Wicker Requests Agencies to Account for Spending on COVID-19 Broadband Funding

Ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Roger Wicker (R-MS) sent letters to the Department of Education, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Treasury requesting the agencies to report on the disbursement of funds received for broadband deployment, adoption, or other connectivity initiatives. The funding initiatives in question include the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020,  Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, and American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. “The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the importance of broadband connectivity,” said Wicker. “To address this issue, Congress has spent billions of dollars to fund multiple programs across the federal government that support the expansion of broadband connectivity and services to unserved and underserved locations. It is critical that both Congress and the agencies ensure that these funds are distributed in a way that avoids overbuilding, duplication of funding, and wasteful spending.”