Politico

Not included in the November 17 Senate confirmation hearing were Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society], President Biden’s pick for the open Federal Communications Commission seat, and Alan Davidson, the nominee to helm the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Sen Maria Cantwell (D-WA) has stated their confirmation hearing will likely take place the week the Senate returns from its Thanksgiving break, with December 1 a prime contender.

Senators' year-end to-do list includes key Federal Communications Commission nominations and more funding for broadband and antitrust efforts. All eyes are on the Democrats’ social spending package, which includes money for broadband and antitrust enforcement and gives the Federal Trade Commission a long-sought fining authority. White House National Economic Council Director Brian Deese projected confidence that the House would pass the package this week. Even if that happens, it will still need Senate approval, which will likely be pushed to December.

When senators return to Washington next week, one of the most pressing issues they’ll face is passing the National Defense Authorization Act, which has been pushed back much further than usual. Lawmakers have filed nearly 700 amendments to the annual defense bill, including several related to tech and telecom. Politico has compiled a list of major Democrat, Republican, and bipartisan amendments in these areas.

The Senate is only scheduled to be in three weeks for the rest of 2021, with a recess set to start on December 10. There’s almost no chance that schedule holds at this point, with the Democratic majority facing a to-do list more daunting than a Black Friday sales rush. Congress has to fund the government past December 3, pass a massive defense policy bill, finish out a $1.75 trillion party-line social spending bill and potentially maneuver around a US credit default.

House Science Committee leaders are asking President Joe Biden’s council of science and tech advisers to write a report on ways to protect and boost spectrum access and quality for science and operational uses.

Democrats’ partisan social spending package presently includes $300 million for the Emergency Connectivity Fund, a Federal Communications Commission pandemic relief program to help expand broadband access for students, library patrons and school staff, as well as $100 million for the FCC to promote its broadband affordability programs. It sets up various Commerce Department programs, such as a $280 million pilot program to improve broadband in cities and a $475 million program to help consumers purchase devices like computers and tablets.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s ReConnect broadband program is making available more than $1 billion in connectivity loans and grants for internet service providers. But applicants committing to net neutrality will get a leg up, per new USDA evaluation criteria. Internet service providers (ISPs) currently aren’t legally required to abide by anything of the sort nationwide, although California and other states have legislated on net neutrality in the absence of federal rules.

House Energy and Commerce lawmakers are offering bipartisan grumbling about whether President Biden’s executive branch is properly coordinating with the Federal Communications Commission on how to manage wireless airwaves. Their latest concern: the Federal Aviation Administration issuing warnings about possible disruption to airplane equipment from wireless carriers’ use of 5G-friendly airwaves in the C-band.