Pai 'Committed to Working With' Hill on Broadband, Remote Learning COVID-19 Money

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is “committed to working with Congress to secure the necessary authority and funding to enhance remote learning services and broadband connectivity in various cities and towns affected by” COVID-19, he said in a letter to Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., released Monday. Pai responded to a letter Warner sent in April urging the FCC to increase wireless power limits and decrease the size of the 75-kilometer exclusion zones where unlicensed access to the 5850-5895 MHz band is prohibited (see 2004160064). Pai wants Congress to allocate at least $430 million more for the FCC’s COVID-19 telehealth program in the next pandemic aid bill, and additional money for other connectivity (see 2008240054). Congress provided related funding in March.