Politico

Rank-and-file lawmakers in both chambers insist the day to day operations of Congress — hearings, markups, press conferences, caucus meetings — should continue in some form while the House and Senate remain out for weeks in order to prevent the spread of the virus on Capitol Hill. But congressional leaders have staunchly resisted modern technology that could allow members to vote remotely.

The great American lockdown that put the economy on ice is fueling hopes of a 5G boom. US mobile carriers were already planning to spend big on deploying superfast wireless internet in the coming years. Then the coronavirus pushed a massive nationwide adoption of Zoom video conferences, distance learning, online doctors’ visits and daylong Netflix binges — and the top internet providers are ready to spend a lot more. Verizon announced it was boosting its estimated capital investment for this year by $500 million, to as much as $18.5 billion, to accelerate its 5G efforts.

Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) said the coronavirus pandemic could forever change the importance of expanding broadband connectivity and bolstering the security of digital networks. “Things have changed. I'm not sure they ever go back to exactly the way they were before,” he said. The timeline to bring some businesses and school districts online has sped up, for instance, as they offer new remote learning and work-from-home options. Those coronavirus-era changes could become the norm.

 As Congress contemplates a new package of Covid-19 countermeasures, digital connectivity is shaping up to be a significant negotiating point. Telecom provisions that could be in play: Democrats will push for billions of dollars to close the online Homework Gap and help low-income households with connectivity. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) also led her Democratic chairs in a renewed infrastructure push that would wrap in $86 billion for broadband efforts.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will pay for a wider range of telemedicine services during the coronavirus pandemic including remote patient monitoring for both chronic and acute conditions, not just related to coronavirus treatment, and allowing doctors to collect Medicare payments for making phone calls to patients. CMS previously required that consultations have both audio and visual elements. Some medical groups had pushed the agency to remove that requirement, arguing that some sessions can easily be conducted over the phone.

April 1 marked the Census Bureau’s biggest push yet to get Americans to participate in the once-in-a-decade count. The outcome will not only determine communities' representation in Congress but will also have far-reaching implications for funding for schools, hospitals, emergency services and other institutions that have been central to the war on Covid-19. And thank God for the internet. Luckily, this is the first time Americans can respond by mail, phone or online — and the agency expects a surge in participation thanks to the latter.

Media industry, take note: As of the past week, a Federal Communications Commission action item is now circulating that could spell some structural changes within the FCC, specifically within its Media Bureau that deals with TV and radio issues. “If adopted, this proposal would consolidate the Media Bureau’s Engineering Division with the Bureau’s Industry Analysis Division,” an FCC spokesperson said. For the coming fiscal year, the FCC requested funding for 131 full-time employees for its Media Bureau, a number that’s been dwindling in recent years amid the changing media landscape.