Politico

Washington is finally tackling one of the biggest obstacles to closing the nation’s digital divide: identifying the broadband dead zones where millions of Americans lack fast internet service. But that’s coming too late for the broadband gold rush of 2021. States and cities are already allocating more than $10 billion in federal pandemic relief to get broadband into underserved communities — the biggest government investment ever toward increasing internet connectivity.

Some broadband providers are falsely claiming their customers have children who attend high-poverty schools in order to qualify them for an FCC broadband affordability subsidy, the agency’s Office of Inspector General warned in a November 22 memo.

Not included in the November 17 Senate confirmation hearing were Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society], President Biden’s pick for the open Federal Communications Commission seat, and Alan Davidson, the nominee to helm the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Sen Maria Cantwell (D-WA) has stated their confirmation hearing will likely take place the week the Senate returns from its Thanksgiving break, with December 1 a prime contender.

Senators' year-end to-do list includes key Federal Communications Commission nominations and more funding for broadband and antitrust efforts. All eyes are on the Democrats’ social spending package, which includes money for broadband and antitrust enforcement and gives the Federal Trade Commission a long-sought fining authority. White House National Economic Council Director Brian Deese projected confidence that the House would pass the package this week. Even if that happens, it will still need Senate approval, which will likely be pushed to December.

When senators return to Washington next week, one of the most pressing issues they’ll face is passing the National Defense Authorization Act, which has been pushed back much further than usual. Lawmakers have filed nearly 700 amendments to the annual defense bill, including several related to tech and telecom. Politico has compiled a list of major Democrat, Republican, and bipartisan amendments in these areas.

The Senate is only scheduled to be in three weeks for the rest of 2021, with a recess set to start on December 10. There’s almost no chance that schedule holds at this point, with the Democratic majority facing a to-do list more daunting than a Black Friday sales rush. Congress has to fund the government past December 3, pass a massive defense policy bill, finish out a $1.75 trillion party-line social spending bill and potentially maneuver around a US credit default.

House Science Committee leaders are asking President Joe Biden’s council of science and tech advisers to write a report on ways to protect and boost spectrum access and quality for science and operational uses.

Democrats’ partisan social spending package presently includes $300 million for the Emergency Connectivity Fund, a Federal Communications Commission pandemic relief program to help expand broadband access for students, library patrons and school staff, as well as $100 million for the FCC to promote its broadband affordability programs. It sets up various Commerce Department programs, such as a $280 million pilot program to improve broadband in cities and a $475 million program to help consumers purchase devices like computers and tablets.