House of Representatives

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-NY), Ranking Member Michael McCaul (R-TX), and Rep Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) joined Rep John Curtis (R-UT) in releasing the bipartisan Open Technology Fund Authorization Act (HR 6621). The legislation will bolster US efforts to respond to oppressive censorship and internet restriction worldwide by authorizing the Open Technology Fund (OTF) as an independent grantee within the US Agency for Global Media.

Rep Grace Meng (D-NY) introduced the Emergency Educational Connections Act of 2020 to ensure that students have internet access during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic emergency. The legislation would create a special $2 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund at the Federal Communications Commission to disburse funds to schools and libraries, and Tribal schools and libraries, to purchase Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers, and internet-connected devices for students and patrons.
 

A bill to ensure rural and distressed communities can more readily use Economic Development Administration (EDA) grants to develop high-speed broadband access has been introduced in the House of Representatives by Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO) and Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Ranking Member John Katko (R-NY). The Eliminating Barriers to Rural Internet Development Grant Eligibility (E-BRIDGE) Act (H.R.

The entire Democratic Michigan delegation urged Congressional Leadership to prioritize and provide funding for essential broadband programs to ensure all Americans, especially those most in need, have access to high-speed internet in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. As Congress considers priorities in the next COVID-19 relief package, the Members of Congress urged the inclusion of robust funding for the following provisions/programs to ensure Americans across the country have access to high-speed internet:

Rep Anthony Brindisi (D-NY) called on the Federal Communications Commission to do more to protect customers from abusive practices by their Internet service providers (ISPs). In response to requests from local families, Rep Brindisi sent a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, asking that the FCC extend consumer protections for the duration of the public health emergency and also bar ISPs from raising their prices while workers and students are ordered to remain at home.

Reps Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Peter King (R-NY) introduced the Advancing Connectivity during the Coronavirus to Ensure Support for Seniors (ACCESS) Act. In March, Sens Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA)  introduced the bill in the Senate (S. 3517). Specifically, the ACCESS Act would:

House Health Subcommittee Chairwoman Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) and Rep Don Young (R-AK) introduced H.R. 6474, the Healthcare Broadband Expansion During COVID-19 Act, a bipartisan bill to provide $2 billion to expand telehealth and high-quality internet connectivity at public and nonprofit healthcare facilities, including mobile clinics and temporary health facilities deployed to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. Healthcare providers pay an average of over $40,000 per year for broadband connectivity.

Reps Rob Wittman (RVA-01), along with Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH-6), announced the Serving Rural America Act. This legislation would create a five-year pilot grant program at the Federal Communications Commission, authorizing $100 million a year for a total of $500 million over five years to expand broadband service to unserved areas of the country. The Coronavirus outbreak across the nation has further emphasized the need for reliable broadband access in every home in America.