By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 3-24-21
As Democrats push a definition of broadband availability to include 100 Mbps speeds and perhaps even price, a bipartisan bill is resurfacing to focus $10 billion in 2021 on reaching “unserved areas” according to the FCC current definition of high-speed.
Cable broadband operators were praising the bill’s return.
Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) have reintroduced the Eliminate the Digital Divide Act, which would deliver funds directly to states – rather than going to the FCC’s Universal Service Fund subsidy program – based on how many unserved areas they have and how expensive it is to build out there, which would mean $1 billion of that money would go to Manchin’s state of West Virginia. » Read More