House to Vote on FCC Satellite Regulatory Revamp, Other Communications Bills

The House plans to vote as soon as Tuesday under suspension of the rules on the Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining Act (HR-1338) and three other Commerce Committee-approved communications policy bills, said the office of Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. Notably absent from the agenda is the Spectrum Auction Reauthorization Act (HR-3565), which some lawmakers were pushing House leaders to bring up for a floor vote before Congress leaves on the month-plus August recess (see 2307200071). The House Rules Committee, meanwhile, will consider Wednesday whether to allow votes on three broadband-focused amendments to the FY 2024 Agriculture Department appropriations bill (HR-4368).

The National Emergency Number Association, National Association of Counties and two other groups wrote House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and their Democratic counterparts Monday urging “prompt” passage of HR-3565 because it would allocate up to $14.8 billion in future auction revenue to pay for next-generation 911 tech upgrades (see 2305240069). “Continued reliance” on “outdated” 911 systems puts “our citizens, communities, and nation at risk,” NENA and the other groups said a letter to House leaders. “Federal funding is needed to ensure that all parts of the country have access to advanced, secure, and reliable emergency response systems.”

Also on the House docket: the Launch Communications Act (HR-682), Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act (HR-752) and NTIA Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act (HR-1345). HR-682 and Senate companion S-1648 would require the FCC to streamline the authorization process for commercial launches’ access to spectrum. The Senate Commerce Committee plans to mark up S-1648 Thursday (see 2307210071). HR-752 and Senate Commerce-cleared companion S-229 (see 2305100050) would direct the Commerce Department’s SelectUSA program to work with state-level economic development organizations to develop strategies to attract investment in U.S. semiconductor manufacturers and supply chains. HR-1338 would require the FCC to issue “specific performance requirements” for satellite licensees to meet on space safety and orbital debris. It would also require the commission to set a 180-day shot clock to limit the timeline for reaching decisions on license applications. HR-1345 would create an Office of Policy Development and Cybersecurity within NTIA.

The broadband-centric amendments to HR-4368 that House Rules will consider include one from Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, and six other lawmakers that would revise USDA’s ReConnect program rules to set minimum speed requirements participating carriers must provide at 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload in areas where at least 75% of households lack access to that level of service. NTCA and other groups urged the heads of the House and Senate Agriculture committees in March to include language in the upcoming farm bill that requires that ReConnect participants provide a minimum of 100 Mbps symmetrical speeds (see 2303140070).

The two other amendments are largely symbolic. A proposal from Rep. Yadira Caraveo, D-Colo., would decrease and then immediately increase funding for USDA’s Distance Learning, Telemedicine and Broadband Program by $10 million to emphasize “the importance of increased opportunities for the expansion of telehealth services into rural communities.” Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, proposes decreasing and then increasing the Community Connect Grant Program’s funding by $30 million to call attention to the need for “broadband service in economically disadvantaged communities.”