Bi-Partisan Senate Commerce Committee OK’s Two Broadband Bills

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Late yesterday the Senate Commerce Committee approved bill 1289 and 1294 that will enhance funding of broadband deployment and assess the impact those measures will have.  The bills will be sent to the full Senate for confirmation.

The “Measuring the Economic Impact of Broadband Act” (1298) will require the Secretary of Commerce to assess the impact of broadband deployment and adoption on the economy of the United States.

 The Act is sponsored by Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-MN, Shelley Moore Capito, R-WV, and Dan Sullivan, R-AK.

Bill 1294, the “Broadband Interagency Coordination Act” involves, the FCC, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture entering into a memorandum of understanding to coordinate the distribution of federal funds for broadband deployment. The bill is sponsored by Sens. Roger Wicker, R-MS, and Amy Klobuchar, D-MN.

WIA’s Head of Legislative Affairs Matt Mandel said: “Today, the Senate Commerce Committee approved two measures, S. 1289 and S. 1294, that will help improve coordination of federal broadband funding programs and examine the economic impact of broadband deployment. Both are thoughtful, bipartisan bills as the U.S. looks to lead the world in 5G. Thank you to Chairman Wicker and Senators Klobuchar, Capito, and Sullivan for their leadership in ushering these two important pieces of legislation through the Committee.”

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May 16, 2019

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