Bipartisan COVID-19 Bill Has $10B for Broadband; Biden Wants 'Robust' Measure
President-elect Joe Biden urged Congress to pass a “robust” COVID-19 aid bill during the lame-duck session, amid a renewed push for such legislation to include broadband funding. Nine senators and House Problem Solvers Caucus leaders unveiled the broad outlines for…
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a $908 billion legislative proposal that lobbyists told us includes $10 billion for broadband programs. Talks on new pandemic aid legislation have repeatedly stalled, though telecom officials have remained hopeful a deal will come together that includes connectivity money (see 2011120047). The House has passed two iterations of the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (Heroes) Act that include broadband money (see 2009290044). Biden said a COVID-19 bill passed by Congress during the lame duck would be “at best just a start,” and his team is working on a follow-up legislative proposal “to address the multiple crises we’re facing,” which he will propose once he takes office Jan. 20. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., told reporters a final version of the recommendations he and other lawmakers teased Tuesday will be filed “very soon.” The lawmakers haven’t “had assurances” from House and Senate leaders for floor votes, “but I think the American people will put the pressure” on them, Manchin said. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters he appreciates “there is some bipartisan support” for the plan from Manchin and others, downplaying the degree to which it would come up in phone call with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., that was set for Tuesday afternoon.