A House Commerce hearing on March 22 showcased tense partisan divisions over potential broadband infrastructure fixes. The sparring comes as Biden’s advisers eye up to $3 trillion in proposed economic boosts that could be split across multiple packages and would include explicit broadband and 5G provisions. Republicans bashed Democrats’ LIFT America Act for prioritizing much faster broadband speeds as a federal benchmark, with upload and download speeds made identical to one another (as opposed to today’s, where download is much higher). Republicans fear that upping that definition could mess up the roll out of the billions in subsidies presented in the bill, potentially postponing development of new broadband mapping and causing internet service providers to prioritize upgrades in regions where it’s cheaper and easier (read: not rural areas). House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) said the bill “is a beginning” and “work in progress” with Republicans. Former Obama-era Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler sought to dispel GOP fears, saying “there’s nobody in the back of the line” under its framework and insisting the maps should function as a database, without a need to be rewritten to accommodate faster speeds. Democrats touted LIFT’s focus on building out fiber internet, key to boosting 5G wireless connectivity. “You cannot deregulate your way to full coverage,” Wheeler added of GOP proposals, which center on streamlining broadband buildout permitting and which don’t contemplate the score of billions that Democrats want. It’s not yet certain whether Democrats will try to use a tool like budget reconciliation to jam through these broadband infrastructure ambitions (that tool, as with the pandemic relief, would let them do so without GOP backing). If they don’t, the hearing's tensions could mean serious negotiation is in order to yield a bipartisan package that could clear both chambers.

Congress is going big on broadband. It has appropriated more than $20 billion to spend on broadband in just the last several months. That is a huge amount compared to past efforts, equating to almost 25% of the annual revenues of the entire fixed broadband industry. And, in the wings is an infrastructure bill that could deliver another whopping $100 billion in spending. As legislators begin to sign more broadband stimulus checks, it is imperative that they establish critical safeguards and avoid classic traps that have undermined past programs. Such guardrails can make the difference between a golden age of broadband investment, or a costly sinkhole that squanders billions and does little to close actual broadband gaps.

• Serve the Neediest First: The government shouldn’t step in to subsidize higher speeds while there are communities that have no broadband. 
• "Future Proofing" Networks Can Backfire When Solving the Broadband Gap
• Let Engineers Rather Than Regulators Design Networks

The digital divide leaves millions without access to high-speed broadband and the immense opportunities it provides. I’m proud to say that we have secured a historic broadband investment in the American Rescue Plan. First, $10 billion for broadband deployment and infrastructure, digital inclusion and other efforts to close the digital divide. These funds represent one of the most important broadband investments ever made in the history of the United States. Similar to my December proposal with a bipartisan group of colleagues, this funding will be provided directly to states, territories and tribal governments in order to support broadband deployment and a broad set of flexible uses to improve broadband infrastructure, digital inclusion and related efforts to close the digital divide. Final allocations will be determined by the Administration providing they align with Congressional intent in these provisions, but Maine is set to receive roughly $120 million from this fund. More than $7 billion to expand educational connectivity. Without access to teachers or the ability to complete assignments — commonly known as the “homework gap” — these students have fallen behind in the past year. I’ve been pushing for funds to address this crisis for the past year through the Emergency Educational Connections Act, and I’m thrilled to say that the American Rescue Plan includes more than $7 billion to help ensure that all K-12 students have home internet connectivity and the necessary capabilities to learn remotely during the pandemic.

The Federal Communications Commission has been in overdrive in recent months as billions of dollars in 5G investments put new demands on its staff. The coronavirus pandemic has complicated matters even more by highlighting the millions of Americans who lack broadband access for work and school. The FCC’s earliest 5G-focused auctions sold off millimeter-wave licenses, which support extremely fast internet connections but suffer over long distances. FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel says US authorities were slow to recognize the economic importance of more middle-of-the-road frequencies, though the government is now making up for lost time. More broadly, the new FCC chief says, the government must make reaching all citizens “a national priority.” She says 5G technologies can help fill that need by competing with cable and fiber-optic service to the home, though wireless service alone won’t bridge the digital divide. Universal service “might sound like a big, audacious task, but remember, a century ago we did it with electrification,” she says.

Mozilla together with other internet companies ADT, Dropbox, Eventbrite, Reddit, Vimeo, Wikimedia, sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission asking the agency to reinstate net neutrality as a matter of urgency. With the recent appointment of Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to lead the agency, there will be a new opportunity to establish net neutrality rules at the federal level in the near future, ensuring that families and businesses across the country can enjoy these fundamental rights. “By using its authority to restore net neutrality at the federal level, the FCC can help protect families and businesses across the country that rely on high-speed broadband access and help spark our recovery,” the companies wrote.