President Biden’s big bill is dead. What tech provisions might live on?

Sen Joe Manchin (D-WV) stunned the White House and sent many in Washington (DC) scrambling by crushing Democrats’ chances of passing the House version of President Joe Biden’s massive social spending bill, the Build Back Better (BBB) Act. Now Senate Democrats are scheming about what elements might survive if they can assemble a more Manchin-friendly bill, including a number of tech provisions. The House-passed bill included $1.15 billion for broadband internet, a pot of money meant to supplement the $65 billion in broadband spending included in the bipartisan infrastructure law signed by Biden in November 2021. The BBB’s proposals included $300 million for bolstering remote-learning subsidies and a $280 million pilot program on urban broadband affordability. Manchin has not stated a clear position on these provisions. Democrats urgently hope to upgrade the country’s 911 system for the digital age. This money in the BBB — a fraction of the billions lawmakers originally proposed — would enable emergency call centers to receive text messages, video and photos, not just phone calls. Manchin has not weighed in on this proposal, either. Democrats are also “hopeful” they can still use a pared-down legislative package to provide $500 million for creating an Federal Trade Commission data privacy bureau. The bill called for splitting an influx of antitrust funding ($1 billion) evenly between the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission.