House Communications Subcommittee members voiced strong support during a Tuesday hearing for the Extending America’s Spectrum Auction Leadership Act (HR-7783) and two NTIA-focused spectrum bills, echoing expected backing from Wiley’s Anna Gomez and CommScope Business Development and Spectrum Policy Director Mark Gibson (see 2205230061). Lawmakers broadly supported elements of the Safe Connections Act (HR-7132), but opinions on the Ensuring Phone and Internet Access for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Recipients Act (HR-4275) divided along party lines.
Jimm Phillips
Jimm Phillips, Associate Editor, covers telecommunications policymaking in Congress for Communications Daily. He joined Warren Communications News in 2012 after stints at the Washington Post and the American Independent News Network. Phillips is a Maryland native who graduated from American University. You can follow him on Twitter: @JLPhillipsDC
Wiley’s Anna Gomez, former acting NTIA administrator, backed the Extending America’s Spectrum Auction Leadership Act (HR-7783) and two NTIA-focused spectrum bills in written testimony ahead of a Tuesday House Communications Subcommittee hearing (see 2205170081). HR-7783 is one of five wireless-focused bills House Communications will examine during the Tuesday hearing. The others are: the Ensuring Phone and Internet Access for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Recipients Act (HR-4275), the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences Codification Act (HR-4990), the Simplifying Management, Reallocation and Transfer of Spectrum Act (HR-5486), and the Safe Connections Act (HR-7132). The partly virtual hearing will begin at 11 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn.
House Communications Subcommittee leaders appear set on advancing the recently filed Extending America’s Spectrum Auction Leadership Act (HR-7783) as their preference for renewing the FCC’s auction authority, before a planned Tuesday hearing (see 2205170081), but there’s more uncertainty about whether they will be willing to attach related measures before it heads to the floor. Senate Commerce Committee leaders are tentative about HR-7783’s proposal to extend the FCC’s auction authority for 18 months to March 31, 2024, and some policy stakeholders told us they outright oppose such a short extension. The FCC's current auction authority expires Sept. 30.
The House Commerce Committee unanimously advanced an amended version of the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act (HR-7666) that would allocate $10 million annually for fiscal years 2023-2027 to the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a national maternal mental health hotline to provide “voice and text support.” Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-Calif., used discussion on the measure to again highlight his view that Congress needs to solidify funding for the impending 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline rollout.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo’s Wednesday testimony to the Senate Appropriations Commerce Subcommittee that the FCC will “possibly” have its revised broadband coverage data map ready in November (see 2205110073) “is correct,” an FCC spokesperson emailed us. “We’ve been working together closely on these efforts.” Raimondo emphasized on Thursday the coming maps’ importance to NTIA’s plans for disbursing its $48 billion in broadband money from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. She spoke during a House Appropriations Commerce Subcommittee hearing on the Commerce Department’s FY 2023 budget request.
The FCC is “forecasting” it will have its revised broadband coverage data maps “possibly” in November, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said during a Wednesday Senate Appropriations Commerce Subcommittee hearing. Raimondo urged swift conference committee action to marry elements of the House-passed America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology and Economic Strength Act (HR-4521) and Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (S-1260). She also touted her role in drumming up international support for U.S.-backed ITU secretary-general candidate Doreen Bogdan-Martin.
Some Senate Democratic backers of FCC nominee Gigi Sohn defended the Biden administration’s handling of her stalled confirmation process (see 2205050050) in interviews this week amid renewed criticism from some communications policy stakeholders. Some Sohn supporters found new cause for concern in the White House’s decision to hold a Monday event highlighting 20 ISPs’ commitment to offer low-income households broadband plans with download speeds of at least 100 Mbps at no more than $30 per month (see 2205090060) given the providers’ opposition to the nominee.
The Biden administration’s Monday announcement (see 2205060046) that 20 ISPs committed to offer low-income households broadband plans with download speeds of at least 100 Mbps at no more than $30 per month got a mixed reception among communications policy stakeholders. All of the participating ISPs -- which include Altice, AT&T, Charter, Comcast, Cox, Frontier, Mediacom and Verizon -- were already part of the FCC’s affordable connectivity program that subsidizes qualifying households’ broadband up to $30 per month. The White House said the participating ISPs cover more than 80% of the U.S. population.
FCC nominee Gigi Sohn’s Senate confirmation process may remain indefinitely in limbo despite recent heightened pressure from the nominee’s supporters and opponents on three undecided Democratic senators, said political experts and communications policy observers in interviews. The three Democrats -- Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Mark Kelly of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia -- remained firmly on the fence Thursday.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told the Senate Commerce Committee Tuesday he “had dialogue” with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson on collaborating to ensure there aren’t future interagency spectrum policy disputes on the scale of the 5G C-band rollout fracas earlier this year among the FCC, FAA, NTIA, wireless carriers and the aviation industry. Senate Commerce members focused almost no attention on the issue, which also came up during a Senate Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee hearing last week (see 2204280064). Buttigieg repeatedly backed Senate Commerce members’ calls for legislation to set up a national autonomous vehicle regulatory framework, which has been on the backburner in recent years.