Broadband Stimulus Notes

Congress has had “substantial” discussions with the Obama administration on crafting appropriate rules for the broadband stimulus grant program, due out in two weeks, House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher, D-Va., said Thursday at a Pike & Fischer conference. It’s pivotal how the agencies define “unserved” and “underserved” for purposes of awarding grants, Boucher said. “It is important we have a common-sense definition,” he said, suggesting that the absence of competition, prices out of reach of consumers and low speeds should be taken into account in defining “underserved.” “Unserved” should apply to areas with no service, he said, but the definition should be flexible enough not to penalize counties where a few people can get broadband service -- a situation that he dealt with when a county in his district was trying to get RUS grants. Stimulus funding will help deploy more broadband, but federal policymakers also need to consider other steps, such as revamping the universal service program to include broadband. Boucher said he is close to finalizing bipartisan USF legislation that has the support of many carriers and stakeholders. He told reporters he hopes Congress can pass that bill this year. He said he also plans to co-sponsor a bill introduced by Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., that would require new federal highway projects to include conduit for broadband, a measure that may get included in federal highway reauthorization legislation. The Senate has a bill like Eshoo’s that was introduced this week by Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Mark Warner of Virginia. -- AV