Broadband Gets Boost, But No Bonanza
March 26 2020 - 10:33AM
Dow Jones News
By Ryan Tracy
The coronavirus relief package headed for a House vote Friday
dedicates millions of dollars to help schools and hospitals reach
students and patients via the internet, but doesn't include the
big-ticket broadband investment some lawmakers and industry
lobbyists were seeking.
The draft bill dedicates about $30.75 billion for schools and
colleges to respond to the virus, which could include everything
from providing meals to buying devices for students to learn from
home. The Department of Education would distribute the funds.
Some advocates had been hoping Congress would appropriate
billions of dollars for Federal Communications Commission programs
to help schools and low-income people get online, or to extend
Internet access in rural areas.
The FCC would get a $200 million appropriation to respond to the
virus, which it would have to spend at least in part on supporting
healthcare providers who are boosting the use of telehealth
services.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture would receive $100 million in
grant funding designed to expand broadband access in rural areas,
as well as $25 million in grants for telemedicine and distance
learning in rural areas. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs would
get authority to contract with telecom companies to provide mental
health services for isolated veterans.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 26, 2020 10:18 ET (14:18 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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