Low-income urban areas without affordable broadband shouldn’t be forgotten when government agencies set conditions for broadband grants, said a letter that six House Democrats sent Wednesday to the NTIA, RUS and FCC. “While there is a strong focus in the [Recovery Act] on rural areas, we want to ensure that ‘underserved’ urban areas are properly considered during the broadband grant process,” the letter said. The lawmakers asked that low-income urban populations be considered as potentially underserved when agencies develop grant rules. Though urban poor people may have “several different options for broadband access, they are ‘underserved’ if none of these options are affordable,” the letter said. The signers were Reps. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Bobby Rush of Illinois, Doris Matsui of California, Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania, Kathy Castor of Florida, Diana DeGette of Colorado and Del. Donna Christensen of the Virgin Islands. ----
Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., will take over as chairman of the renamed House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, Hill officials announced Thursday. He’s trading places with Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., who takes the chairmanship of the Energy and Environment Subcommittee, they said. The switch is happening as Congress comes under increasing pressure to delay the Feb. 17 DTV switchover. (See the separate report in this issue.) With Boucher in the lead on communications legislation, rural communications interests could get a boost, industry officials said. Boucher is known for his open-door policy and ability to reach compromises, they said.
The House Democratic Steering Committee voted Thursday to give Rep. Doris Matsui of California the Commerce Committee seat opened by the primary defeat of Democrat Rep. Al Wynn of Maryland. The vote was announced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. Several Democrats, including Rep. Zack Space of Ohio had sought the coveted position. Matsui has legislative experience on energy and health care probably will work on health technology.
California House members urged the FCC to open broadcast white spaces for unlicensed use. “There is substantial unused broadcast spectrum in the television market,” they said in a letter to the commissioners. “Opening up this beachfront spectrum for unlicensed use by portable and fixed devices will deliver enormous benefits for our constituents.” Signing the letter were Democrats Anna Eshoo, George Miller, Mike Honda, Zoe Lofgren, Doris Matsui, Ellen Tauscher and Lois Capps, and Republican John Campbell.
Congress is beginning work on the 5-year rewrite of the farm bill, a process that already has lawmakers drafting their own measures to fix the long-troubled rural broadband loan program. Mon., Sen. Roberts (R-Kan.) introduced S-1439 with co-sponsor Sen. Salazar (D-Colo.); the bill would create incentives for investment and simplify the loan process in rural areas. The bill also would redefine “rural,” helping to target so geographically small regions of the country that aren’t getting broadband services, according to a statement.
Congress is weighing at least a half-dozen bills to hasten broadband deployment in rural areas -- and Verizon supports some of those concepts, said Verizon Exec. Vp Tom Tauke in a briefing with reporters Mon. Tauke is enthusiastic about a project known as “Connect Ky.” which linked up potential broadband users with service providers to increase deployment to an anticipated 99-100% by year’s end, Tauke said.
Rep. Matsui (D-Cal.), who died of pneumonia Jan. 1, was a leading proponent of tax credits as a means to increase broadband deployment. Matsui was a major co- sponsor of HR-768, a broadband tax credit bill introduced by Rep. English (R-Pa.). The bill would have given a 10% tax credit to those providing current broadband technology to rural and underserved areas and a 20% tax credit to providers that offer next-generation services. The bill had 150 co-sponsors, but never received a hearing from the House Ways & Means Committee, of which both English and Matsui were members. The measure was endorsed by TIA, EIA and the Information Technology Industry Council. It’s unclear if English or others will push for the same tax credit this term.
Advocates of broadband tax credit legislation insisted Wed. that time was right for passage of such legislation, despite lack of action in 106th and 107th Congresses. Rep. English (R-Pa.), for 3 Congresses champion of legislation, joined with fellow Ways & Means Committee member Matsui (D- Cal.) Wed. to introduce yet another bill (WID Feb 11 p6). Like its predecessors, proposed Broadband Internet Access Act of 2003 would give 10% tax credit to those providing current broadband technology to rural and underserved areas and 20% tax credit to providers offering next-generation speeds and service.
Rep. English (R-Pa.) plans to reintroduce legislation Thurs. to promote broadband to rural and underserved rural areas, this time in partnership with Rep. Matsui (D-Cal.). English on Jan. 8 introduced HR-267, Broadband Internet Access Act, that would use tax credits to encourage businesses to deploy broadband. Bill was referred to House Ways & Means Committee, of which English is member. Matsui also is member, and new bill will be bipartisan. English’s spokeswoman said it had been modified slightly and she anticipated it would have several co-sponsors -- HR-267 was introduced with no co-sponsors and remains that way. Idea of tax credits to spur broadband is old one, championed in 107th Congress by Sen. Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and in 106th Congress by then-Sen. Daniel Moynihan (D-N.Y.). Senate Communications Subcommittee Chmn. Burns (R-Mont.) has introduced similar bill in this Congress (S-160) that would use expensing to promote broadband, and Rep. McHugh (R-N.Y.) has bill (HR-138) to use federal grants and loans. It’s expected that another bill will be introduced in Senate more closely adhering to the Moynihan-Rockefeller legislation. English and Matsui will be joined at news conference Wed. by co-sponsors as well as Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) Pres. Dave McCurdy, Telecom Industry Assn. (TIA) Pres. Matthew Flanigan and Information Technology Industry Assn. (ITI) Pres. Rhett Dawson.
Proponents of tax relief for broadband deployment projects want President Bush to consider incorporating 2- tiered tax credit plan into White House technology policy. Legislation (HR-267) by Reps. English (R-Pa.) and Matsui (D- Cal.), which has 194 co-sponsors, would provide 10% and 20% tax credit for deployment of current generation and next generation broadband equipment, respectively. Companion bill (S-88) by Sen. Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) has identical language and 65 supporters. English staffer said that encouraging Administration to adopt tax proposal rather than waiting for HR-267 to make it to President’s desk shouldn’t be misconstrued as lack of confidence in bill’s movement: “It’s an effort to make sure that the White House knows the proposal exists and has bipartisan support.” Since Administration still is developing its technology policy, it may want to consider taking action on broadband tax relief as spelled out in HR-267 and S-88, English spokeswoman said. Access to “transitional broadband technologies” is possible in many U.S. cities and suburbs via cable and phone lines, while “many rural and low-income areas are still deprived of even those interim steps,” 54 House members wrote Bush Feb. 7. They said that widespread support in both Houses and from numerous private sector businesses and citizens’ groups “indicates a general recognition of the need to extend a high-speed information system to all Americans. This legislation provides a vehicle for delivering such a system, and we hope you will include it in any comprehensive policy proposals that you develop.”