Washington:
U.S. lawmakers will back $1.9 billion to fund a plan to get rid of telecom network gear that the U.S. government says poses national safety dangers as portion of a $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill, two sources briefed on the matter stated on Sunday.
Lawmakers will also back $3.2 billion for an emergency broadband advantage for low-revenue Americans, senior congressional aides confirmed following Reuters initially reported the planned broadband spending.
The COVID-19 relief bill invests $7 billion to raise access to broadband, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer stated in a statement, adding the low-revenue plan will “help millions of students, families and unemployed workers afford the broadband they need during the pandemic.”
The Federal Communications Commission stated in June it had formally designated China’s Huawei Technologies Co and ZTE Corp as threats, a declaration that bars U.S. firms from tapping an $8.3 billion government fund to acquire gear from the firms.
Earlier this month, the FCC finalized guidelines that demand carriers with ZTE or Huawei gear to “rip and replace” that gear but is awaiting funding from Congress.
Huawei stated earlier this month it was disappointed in the FCC’s selection “to force removal of our products from telecommunications networks. This overreach puts U.S. citizens at risk in the largely underserved rural areas – during a pandemic – when reliable communication is essential.”
The bill “establishes a temporary, emergency broadband benefit program at the FCC to help low-income Americans, including those economically challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic, get connected or remain connected to broadband,” according to a truth sheet observed by Reuters.
The supply also stated the plan will provide a $50 month-to-month subsidy to qualifying households “to help them afford broadband service and an internet-connected device.”
The bill also expands eligibility for the rip-and-replace reimbursement plan to communications providers with 10 million subscribers or much less but prioritizes reimbursement for providers with 2 million subscribers or much less, the supply stated, citing a draft truth sheet.
The bill will involve $285 million for connecting minority communities and will establish an Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).
It will also provide funding to “support minority-serving education institutions, including when they partner with minority-owned businesses, to expand broadband capacity and use at the school and in the surrounding community,” the truth sheet observed by Reuters stated.
It also incorporates about $250 million for added FCC assistance for telehealth and $1 billion for a NTIA tribal broadband connectivity grant plan.
There is a separate $300 million NTIA grant plan to market broadband expansion to underserved Americans, specially in rural places, and $65 Million for greater broadband maps.
That completely funds the FCC’s improvement of new more correct broadband availability maps to aid the agency greater target government funding for broadband deployment.
()