Senate Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee Chairman Chris Van Hollen, Md.; Sen. Ed Markey, Mass.; and Rep. Grace Meng, N.Y., led a Friday letter with 64 other congressional Democrats supporting the FCC’s proposal permitting schools and libraries to use E-rate support for off-premises Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless internet services (see 2311090028). CTIA endorsed the NPRM in comments filed with the FCC last week, while other industry groups questioned whether the FCC has authority under the Communications Act to expand the E-rate program as proposed (see 2401300063). “This proposal properly recognizes that learning now extends beyond the physical premises of school buildings,” the Democratic lawmakers wrote in the letter to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “When a sixth grader is completing a homework assignment through an online educational platform or a ninth grader is attending class through a video conferencing application, they are clearly engaged in educational activities.” The Communications Act gives the FCC “flexibility to structure and strengthen the E-Rate program as educational conditions change,” the lawmakers said: “With millions of students at risk of losing internet access at home” should Congress not appropriate additional money for the FCC’s affordable connectivity program before its initial $14.2 billion allocation runs out in April (see 2402010075), “we are glad to see the FCC exercising this authority and modernizing the E-Rate program, and we encourage the Commission to provide schools and libraries with the flexibility to adapt their programs to local conditions while continuing to effectively guard against fraud and waste.” Other Democrats signing the letter included Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico and House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Doris Matsui of California. On the other hand, House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz, R-Texas, oppose the E-rate NPRM (see 2309270069). The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition praised the Democratic lawmakers for backing the proposal.
As live sports content continues what many see as an inexorable move to streaming, traditional pay TV is left in an increasingly tighter spot and the future of such deals is in limbo, media and sports industry experts tell us. The future of sports league and team deals with broadcasters is seen as more stable. House Communications Subcommittee members at a Wednesday hearing repeatedly highlighted sports programming's move from traditional pay TV to streaming services, at times expressing frustration with rising prices and fragmented access to games. Testimony from DirecTV Chief Content Officer Rob Thun and other witnesses reflected earlier written statements that agreed the sports marketplace is in a state of flux (see 2401300078).
House Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone of New Jersey led four Democrats Monday in filing the Do Not Disturb Act to counteract perceived undermining of anti-robocall protections following the U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous 2021 ruling in Facebook v. Duguid. In that case, the court backed a narrow definition of an automatic telephone dialing system under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (see 2104010063). Senate Communications Subcommittee leaders focused during an October hearing on DOJ’s perceived reluctance in enforcing existing anti-robocall statutes (see 2310240065).
The FCC will continue updating Congress about the affordable connectivity program's status in hopes of convincing lawmakers for money to keep it running, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel told reporters Thursday after the commissioners’ open meeting (see 2401250064). The FCC expects the initiative will exhaust its $14.2 billion allocation in April. The Wireline Bureau said earlier this month it would freeze new enrollments Feb. 8 as part of the program's wind-down process (see 2401110072).
Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., is considering attaching an amendment to a pending national security supplemental spending bill that would allocate $3.08 billion to fully fund the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program, communications officials and lobbyists said in interviews. Telecom-focused lawmakers are still eyeing FY 2024 appropriations bills as vehicles for allocating rip-and-replace money, and some are pushing to keep using a spectrum legislative package to pay for it. President Joe Biden asked Congress to authorize the additional rip-and-replace money in October as part of a domestic funding supplemental separate from the national security request (see 2310250075).
Senate Telehealth Working Group co-Chair Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and nine other lawmakers urged the Department of Health and Human Services to “work with Congress to ensure that all Medicare beneficiaries have permanent access to telehealth services before the temporary waivers expire on December 31, 2024.” Lawmakers have long supported proposals making permanent the current temporary lift enacted at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (see 2008170064) of some restrictions on Medicare reimbursement for telehealth services and coverage of those services at federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics. “Enacting permanent telehealth legislation will require collaboration between HHS and Congress in the year ahead,” Schatz and the lawmakers said in a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “We urge you to communicate to Congress and the public the authorities, appropriations, resources, and other supports needed to achieve this goal.” 2024 will be “a pivotal year for telehealth policy, and it is critical that we enact long-term legislation” before year’s end, the lawmakers said: “Telehealth is a cost-effective way to improve access to care, especially for rural and underserved communities. Telehealth also allows patients to choose a medical provider that best suits their personal medical needs. Medicare beneficiaries have come to rely on expanded access to telehealth and are satisfied with the care they have received. We must provide patients and clinicians long-term certainty about access to care through telehealth.” Others signing the letter included Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member John Thune, R-S.D., and House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Doris Matsui, D-Calif.
NTIA’s administration of the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund (Wireless Innovation Fund) drew criticism from some House Communications Subcommittee Republicans during a Thursday hearing over concerns the agency was slow to use it to aid development of U.S. open radio access networks (see 2401160068). Subpanel Democrats conversely eyed whether Congress should allocate additional funding to the NTIA initiative for ORAN use. Members of both parties sought to tie future ORAN development to the push to give the FCC’s Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program an additional $3.08 billion to close a funding shortfall that could hurt the goal of removing suspect gear from U.S. networks (see 2311070050).
House Communications Subcommittee members again raised concerns about the impact the FCC Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program’s $3.08 billion funding shortfall is having on removing suspect gear from U.S. networks, as expected (see 2401100072). Their concerns came during a hearing Thursday. In addition, subpanel members offered generally positive reviews of the FCC's voluntary Cyber Trust Mark cybersecurity labeling program for smart devices (see 2308100032), but some GOP leaders were skeptical that it would remain voluntary as advertised.
Congressional backers of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (HR-3413/S-1669) are eyeing alternate routes to have it pass this year amid continued obstacles that stymied the measure in both chambers in 2023. The legislation would require a Transportation Department mandate for inclusion of AM radio technology in future vehicles. Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz, R-Texas, failed to get unanimous consent approval of S-1669 in December (see 2312060073) amid opposition from Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. Senate Commerce advanced the measure in July (see 2307270063).
Congress is unlikely to follow up the 5G Spectrum Authority Licensing Enforcement Act (S-2787) with a near-term agreement on a broader spectrum legislative package, certainly not in time to factor into the upcoming debate over funding the federal government once an existing continuing resolution expires Feb. 2, lawmakers and lobbyists told us. President Joe Biden signed the 5G Sale Act last week (see 2312200061), giving the FCC temporary authority to issue 2.5 GHz band licenses that T-Mobile and others won in a 2022 auction. All sides view the measure as a stopgap, required after months of stalled talks on Capitol Hill for a broader legislative package that would renew the FCC’s lapsed general auction authority (see 2312040001).