Federal Aviation Administration bill faces Senate holdup over expiring affordable internet program

At least two senators are demanding that a program subsidizing high-speed internet for lower-income families be extended as part of the airline safety bill making its way through the Senate. Sen J.D. Vance (R-OH) plans to keep the upper chamber from fast-tracking the bill, a five-year reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, unless his amendment on the subsidy, known as the Affordable Connectivity Program, gets a vote on the Senate floor. Sen Peter Welch (D-VT), another lead co-sponsor, is also pressing leadership for a funding extension. Sen Vance called an amendment vote the most “plausible pathway at this point,” considering the dynamics of the committee, which has jurisdiction over the program. Sens Vance and Welch, along with a few other senators, co-sponsored legislation in January that would provide another $7 billion for the program, in effect extending it through the rest of 2024. Sen Vance said he would prevent the Senate from reaching an agreement to speed up FAA passage unless the measure gets a vote.