How the Senate and House Differ on Broadband Spending

Differences between the two broadband stimulus proposals working their way through Congress could take a little while to work out, but details of the plans that have popped up this week offer a map of where things might end up. The House and Senate haven't agreed on much about the broadband stimulus so far, neither the cost ($6 billion in the House, $9 billion in the Senate) nor Internet speeds ("advanced broadband" in the House clocks in at 45mbps, while the Senate says "next-generation" broadband is 100 mpbs). Cable operators aren't thrilled about language in the House and Senate bills, which sets aside grant money for broadband providers who can provide 100 mbps service, since that would tend to favor phone companies installing fiber-to-the-home service. Open access, or net neutrality, conditions could be a major sticking point for phone and cable companies, which don't want significant government constraints on their network management practices. Right now, companies are concerned about how "open access" might be defined in the legislation. The Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday that much of the spending on broadband wouldn't really have much of an impact on consumers for several years. It could take "up to five to seven years" to finish some projects funded by the $2.8 billion handed out by the Agriculture Department's rural development broadband program.