Lawmakers, White House Reckon with Broadband Sticking Points

A day after Vice President Harris held a discussion about broadband with members of Congress, key lawmakers came away heartened — despite worsening odds that the parties will be able to bridge their differences about the administration’s infrastructure ambitions. Democrats may eventually end up ramming through their next infrastructure bill via reconciliation, without trying to get any GOP votes. But for now, the lawmakers said, it looks like there could still be room for compromise on broadband. “I actually thought it was constructive,” Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) said of the meeting. “The core theme from my perspective that I was emphasizing was you have to get the truly unserved [areas]. … There was a lot of consensus on that.” That’s a more positive spin than what House Commerce Committee Republicans offered. The contentious topic of broadband speeds came up, according to Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA). Policymakers “need to make sure that the broadband we deliver is going to be high enough speed that it can actually meet the needs of our community,” he said. “The idea that you’re going to create a second class of citizens giving them speeds that can’t even meet today’s technology needs would be a dreadful mistake.” Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) said meeting attendees discussed the importance of “redundant, resilient, secure” internet networks and broadband pricing — a potentially divisive issue, given GOP fears about regulating broadband rates (President Biden has said he wants to force down high internet prices, though his plan doesn’t say how he’d do it). “There was not one person in the room that did not talk about the importance of affordability and what it’s going to take for us to get there,” said Luján, adding that Harris emphasized that investments in broadband infrastructure would help boost US competitiveness. The White House and Senate Republicans are seemingly aligned around $65 billion for broadband if they reach a deal, which Republicans again floated in their latest counteroffer (Democrats originally wanted $100 billion). But debates about thorny underlying issues, such as the administration’s proposed emphasis on municipal broadband and demands for greater transparency on monthly internet bills, still loom large. Asked whether the White House would compromise, Senate Commerce Ranking Member and GOP negotiator Roger Wicker of Mississippi said, “There’s discussion about that.”