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Democrats Are Getting Serious About Universal Broadband

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approved a $7.17 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund that schools and libraries will use to help people get internet access at home. The is part of the sent to President Biden on Wednesday after being approved by the House and Senate. Biden the bill into law Thursday.Ars TechnicaThis story originally appeared on , a trusted source for technology news, tech policy analysis, reviews, and more. Ars is owned by WIRED's parent company, Condé Nast.The emergency fund should help students who live in areas where broadband is available but cannot afford it. This emergency measure may just be a prelude to a $94 billion package that includes $80 billion to deploy high-speed broadband to parts of the US that do not have it.Democrats introduced the $94 billion broadband initiative Wednesday—it isn't yet clear whether or when it will pass, but such initiatives have a much better chance now that Democrats control the White House and both chambers of Congress. More details on the larger broadband bill are included later in this article.With the $7.17 billion emergency fund, the will have to issue regulations within 60 days to carry out Congress' instructions. Details on when and how the funding will be distributed are thus not yet available.&nbsp;FCC acting chair Jessica Rosenworcel the fund will be an important tool for closing the "" that leaves many children without adequate internet access."The nation's homework gap has never been more evident than during this pandemic with the move to remote learning," Rosenworcel . "So, passage of the American Rescue Plan which would create the Emergency Connectivity Fund is welcome news. That's because millions of students are locked out of the virtual classroom right now. They can't do daily schoolwork. They're the kids sitting outside of the fast food restaurant just trying to catch a Wi-Fi signal to go to class."Rosenworcel said recent estimates show that "as many as 17 million kids" are victims of the homework gap with up to a third of Black, Latino, Native American, and Alaska Native students lacking high-speed internet access at home."The new funding can be used to pay for eligible equipment and services for schools and libraries to provide to students who need them," Rosenworcel said.Under the text of the new law, schools that get funding would distribute it to students and staff to pay for broadband service and equipment at "locations that include locations other than the school." Similarly, libraries would provide funding to patrons for broadband access at "locations that include locations other than the library."The funding could be used for internet service fees and equipment including Wi-Fi hot spots, modems, routers, and "connected devices" such as laptops and tablets. The FCC will have to determine individual funding amounts, but the law allows for reimbursement of up to 100 percent of "reasonable" costs.The emergency fund would be available throughout the pandemic and for at least one year after the US declares the public health emergency to be over. It would use money from the US Treasury instead of the FCC's Universal Service Fund, which uses fees paid by phone subscribers to support the&nbsp; program for schools and libraries.Separately, House majority whip James Clyburn (D-South Carolina) and senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), cochair of the Senate Broadband Caucus, announced the $94 billion on Wednesday, saying it will "build high-speed broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved communities to close the and ensure Americans have internet connectivity to learn and work from home, access telehealth services, and stay connected to loved ones."Most PopularThe bill includes "$80 billion to deploy high-speed broadband infrastructure nationwide … $5 billion over five years for low-interest financing of broadband deployment through a new secured loan program … an additional $6 billion for the recently established Emergency Broadband Connectivity Fund … $1 billion to establish grant programs for states to close gaps in broadband adoption, as well as digital inclusion projects for organizations and local communities to implement … $2 billion to enable students without internet at home to participate in remote learning," a press release from Klobuchar's office said."Access to broadband today will have the same dramatic impact on rural communities as the rural electrification efforts in the last century," Clyburn said in a press release. "When I formed the Rural Broadband Task Force, our mission was to address the digital divide. The disparate effects of that divide have been amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic and exposed the urgency of ensuring universal access to high-speed internet. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to enact the Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act."“In 2021, we should be able to bring high-speed internet to every family in America regardless of their zip code,” Klobuchar said."This legislation will help bridge the digital divide once and for all."A on Clyburn's website provides more detail on the $80 billion in broadband-infrastructure funding that would be distributed through a competitive bidding process and prioritize the building of networks with high download and upload speeds.The "additional $6 billion for the recently established Emergency Broadband Connectivity Fund" would be added to a in December 2020 that will provide $50-per-month broadband subsidies to Americans who have low incomes or who lost their jobs during the pandemic. Congress initially provided $3.2 billion for that fund.The FCC has of implementing the $50 monthly subsidies. There's still no final word on when payments will go out or when people can sign up, but the FCC aims to get the enrollment process started by the last week of April.The $94 billion bill is based on . That bill in July as part of a but did not make it through the Senate, which was controlled by Republicans at the time.Advocates for more affordable and widespread broadband are excited about the bill's prospects in the Democratic-controlled Congress. The Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act "is expected to move in tandem with broader infrastructure proposals emanating from the House and the Biden administration," the advocacy group .The bill also includes a provision that would eliminate state laws that prevent the growth of municipal broadband.&nbsp;Clyburn, Klobuchar, and congressional staff "took a bill that was excellent when passed [by the House] last July and made it even better," , a longtime consumer advocate who was an FCC official during the Obama administration. "The result is a bill that will make great progress toward bringing internet access to the tens of millions in the US who don't currently have it. Congress should pass this bill without delay."This story originally appeared on .More Great WIRED StoriesJon Brodkin is Senior IT Reporter at Ars Technica.

approved a $7.17 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund that schools and libraries will use to help people get internet access at home. The is part of the sent to President Biden on Wednesday after being approved by the House and Senate. Biden the bill into law Thursday.Ars TechnicaThis story originally appeared on , a trusted source for technology news, tech policy analysis, reviews, and more. Ars is owned by WIRED's parent company, Condé Nast.The emergency fund should help students who live in areas where broadband is available but cannot afford it. This emergency measure may just be a...

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Senior IT Reporter for @ArsTechnica. Intergalactic ALF of mystery. "Probably Comcast's least favorite journalist" - The Daily Beast.

Jon Brodkin

Ars Technica

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Democrats Are Getting Serious About Universal Broadband

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