Broadband priorities for outgoing and incoming Congress

The 117th Congress is nearing its end. There are still several broadband policy issues and related matters for Congress to sort out. Meanwhile, the current Congress has few working days left in 2022—and still needs to pass a budget for 2023—and it's unclear how much legislation will reach President Biden's desk when Republicans gain the House majority in January. Here are two policy matters to watch for the remaining days of this Congress:

1. Confirmation of Benton Senior Fellow and Public Advocate Gigi Sohn to be a commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission.
2. USTelecom, CTIA and others are urging the passage of the Broadband Grant Tax Treatment, which would exempt recipients of broadband funding through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA) from taxation.

Here are some issues the next Congress may address:

• Permitting reform
• The Rural Internet Improvement Act of 2022 would change the USDA's ReConnect program by prioritizing applications "that have demonstrated the technical and financial experience required to construct and operate broadband networks," as well as by streamlining the application process. Further, it would reserve funding for areas where at least 90% of households lack broadband access.
• Oversight, oversight, oversight: While it's unclear how much new legislation the new Congress will pass, incoming Republican House leaders have expressed an interest in holding hearings on various matters related to the Biden administration.