NTCA Members Need Help with KAC Debts, CEO Bloomfield Says
NTCA members taking part in the FCC's Keep Americans Connected pledge this spring racked up on average $80,000 in uncollectible debt and need Congress to help cover that expense, NTCA CEO Shirley Bloomfield told C-Span's The Communicators, scheduled to be…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
telecast this weekend. She said she hopes whatever stimulus bill Congress passes will include funding for that. There has been "some bridging" of the digital divide in recent months as providers try to connect as many people as they can, but a sizable gap remains and none of the stimulus money spent so far has been directed at connectivity for low-income or rural Americans, she said. Asked about the various infrastructure bills, she talked up the Keeping Critical Connections Act (S-3569) spearheaded by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. She said the FCC's designation of Huawei and ZTE as a national security threat to communications networks affects a handful of NTCA members, with rural wireless providers more affected, and that Congress will also need to look at funding for replacing hardware from those companies.