Senate Passes Broadband Data Act
Senate passage of the House-altered Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act (S-1822) sends the measure on to President Donald Trump, who’s expected to sign it. The Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent Tuesday. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger…
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Wicker, R-Miss., and seven other committee Republicans want the FCC to distribute money from its proposed 5G Fund based on accurate broadband coverage data. The House amended S-1822 last week to include language from its House-passed companion (HR-4229), which was expanded into a larger broadband mapping legislative package (see 2003030064). S-1822 now also includes language from the House-passed Mapping Accuracy Promotes Services Act (HR-4227), which would bar companies from knowingly giving the FCC inaccurate broadband coverage data. “Flawed broadband maps are a huge problem for rural and underserved communities, including many in Mississippi,” Wicker said. “I expect the FCC and other federal agencies to use these new maps when awarding funding.” Unless "appropriately targeted," the 5G Fund "risks deepening the digital divide,” Wicker and the other senators wrote FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.