The House Appropriations Committee voted 33-24 Tuesday to advance its FY 2022 funding bill for the FCC and FTC. The measure proposes giving the FCC $388 million and the FTC almost $390 million, mirroring what President Joe Biden proposed in late May (see 2105280055). A report on the legislation seeks further work on changes to USF contribution rules and wants additional study of how municipal broadband can expand connectivity access (see 2106290066). The committee approved an amendment to the bill from Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, that would bar funding for government cloud computing unless the cloud services don't store or transmit images depicting violations of child exploitation law.

Bipartisan legislation introduced Wednesday would direct a Department of Homeland Security study on “benefits and risks of allowing private entities to take actions to protect their operations in response to cyber-attacks.” Sens. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., introduced the Study on Cyber-Attack Response Options Act. DHS would study amendments to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and submit a congressional report within 180 days of enactment.

Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist and 22 other officials from right-leaning groups Wednesday opposed the Broadband Reform and Investment to Drive Growth in the Economy Act, which is believed to form part of the basis for the $65 billion broadband component of a bipartisan infrastructure package President Joe Biden backed last week (see 2106290066). The Bridge Act, refiled in June, would allocate $40 billion for broadband deployments and affordability programs (see 2106150089). The bill “would increase the size and scope of the federal government for broadband deployment, while limiting the constitutionally delegated power of states,” the conservative groups said in a letter to the Senate. “Any lawmaker who values limited government and the free market should stand up against this proposal.”

Reps. Jamaal Bowman and Yvette Clarke, both of New York, led a letter with 26 other House Democrats urging the FCC to examine whether its past programs and policies caused harm to communities of color, “redress” those effects and “identify the affirmative steps the agency commits to taking to break down barriers to just media and telecommunication practices.” The lawmakers cited President Joe Biden’s Jan. 20 executive order encouraging federal agencies to conduct such reviews. “Historic federal policies are a primary reason why structural inequities exist in our nation’s media and telecommunication systems today,” the Democrats wrote acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “FCC policies, license decisions and inaction have had the result of effectively excluding people of color from media ownership opportunities. Our nation’s first radio and TV licenses were awarded ... during an era of Jim Crow segregation. The previous administration's efforts to consolidate the media marketplace limited ownership opportunities for people of color and women.” The “lack of affordable broadband has left too many households of color unable to use the internet to take care of the health and well-being of their families, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the lawmakers said. Rosenworcel “is committed to ensuring that FCC policies are equitable, fair, and transparent,” a spokesperson emailed. “While the FCC is an independent agency, it has been working diligently under her leadership to follow” Biden’s EO. “More work remains to be done,” the spokesperson said. “We are committed to working with those who sent this letter to do so.” The “current media system is unjust and the FCC must begin the process of repair,” said Free Press Senior Director-Strategy and Engagement Joseph Torres. “That starts with a thorough investigation of the history of racism in the agency’s policymaking.”

The House planned to vote Monday evening on two alternative bills to the Senate’s Endless Frontier Act (see 2106150078), House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., announced Friday. The National Science Foundation for the Future Act (HR-2225) and the Department of Energy Science for the Future Act (HR-3593) were scheduled for votes under suspension of the rules after 6:30 p.m.

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and 171 other groups urged House and Senate leaders on Monday to “provide full funding to universally build networks that will deliver capacity that will meet local needs for decades and to ensure rigorous scrutiny of recipients of federal dollars so that the program achieves a proposed bill's future-proof goals.” President Joe Biden backed a bipartisan infrastructure spending package last week that includes $65 billion for broadband (see 2106240070). Biden attempted to preserve GOP support for the deal Saturday by walking back earlier statements that Republicans claimed (see 2106250066) constituted a threat to veto the package if Congress didn’t also pass an additional package of items favored by Democrats via the budget reconciliation process. “Our bipartisan agreement does not preclude Republicans from attempting to defeat” the additional reconciliation package, Biden said. Modern broadband “far above the 2015 FCC standard of 25/3 Mbps” minimum service speeds “is a necessity for all communities demanding modern services to help overcome the challenge of distance, attract new businesses, and provide young workers good paying jobs,” the groups wrote Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and their GOP counterparts. “Any new federal program must fund broadband infrastructure capable of enabling businesses to meet the needs of consumers, empower businesses to relocate to any community, provide opportunities for teleworkers and students at the same level regardless of geography, enable anchor institutions to fully provide for their entire communities, and make possible precision agriculture capabilities for agriculture producers to improve efficiencies.” A “federal program by Congress that emphasizes delivering future-proof infrastructure can enable not just ubiquitous fiber wireline access, but also make possible ubiquitous wireless services that rely on fiber optics,” including “5G, next generation Wi-Fi, and their future iterations,” the groups said.

The House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee voted by voice Friday to advance its FY 2022 bill to give the Department of Agriculture more than $907 million for rural broadband programs. That’s up more than 14% from FY 2021 (see 2012220061). USDA’s rural broadband money includes $800 million for ReConnect, up almost 26% from FY 2021. The Appropriations Committee will mark up the USDA measure Wednesday.

Legislative language for $65 billion for broadband in the bipartisan infrastructure deal President Joe Biden backed Thursday (see 2106240070) “must be provider-neutral and not favor city-run solutions” as Biden previously sought, said Information Technology and Innovation Foundation Broadband and Spectrum Policy Director Doug Brake. Biden’s March proposal prioritized “support for broadband networks owned, operated by, or affiliated with local governments, non-profits, and co-operatives” (see 2103310064). Brake said “the best way to close the digital divide is by distributing grants through an open and competitive process that is genuinely neutral with respect to technology and ownership.” Senate Republicans raised concerns with Biden’s statements backing pursuit of a second legislative package in tandem with the bipartisan measure via budget reconciliation. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., accused Biden in a floor speech of “caving completely in less than hours” to Democrats’ calls for a supplemental reconciliation. Biden’s support for parallel measures “hasn't been a secret,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Friday. “He hasn't said it quietly.”

The House Communications Subcommittee plans a June 30 hearing on eight bills aimed at "ensuring an American supply chain of secure network technology that meet the needs of the wireless network future," the Commerce Committee said Wednesday. The Senate Communications Subcommittee's Tuesday panel partially focused on network resiliency legislation (see 2106220066). The bills House Communications will examine are the Understanding Cybersecurity of Mobile Networks Act (HR-2685), Secure Equipment Act (HR-3919), Information and Communication Technology Strategy Act (HR-4028), Open Radio Access Networks Outreach Act (HR-4032), Future Uses of Technology Upholding Reliable and Enhanced Networks Act (HR-4045), NTIA Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act (HR-4046), American Cybersecurity Literacy Act (HR-4055) and Communications Security Advisory Act (HR-4067). Lobbyists said they believe lawmakers may also refile the Reinforcing and Evaluating Service Integrity, Local Infrastructure and Emergency Notification for Today’s (Resilient) Networks Act (see 2102160067) before the panel. “If we are to facilitate a safe and competitive wireless future, we must promote the security of modern wireless equipment and more resilient wireless supply chains,” said House Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and House Communications Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa. The “bipartisan bills” they will examine “aim to help better position the federal government to support those critical goals.” The partially virtual hearing will begin at 10:30 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn.

The House Judiciary Committee wrapped up the previous day’s markup Thursday by passing its sixth antitrust bill aimed at Big Tech competition (see 2106230063). The Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act (HR-3843), passed 29-12. Republicans voting yes: House Antitrust Subcommittee ranking member Ken Buck, Colo., and Reps. Matt Gaetz, Fla.; Chip Roy, Texas; Victoria Spartz, Ind.; and Burgess Owens, Utah. The State Antitrust Enforcement Venue Act, passed 34-7. Republicans voting no on HR-3460: Darrell Issa, Calif.; Tom McClintock, Calif.; Thomas Massie, Ky.; and Michelle Fischbach, Minn. Democrats voting no: Zoe Lofgren, Eric Swalwell and Lou Correa, all from California. The Augmenting Compatibility and Competition by Enabling Service Switching Act, passed 25-19. Republicans voting yes: Buck, Gaetz and Owens. Democrats voting no: Lofgren, Swalwell and Correa. HR-3826, the Platform Competition and Opportunity Act, passed 23-18. Republicans voting for HR-3849: Buck, Gaetz and Dan Bishop, N.C. Democrats voting no: Lofgren, Swalwell and Correa. The American Choice and Innovation Online Act, passed 24-20. Republicans voting for HR-3816: Buck, Gaetz and Owens. Democrats voting no: Lofgren, Swalwell, Correa and Greg Stanton, Ariz. The Ending Platform Monopolies Act (HR-3825) passed 21-20. Republicans voting yes: Buck and Gaetz. Democrats voting no: Lofgren, Swalwell, Correa and Stanton. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters there was “concern on both sides of the aisle about the consolidation of power of the tech companies, and this legislation is an attempt to address that.” Republicans plan to introduce alternative legislation to hold Big Tech accountable, said House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jim Jordan, R-Ohio: “Rather than address Republican concerns of bias and censorship on the internet, Democrats spent the last two days pushing radical antitrust legislation that will systematically change the United States economy.”