D.C. Council Votes 12-0 for Internet Equity Bill

An internet equity bill cleared a first reading vote in the D.C. Council 12-0 Tuesday. Councilmember Vincent Gray was absent. Bill 24-0200 would expand the Office of Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) purpose statement to include ensuring that residents and businesses can access affordable broadband. It would require OCTO to estimate costs for making an affordable high-speed internet guarantee for low-income residents, said the Government Operations and Facilities Committee’s Nov. 17 report on bill 24-0200. The office would have to share findings and recommendations with the council in one year. Also, the bill would direct OCTO to detail plans within 90 days for public engagement for the federal infrastructure law and evaluate "the feasibility and likely benefits of one or more federally funded projects to expand internet access in underserved areas of the District.” For the one-year report, the bill would direct OCTO to focus on households making 50% or the median family income or less and to consider what it would take to ensure they don't pay more than 0.5% of their household income on internet. "Purely market-based solutions” allowing low-income households to “pay little or nothing” for broadband probably don’t exist, it said. “Some form of government subsidy will likely need to feature in OCTO’s cost estimates pursuant to this provision.” The D.C. Council votes twice on bills before sending it to the mayor. If signed, Congress gets 30 session days to disapprove D.C. bills before they take effect.