Senate Appropriations Committee Releases Full Text of FY 2016 Department of Commerce Budget
The Senate Appropriations Committee released the full text of its version of the FY 2016 budget for the departments of Commerce and Justice and related federal agencies, which would allocate $8.5 billion to Commerce and recommends that NTIA get $38.2…
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million. Senate Appropriations cleared its version of the FY 2016 Commerce budget last week (see 1506120055), while the House passed its version of the budget (HR-2578) earlier this month (see 1506040052 and 1506020043). The Senate Appropriations version of the budget includes a rider that would require NTIA to inform Senate Appropriations and the Senate Commerce Committee a minimum of 45 days before it makes a final decision on ICANN’s Internet Assigned Numbers Authority transition plan and an accompanying successor IANA contract. The rider also would require NTIA to continue providing Senate Appropriations with quarterly reports on the IANA transition process. Senate Appropriations said in an accompanying report Tuesday it “remains concerned that the Department of Commerce, through NTIA, has not been a strong advocate for American companies and consumers and urges greater participation and advocacy within [ICANN’s] Governmental Advisory Committee and any other mechanisms within ICANN in which NTIA is a participant.” Senate Appropriations said it supports FirstNet’s funding agreement with Commerce’s inspector general for FirstNet oversight and accountability and “continues to encourage FirstNet to consider using deployable technologies in locations and circumstances where they are more cost effective than alternative technologies.” Senate Appropriations’ Commerce budget doesn’t include any funding for new broadband grant awards but the committee “supports the continued monitoring of existing broadband grants for financial oversight and accountability purposes.” Senate Appropriations directed NTIA to continue assisting states and localities that have received broadband grants since “doing so would prevent undue burden on State and local governments working in good faith in the public interest and would maximize previous Federal investments in public safety infrastructure. The Committee intends to continue to explore further legislative action to assist the Administration in achieving these worthy goals.” Senate Appropriations also directed NTIA to continue evaluating options for repurposing spectrum for wireless broadband use and to give the committee quarterly updates on that work.