House Democrats unvieled an updated version of the Heroes Act as a way to revitalize stalled talks over another COVID-19 pandemic relief measure. The $2.2 trillion bill would provide:

• $12 billion to close the homework gap by providing funding for Wi-Fi hotspots and connected devices for students and library patrons, $3 billion for emergency home connectivity, $200 million for telemedicine grants, and $24 million for broadband mapping.
• $500 million to provide health care, including telehealth services to Native Americans, and to purchase medical supplies and personal protective equipment.
• $140 million to expand broadband infrastructure and information technology for telehealth and electronic health records system purposes for Native Americans.
• $175 million to assist public telecommunications entities and maintain programming and services.
• $37 million to support expanded House operations such as tele-town halls, video conferencing, remote hearings, and cybersecurity.
• $6.345 million for Senate teleworking and IT needs as well as funds to supplement daycare operations.

The bill includes an Emergency Benefit for Broadband Service:

• Sec. 301. Benefit for Broadband Service During Emergency Periods Relating to COVID-19. Entitles households in which a member has been laid off or furloughed, among other households that will be eligible, to get a $50 benefit, or a$75 benefit on tribal lands, to put toward the monthly price of internet service during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Internet service providers would be required to provide eligible households service at a price reduced by an amount up to the emergency benefit, and those providers can seek a reimbursement from the FCC for such amount.
• Sec. 302. Enhanced Lifeline Benefits During Emergency Periods. Requires that Lifeline providers make unlimited minutes and unlimited data available to those that rely on the Lifeline program to stay connected to phone or internet service and provides additional support to offset the increase of services, with a minimum subsidy increase to not less than $25 per month.
• Sec. 303. Grants to States to Strengthen National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier. Authorizes funding to help states participate in the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier.

The bill prohibits broadband and telephone providers from terminating service due to a customer’s inability to pay their bill because of financial hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic or imposing late fees incurred because of hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also prohibits broadband providers from employing data caps or charging customers from going over data caps and requires them to open Wi-Fi hotspots to the public at no cost during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The bill would control the costs for voice and video calls between incarcerated people and their families 

Access to affordable broadband is crucial for a functioning 21st century democracy. As technology advances, many of our basic democratic values depend on robust connectivity. Broadband enhances civic engagement, participation in the democratic process, and a responsive government. Yet, millions in our country lack access to affordable, high-speed broadband and continue to face significant barriers to get online. Affordability remains the most significant barrier to broadband adoption while those on the wrong side of the digital divide are disproportionately low-income, people of color, seniors, people with disabilities, and other marginalized communities. Without broadband, these communities live in a democracy where their voices go unheard and their needs are unmet. 

To have your voice count, you must be counted. But without a broadband connection that has become increasingly difficult. With the 2020 Census moving online for the first time, millions of people without broadband are in danger of going uncounted. While a paper option to complete the Census is still available, the transition to using digital tools signals the government’s efforts to increase internet responses and spend less resources doing outreach to get paper responses submitted. Attaining the full promise of our democracy must start with closing the digital divide to ensure that each of us has an equal voice in the future of our country.

[Yosef Getachew serves as the Media & Democracy Program Director for Common Cause].

In early March, just days before cities across the US shut down due to the pandemic, Elon Musk shared the latest details about his plan to build a satellite broadband service called Starlink. Musk described how a constellation of Starlink satellites will “blink” when they enter low-Earth orbit. Combined with improvements to existing technology like DSL, cable, and fiber — not to mention 4G and 5G cellular networks — futuristic satellite broadband stands to bridge the digital divide in the US and elsewhere. And because the pandemic has prompted explosive demand for better, more widely available internet connectivity, fast progress seems more inevitable than ever. Musk’s new satellites went online in early September, giving beta testers download speeds that rival those of terrestrial broadband. SpaceX has now put 700 Starlink satellites into orbit in the past 16 months and has plans to deliver as many as 30,000 more in the next few years. More satellites mean more bandwidth and faster speeds, and eventually, SpaceX says, its low-Earth orbit satellite constellations could deliver high-speed internet to the entire US. Amazon, Facebook, and several startups have made similar promises in recent years.

President Donald Trump’s ongoing assault against Twitter may represent the most egregious violation of the First Amendment by a president since Richard M. Nixon went to war against this newspaper almost half a century ago. Not since the McCarthy era has our country experienced such an effort to neuter the press and evade the government accountability that comes only through meaningful reporting. Consider what could lie ahead.

On May 28 came an executive order that proclaimed: “Twitter now selectively decides to place a warning label on certain tweets in a manner that clearly reflects political bias. As has been reported, Twitter seems never to have placed such a label on another politician’s tweet.” This presidential order brought the federal government’s full power — the Justice Department, the Commerce Department, the FCC and the executive office of the president— to bear against Twitter. Unlike other public attacks by the president, which sometimes recede without subsequent action, there is no doubt about the threat being realized.

No matter what you think of Twitter, social media companies or the applicable regulations, and no matter your political affiliation, everyone with a voice should speak out against the president’s actions. In particular, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai and his fellow commissioners should be watched closely. Will they simply do what the president asks? 

[Lee C. Bollinger is president of Columbia University and the author of several books on freedom of expression and the First Amendment. Donald E. Graham is a former publisher of The Post.]

Democratic lawmakers are expected to call on Congress to blunt the power of big technology companies, possibly through forced separation of online platforms. The House Antitrust Subcommittee is nearing completion of a report wrapping up its 15-month investigation of Google, Apple, Amazon, and Facebook. The report follows the committee’s collection of more than one million documents from the companies and competitors, as well as a July hearing with CEOs of the four tech giants. Subcommittee Chairman David Cicilline (D-RI) has indicated the panel is poised to recommend significant measures targeting Big Tech’s power, including requiring owners of huge technology platforms to separate those platforms from other businesses. Republicans say the inquiry left them concerned about the companies’ power in digital markets, but differ on how to address the problem.