Tech and Telecom-Heavy COVID Relief, Omnibus

The $900 billion coronavirus package and $1.4 trillion government funding deal are full of technology and telecommunications priorities that will help Americans stay connected amid a darkening pandemic and keep issues from antitrust to artificial intelligence policy front-and-center heading into 2021. Both the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice's antitrust division get a bump in funding. They’ll get $351 million and $184.5 million, respectively, which is vital for the cash-crunched FTC as the agency takes on Facebook. The agreement invests $7 billion in broadband funding, including $250 million for telehealth and $1.9 billion to fund the “rip and replace” of telecommunications gear deemed a national security risk (like equipment from Chinese firms Huawei and ZTE) from US infrastructure.