Senate to Take Up COVID-19 Bill With $7.6B for E-rate Remote Learning
The Senate is expected to vote as soon as Wednesday on the American Rescue Plan Act COVID-19 budget reconciliation package (HR-1319), which includes $7.6 billion for E-rate remote learning (see 2102100061), Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Monday. The House…
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OK'd it 219-212 Saturday. All House Republicans opposed the measure, as expected. The House Rules Committee decided Friday against allowing floor votes on three telecom-related amendments, including one seeking to require the FCC to “establish a priority system that prioritizes” the E-rate funding for schools and libraries in unserved and rural areas. Agriculture Committee ranking member Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., spoke during the Rules meeting for his amendment to allocate $800 million for Agriculture Department broadband programs. They were “left out” despite being “instrumental in closing this digital divide in rural America,” he said. Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., said HR-1319 “meets the urgency of this moment,” citing the money as a way to “expand internet connectivity to help students and teachers without home internet access.” Commerce ranking member Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., called the measure a “hyper-partisan package” that “isn’t timely or targeted.” Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition Executive Director John Windhausen praised it as a “welcome move to help learners of all ages.”