S. 1 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

Feb 14, 2009: What's in the final version of the Stimulus Plan?

Feb 13, 2009: Congress Passes Stimulus Package

Feb 13, 2009: New CBO Budgetary Estimates

Feb 13, 2009: House Passes $787B Stimulus Legislation The Senate is debating the bill today.

Senate Passes $838 Billion Economic Stimulus Bill

Feb 6, 2009: Senators negotiated a plan to allocate $6.65 billion to broadband investments, $350 million to broadband mapping, and $100 million to distance learning and telemedicine grants and loans. Almost all of the $7.1 billion in broadband will be channeled through the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

The compromise deletes $2.85 billion that the House-passed version had allocated to broadband grants that met certain minimum specific speed requirements. It also deleted the $2.85 billion that the House-passed version had allocated to the Agriculture Department’s Rural Utilities Service.

The compromise instead channels almost all broadband funds through the "Advanced Broadband Program" provisions of the NTIA. And in spite of a $2 billion cut in the funds available, from $8.65 billion to $6.65 billion, it preserves most previously existing facets of the Senate bill:

• requirements that not less than $200 million be spent on competitive grants aimed at expanding public computer center capacity,
• not less than $250 million be spent on "competitive grants for innovative programs to encourage sustainable adoption of broadband service," and
• spending $10 million for audits by the Commerce Department’s Office of Inspector General.

Up to $350 million may be expended pursuant to the Broadband Data Improvement Act and calls for NTIA to create "a comprehensive nationwide inventory map of existing broadband service capability and availability in the United States."

The Senate bill includes $80 million for distance learning grants, and $20 million for distance learning loans, both of which would be administered by the Agriculture Department.

Jan 27, 2009: Senate Committee on Finance Open Executive Session