House of Representatives

Reps Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and David B. McKinley (R-WV) introduced the Broadband Conduit Deployment Act of 2018. This commonsense legislation, commonly referred to as ‘Dig Once’, would mandate the inclusion of broadband conduit—plastic pipes which house fiber-optic communications cable—during the construction of any road receiving federal funding. This practice will eliminate the need to dig up recently-paved roads to expand broadband infrastructure, significantly reducing the cost of increasing Internet access to underserved communities across the country.

Rep Mike Doyle (D-PA), the Ranking Member on the House Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, announced that he and 117 other Members of Congress had sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission urging the Commissioners NOT to vote on FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s “Restoring Internet Freedom Order” at the Commission’s scheduled meeting Dec 14. Congressman Doyle organized the letter to the FCC urging the Commission to delay its vote on the Restoring Internet Freedom Order – in other words, to not vote on the draft order tomorrow.

Congressman Jerry McNerney (CA-09) submitted a formal request to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai, asking to address the full Commission at tomorrow’s open meeting. While outside entities have previously been given the opportunity to speak at these meetings – which are open to the public – Chairman Pai has disregarded this precedent and denied the Congressman’s request. Congressman McNerney said:

Days before the Federal Communications Commission will vote on its proposed rollback of Net Neutrality rules that protect the open internet, Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) introduced the Save Net Neutrality Act (H.R. 4585) to stop the FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would result in a final rule eliminating the existing Net Neutrality policy. The FCC offered an NPRM on May 18, 2017 which would rollback Net Neutrality rules established by the Commission in 2015.

Today, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai confirmed his long-term goal to unravel net neutrality protections, demonstrating that he is on the wrong side of history, startups, consumers and the public interest. As millions of Americans voice their support for a free and open internet, Chairman Pai’s proposal hands the internet over to the largest Internet Service Providers (ISPs) who can throttle, assess a toll or block content. The net neutrality protections have advanced competition and innovation, created more startups and entrepreneurs, and have been judicially approved.

Reps Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Dave Loebsack (D-IA) introduced the Rural Spectrum Accessibility Act (HR 1814) to expand wireless coverage in rural communities. This bipartisan effort would provide incentives for wireless carriers to make unused spectrum available for rural use and for smaller carriers. “The future of economic development in Iowa and across the country depends, in large part, on access to the internet and mobility,” said Rep Loebsack. “I have met with many small businesses, farmers, and rural telecommunication companies who have stressed the importance of mobile internet access in rural areas. I am pleased to work with Rep Kinzinger to introduce this legislation that will increase access to wireless broadband to help boost economic development, education opportunities and job growth in rural.”

Reps Jared Huffman (D-CA), Mark Pocan (D-WI), and Rick Nolan (D-MN) introduced the New Deal Rural Broadband Act of 2017, an ambitious plan to connect every American home, business, and school to high-speed, reliable broadband internet that is based on Roosevelt’s New Deal rural electrification model. The legislation would expand access to broadband internet in rural communities in Huffman’s North Coast congressional district, and across the nation, through increased investments in broadband infrastructure, improved programs to support tribal communities in broadband development, and the establishment of a new Office of Rural Broadband Initiatives to better coordinate all Federal rural broadband deployment programs.

The New Deal Rural Broadband Act would:
Establish a new Office of Rural Broadband Initiatives to coordinate and centralize all Federal rural broadband programs;
Authorize $20 billion for new broadband infrastructure focused on rural communities and those without adequate access;
Authorize a new Tribal Broadband Assistance Program to support tribal communities in broadband deployment;
Improve and modernize the Telecommunications Loan and Loan Guarantee Program to increase eligibility, allow greater flexibility, and break down federal agency broadband “silos”;
Authorize the Rural Utility Service (RUS) to offer broadband grants in addition to loans and loan guarantees to provide small communities with the seed funds needed to compete in loan applications or develop commercially attractive proposals and increase overall (RUS) broadband investment from $25 million to $50 million annually; and
Establish an inventory of Federal and State assets on which a broadband facility could be constructed and;
Provide land management agencies with cooperative agreement and fee retention authority for telecommunications rights-of-way to leverage public lands for broadband deployment

Rep Doug Lamborn (R-CO) released the following statement following his introduction of two bills, HR 726 and HR 727, to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and National Public Radio (NPR): "Republicans and the new Administration need to demonstrate that we take our fiscal responsibility seriously. American taxpayers do not want their hard-earned dollars funding superfluous government programs just because that is the way things have always been done. That’s why I have reintroduced two pieces of legislation to permanently defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and National Public Radio. CPB received $445 million during Fiscal Year 2016, and this money could be put to better use rebuilding our military and enhancing our national security.”