Ayotte, Capito, Gardner Submit Telecom Amendments to Budget Resolution
At least three senators introduced similar telecom amendments to S.Con.Res-11, which is being considered on the Senate floor this week and sets the congressional budget for FY 2016. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., wrote the resolution and cleared…
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it from committee last week. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., submitted an amendment on a deficit-neutral reserve fund to expand broadband in rural areas. It would let the Budget Committee chairman revise funding levels for “promoting investments in rural broadband infrastructure, including changes to the Connect America Fund, by the amounts provided in such legislation for those purposes, provided that such legislation would not increase the deficit over either the period of the total of fiscal years 2016 through 2020 or the period of the total of fiscal years 2016 through 2025.” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., introduced a similar amendment. But it specified it related to “requiring the [FCC] to focus efforts of the [FCC] on expanding high-speed broadband access to rural communities by the amounts provided in such legislation for those purposes, provided that such legislation would not increase the deficit over either the period of the total of fiscal years 2016 through 2020 or the period of the total of fiscal years 2016 through 2025.” Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., introduced an amendment but specified the deficit-neutral focus was on “enhancing and encouraging broadband deployment and adoption in rural America,” with no reference to infrastructure and the Connect America Fund, as Ayotte’s amendment included, or high-speed broadband, as Capito’s did. The resolution had 284 amendments submitted by Wednesday.