pandemic reconciliation package next week. The Senate is likely to take up its own version once it receives the passed House language.

House Democrats hope to focus on infrastructure legislation after the reconciliation measure’s enactment, likely in April or May, Pallone said. That measure will almost certainly incorporate “a lot of the things” included in the Moving Forward Act passed by the House last year (see 2007010071), including broadband money, he said: “I think a lot of our Republican members will support” infrastructure legislation “that has some major broadband” funding directed at improving connectivity in unserved areas. House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., is expected to lead the push for $100 billion for broadband in the pending measure (see 2102100061).

Communications ranking member Bob Latta of Ohio and other Republicans noted their willingness to seek bipartisan broadband solutions. Latta said legislation must safeguard a “light-touch regulatory approach” to telecom, which helped ISPs during the pandemic “have the necessary flexibility to respond quickly to the increased traffic” in residential areas once quarantines became prevalent last spring. He cited his Winning the International Race for Economic Leadership and Expanding Service to Support (Wireless) Leadership Act, which he refiled Tuesday as part of the GOP agenda. The measure, first filed last year (see 2006250068), would streamline wireless permitting.

“Thankfully, we don't have socialized broadband in this country yet,” said Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio. “As long we continue to push bipartisan policies, we’ll continue to move in the opposite direction from a socialized solution.” Congress and the Biden administration have a “duty” to ensure the $16 billion allocated last year in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (Cares) Act that the Department of Education can use for remote learning and other initiatives (see 2003250046) is fully spent before pressing for more, Johnson said.

Wireless Infrastructure Association CEO Jonathan Adelstein backed Republicans’ broadband permitting proposals, saying their agenda is “full of thoughtful ideas” that “we can sift through” with Democrats to reach a bipartisan compromise. “We need smart policies” to expedite buildout of 5G “and close the digital divide,” he said. Incompas CEO Chip Pickering praised the GOP package for “stressing the need to streamline deployment by removing permitting delays, franchise fees and other local rules for accessing the public rights of way that impact competitors and delay new network growth. This is critical for both fiber and 5G deployment.”

Communications Workers of America President Christopher Shelton and other witnesses backed Democrats’ E-rate and broadband infrastructure proposals. "Deregulation, which has been going on for years now, is not doing the trick because if it was, we wouldn’t be having this meeting today,” Shelton said. Free Press Vice President-Policy Matt Wood urged lawmakers to consider broadband pricing, saying government “can’t just forever subsidize rising retail rates without any attempt to lower those costs through competition” and other measures.

During a dialogue with Pallone, Topeka, Kansas, Public School District Superintendent Tiffany Anderson disputed Johnson’s claim that the Cares Act provided ample remote learning funding. DOE funding included in that law “can’t take care of all broadband connectivity issues,” she said. Most of the $3 million her schools received from that measure went to finance other parts of its plans to reopen.

Other lawmakers touted legislation in hopes it will be included in the infrastructure bill or other packages. Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., noted his refiling of the Timely Replacement Under Secure and Trusted for Early and Dependable Broadband Networks Act as part of the GOP package. The measure would accelerate the replacement of suspect telecom gear eligible for reimbursement under the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act.

Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Calif., said he plans to refile his Digital Equity Act and is teeing up legislation to improve broadband in public housing. The Digital Equity Act proposes $1.4 billion in funding for digital equity investments. Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., touted her newly-filed Broadband Measuring Availability and Aligning Policies Task Force Act, which would create an FCC-led interagency task force to coordinate collection of broadband coverage data for mapping purposes.