The Wireless ISP Association criticized Treasury Department language in an FAQ on interim rules on what broadband projects are eligible for money from the American Rescue Plan Act (see 2105100060). It's a “marked departure from long standing U.S. policy that focuses primarily on serving the unserved,” said WISPA Vice President-Policy Louis Peraertz Thursday. It includes “an improper and unsupported focus on wireline offerings as ostensibly the only acceptable technology capable of providing 25/3 Mbps.” Comments are due July 16.
Semiconductor Industry Association CEO John Neuffer was unfazed by criticism of fully funding the Chips Act to promote long-term leadership and resilience in U.S. chipmaking -- as last week’s White House supply chain report recommended (see our report here). This won't become a handout to wealthy chip companies and will be the incentive the industry seeks to boost U.S. standing in global semiconductors, he said. The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (S-1260) cleared the Senate last week by “a very strong bipartisan vote” with $52 billion in U.S. chipmaking and R&D incentives, he told an Information Technology and Innovation Foundation webinar Wednesday. “Now the battle goes to the House, and we’re very optimistic that something good is going to come out of that, so that the president will have a bill to sign.” The way that Chips Act funding in S-1260 is structured, “sure, there’s going to be grants involved, but there’s going to be far more investments required from private sector players,” said Neuffer. “These are solid companies that have to have a lot of capital to be able to do these kinds of investments.” The most “leading-edge” fabs cost $30 billion to build, he said. No policymaker should “adopt a goal of decoupling” U.S. chip production from global supply chains that are heavily concentrated in East Asia, said Neuffer. He cited a September SIA-Boston Consulting Group report.
Demand Progress, Public Knowledge and 55 other groupsurged President Joe Biden to “not lose any more time” in picking a nominee to fill a third Democratic FCC seat given the commission’s current 2-2 political makeup (see 2101060055). “We recognize the pressing and time-consuming challenges this administration has faced since its earliest days,” but continuing to leave that unfilled “is incompatible with the goal of delivering open, affordable and reliable high-speed broadband to every home,” they said in a letter to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The White House didn’t comment Monday.
There is "no credible rationale for the need for price regulation" to expand access to broadband for low-income communities, blogged AT&T Executive Vice President-Federal Regulatory Relations Joan Marsh Friday. Broadband prices are "comparable with those charged abroad and by municipal networks," Marsh said, and debate about pricing has "largely ignored the specific low-income products that the industry has made available." Marsh cited AT&T's Access from AT&T, which provides up to 25 Mbps for $10 monthly; $5 for lower speeds. Lifeline should be "revamped and revitalized," Marsh said. Adoption remains an obstacle to bridging the digital divide, Marsh said: Cost is becoming less of a barrier than the rise in smartphone use or another option for internet.
China urges the U.S. to “earnestly respect market economy principles and international economic and trade rules” and to stop “abusing state power to groundlessly suppress Chinese tech companies,” said a Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Thursday. He was asked about President Joe Biden’s revocation Wednesday of ex-President Donald Trump’s bans on U.S. transactions with TikTok and other major Chinese apps (see 2106090076). The Chinese government “will continue to resolutely safeguard legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies,” said the spokesperson. The White House didn’t comment.
House Communications Subcommittee member Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, put the onus on congressional Republicans Wednesday to come “to the table and sit down with us” to reach a compromise on an infrastructure spending package, as talks continued after the collapse of negotiations between the White House and a Senate GOP group led by Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia (see 2106080060). Veasey told a USTelecom virtual event that he expects the House Commerce Committee to mark up its part of infrastructure legislation soon so it can “get onto the floor for a vote,” after which it will be up to “my colleagues … in the other chamber to make sure this important legislation moves to” President Joe Biden’s desk. Veasey touted his backing of panel Democrats’ Leading Infrastructure for Tomorrow’s America Act infrastructure bill. HR-1848 includes $80 billion for broadband and $15 billion for next-generation 911 (see 2103110060). Whether that measure or another infrastructure bill passes depends on whether lawmakers are “willing … to come together and pass legislation that will help everyone be connected,” Veasey said. “Rural constituents will be very much … helped by this, as well as the lower income, largely urban residents that I represent.” Veasey touted his Enhanced Emergency Broadband Act, which would provide additional emergency broadband benefit program money (see 2103040049). “Create a path forward,” he said, “to make this program both permanent and sustainable.”
The White House and Senate Republicans confirmed Tuesday they have ended talks on infrastructure legislation following a call between President Joe Biden and Senate Public Works Committee ranking member Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia (see 2106070063). Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York told reporters Democrats are now more actively “pursuing” using the budget reconciliation process to enact infrastructure legislation (see 2103160001) even as he continues to hope for a bipartisan deal. Biden told Capito "the latest offer from her group did not, in his view, meet the essential needs of our country," said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki in a statement. "He offered his gratitude to her for her efforts and good faith conversations, but expressed his disappointment that, while he was willing to reduce his plan by more than $1 trillion, the Republican group had increased their proposed new investments by only $150 billion." The White House agreed with the GOP on $65 billion for broadband (see 2105270072). Biden "is committed to moving his economic legislation through Congress this summer, and is pursuing multiple paths to get this done," including a pending offer from Sens. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and four other senators. The Sinema-Portman proposal was expected to total around $900 billion and to include broadband money, aides said. "While I appreciate President Biden’s willingness to devote so much time and effort to these negotiations, he ultimately chose not to accept the very robust and targeted infrastructure package, and instead, end our discussions," Capito said in a statement. "I am disappointed by his decision," but "this does not mean bipartisanship isn’t feasible." Capito and other Republicans “seem to be running into a brick wall,” but the bipartisan proposal “might be closer to what the president needs,” Schumer said. “That’s good, but that’s not going to be the only answer. We all know as a caucus we will not be able to do all the things that the country needs in a bipartisan way. And so, at the same time, we are pursuing the pursuit of reconciliation, and that is going on at the same time.” Some parts of the infrastructure package could move in a bipartisan deal while others move via reconciliation, he said.
President Joe Biden will meet in Brussels this week with European Commission officials to discuss how the U.S. and Europe “can work in close coordination on global challenges,” wrote the president Saturday in a Washington Post opinion piece. “We will focus on ensuring that market democracies, not China or anyone else, write the 21st-century rules around trade and technology,” said Biden. "Will the democratic alliances and institutions that shaped so much of the last century prove their capacity against modern-day threats and adversaries? I believe the answer is yes." A Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson shot back Monday that “pursuing bloc politics and small cliques targeting a certain country with ideology as the yardstick and practicing fake, selective multilateralism are moves against the trend of the times that will garner no support and get nowhere.” The U.S. should “stop playing up the ‘China threat’ narrative, and do more things that are conducive to promoting bilateral mutual trust and cooperation and world peace and stability,” said the spokesperson. The White House didn’t respond to questions.
China is “firmly opposed” to the executive order President Joe Biden signed Thursday, bolstering prohibitions on U.S. investments in China’s military-industrial complex, said a Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Friday. “The U.S. government uses the catch-all concept of national security and abuses state power to suppress and restrict Chinese enterprises in all possible means,” he said. Presidential EOs have “harmed not only the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies, but also the interests of global investors, including U.S. investors,” said the spokesperson. The White House didn’t comment. Biden’s EO prohibits U.S. “persons” from trading in the securities of 59 Chinese entities, effective Aug. 2 at 12:01 a.m. EDT.
NTIA is making nearly $1 billion available through the tribal broadband connectivity program, said Vice President Kamala Harris, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland during a White House event. It's part of FY 2021 appropriations (see 2012210055). Tribal governments, tribal colleges and universities, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, tribal organizations and Alaska Native corporations are eligible for funding for broadband deployment, said a notice of funding opportunity. Funds can also be used to support digital inclusion, workforce development, telehealth and distance learning. Applications are due Sept. 1. The funds are a "down payment on the work we must do," Harris said, and "we must keep going until we connect every American household." Acting Administrator Evelyn Remaley said NTIA will "leverage its deep experience with funding broadband programs to ensure that we make significant progress in eliminating the digital divide on Tribal land.” NTIA has webinars June 16 and 17. Thursday's announcement was "a meaningful step forward," said Free Press Policy Manager Dana Floberg. BroadLand co-Chair Mignon Clyburn said "every penny spent on broadband is a down payment on a better future, and we support the White House efforts."