House Transportation Committee
House Infrastructure Committee Approves E-BRIDGE Act
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved a number of measures, including H.R. 1752, the Eliminating Barriers to Rural Internet Development Grant Eligibility (E-BRIDGE) Act, legislation to remove hurdles for broadband projects under Economic Development Administration (EDA) grants.
House Passes E-BRIDGE Act to Expand Internet Access
On November 4, the House of Representatives passed eight bills that the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure approved on a bipartisan basis. The package included the Eliminating Barriers to Rural Internet Development Grant Eligibility (E-BRIDGE) Act (HR 3193), introduced by Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO) and Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS). The legislation amends the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (P.L.
E-BRIDGE Act Advances in House
The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure approved the E-BRIDGE Act (H.R. 3193). Introduced by Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO) and Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS), the bill amends the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (P.L. 89−136) to create a high-speed broadband initiative and authorizes the Economic Development Administration to award grants for public-private partnerships and consortiums to carry out broadband projects.
House Members Question FCC Plans that Undermine the Development and Deployment of Safety Critical Technology
House Transportation Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO), and 36 Members of the committee sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission to raise serious concerns with the FCC’s plan to redirect more than half the 5.9 GHz spectrum band. In December 2019, the FCC proposed to reallocate more than half of the 5.9 GHz radio frequency band (or Safety Band) to unlicensed operations, such as Wi-Fi.