House of Representatives

Reps Salinas, Harshbarger Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Telehealth Services for Rural Americans

Representatives Andrea Salinas (D-OR) and Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) introduced the bipartisan Home-Based Telemental Health Care Act, legislation that would expand access to remote mental health and substance use services in rural America, especially for individuals working in the farming, fishing, and forestry industries.

Rep. Luna (R-FL) Introduces Bill to Protect American Data from Foreign Adversaries

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) introduced the U.S. Data on U.S. Soil Act (H.R.6410) to protect the data security of Americans from being collected and exploited by our foreign adversaries. Specifically,  the U.S. Data on U.S. Soil would protect the data security of the American people by: 

Rep Hinson Introduces the Defend Our Networks Act

Due to their close ties to the Chinese government, Huawei and ZTE equipment presents significant risks to U.S. national security and domestic communications networks. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has already prohibited the purchase of Huawei and ZTE products and banned the use of FCC funds to expand or maintain networks containing any Huawei or ZTE equipment, and ordered telecommunications carriers to tear out equipment made by Huawei and ZTE. However, this equipment is still embedded throughout U.S. networks.

Representative Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) Introduces Bill to Increase Transparency Online and Support Products Made in America

Congressman Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) and Representative Andy Kim (D-NJ) introduced the bipartisan Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) Online Act to ensure that products that are sold online list their country of origin to protect American consumer’s right to know where the products they buy are made and promote American-made goods. Unlike products that are purchased in-person, goods that are sold online are not required to list their country of origin.

Representative Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) Leads Effort to Fund and Continue Affordable Connectivity Program

As Members of the New York delegation, we are writing to urge you to allocate $7 billion for the critical Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) via a manager amendment when the fiscal year 2024 Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill is brought to the House floor or through any emergency supplemental appropriations package taken up by Congress.

Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers Pushes Congressional Leadership and President Biden to Extend Affordable Connectivity Program Funding

On September 20, 2023, a bipartisan group of 25 lawmakers, the Rural Broadband Caucus, urged Congressional leadership and President Joe Biden to extend funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program.  The Affordable Connectivity Program has provided 21 million Americans with internet access since its creation. Right now, the Affordable Connectivity Program is set to run out of funding in 2024.

45 Bipartisan Members of Congress Call for Extension of Affordable Broadband Access Program

We are writing to urge [Congressional leadership] to extend funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides families with financial assistance for broadband access, to help bridge the digital divide. Congress has a role in ensuring that high-speed and reliable broadband is accessible to every household, nationwide. We urge you to include full funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) in the upcoming government appropriations bill to ensure that households can access the broadband they desperately need.

Rep. Guthrie Introduces Bill to Deplatform Drug Dealers

Congressman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) introduced the Deplatform Drug Dealers Act, which will amend Section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934 to remove liability protections for online platforms relating to illegal sales of controlled substances on their sites. Section 230 of the updated Communications Decency Act protects technology companies from being held liable for any content someone else has posted on their site.

Rep. McClain Introduces ACES Act

Congresswoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) introduced the Anti-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Espionage via Social Media (ACES) to counter the national security threat posed by the Chinese platform TikTok. This bill forces TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to divest all its assets in America. This bill:

Rep. Schakowsky, Rep. Castor Introduce Legislation to Hold Online Platforms Accountable

Representatives Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Kathy Castor (D-FL) reintroduced the Online Consumer Protection Act (OCPA). This legislation addresses the shortcomings of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which, along with overly broad court rulings on it, have failed to hold online platforms accountable to consumers. Specifically, the OCPA would: 

Representative Nunn, Bipartisan Members Introduce Bill To Improve Rural Broadband Access

Rep Zach Nunn (R-IA) introduced bipartisan legislation to improve access to high-quality, affordable broadband in rural communities. The ReConnecting Rural America Act—cosponsored by Reps Angie Craig (D-MN), Darin LaHood (R-IL), and Eric Sorensen (D-IL)—makes improvements to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) ReConnect Program, which offers loans, grants, and loan-grant combinations facilitating broadband deployment in areas of rural America that currently do not have sufficient access to broadband. The ReConnecting Rural America Act strengthens the USDA ReConnect Program by: 

Reps. Davidson, Eshoo Introduce The Protecting Americans’ Data from Foreign Surveillance Act

Reps. Warren Davidson (R-OH) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) introduced legislation to protect Americans’ data from being exploited by unfriendly foreign nations, and apply tough criminal and civil penalties to prevent employees of foreign corporations like TikTok from accessing US data from abroad. This bill:

Rep. Fitzgerald (R-WI) Introduces Fair and Balanced FTC Act

Representative Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI) introduced the Fair and Balanced FTC Act (HR 3692) to prohibit the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from acting unless there is at least one FTC Commissioner from a different party from the Chair. This would incentivize the President to nominate and confirm Commissioners to ensure a functioning body including minority Commissioners to provide feedback and dissent on harmful FTC actions.

Reps. Cammack, Soto, Jackson, Perez Introduce Rural Internet Improvement Act Of 2023

Congresswoman Kat Cammack (R-FL), Congressman Darren Soto (D-FL), Congressman Ronny Jackson (R-TX), and Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) introduced the Rural Internet Improvement Act of 2023. The Rural Internet Improvement Act eliminates duplicative broadband programs at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) by merging and codifying the popular Rural e-Connectivity Pilot Program (ReConnect) with USDA's broadband loan and grant program.

House Approves Latta’s Bill to Help Farmers Access Wireless Technologies

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed Reps. Bob Latta (R-OH5) and Robin Kelly’s (D-IL2) bipartisan legislation, H.R. 1339, the Precision Agriculture Satellite Connectivity Act. H.R. 1339 would require the Federal Communications Commission to review its current satellite rules to determine if rule changes can be made to promote precision agriculture.

Congressman Castor Reintroduces Kids PRIVACY Act

Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL) reintroduced the Protecting the Information of our Vulnerable Adolescents, Children, and Youth Act, or the Kids (PRIVACY) Act, which would update the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act with safeguards to keep children and teenagers safe online and hold Big Tech companies who surveil and target children accountable. The bill includes strong provisions to build on COPPA's strengths and expand privacy protections for children and teenagers as well as directives to operators to make the best interests of children and teenagers a primary design consideration.

Representative Baird leads bipartisan effort to prioritize rural broadband access

Congressman Jim Baird (R-IN) introduced a resolution emphasizing the need to invest in broadband expansion. The resolution, if passed, says the House of Representatives finds that:

Rep. Eshoo, Sen. Booker Introduce Bill to Expand Internet Access and Protect Local Communities’ Broadband Networks

Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the Community Broadband Act to improve internet and broadband access across the country by removing roadblocks prohibiting local communities from building their own broadband networks. Twenty-one states have passed laws that either restrict or outright prohibit local communities from investing local dollars in building their own broadband networks.

Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Access to Rural Broadband

On March 28, lawmakers from both the House of Representatives and US Senate reintroduced bipartian legislation to expand broadband access to rural communities. The Reforming Broadband Connectivity Act would strengthen funding mechanisms for the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Universal Service Fund (USF), which promotes universal access to broadband and other telecommunications services. Currently, the USF is primarily funded through landline fees, disproportionately impacting seniors, who are more likely to use landlines than other Americans.

Reps. Hudson and Eshoo Introduce Bill to Modernize Nation’s Aging 9-1-1 Systems

US Reps. Richard Hudson (R-NC) and Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA), co-chairs of the Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus, introduced the Next Generation 9-1-1 Act to accelerate federal efforts to modernize the nation's aging 9-1-1 systems. The Next Generation 9-1-1 Act, which passed the House last Congress, would authorize $15 billion in federal funding to help state and local governments deploy Next Generation 9-1-1 systems across the country.

Congressman Guthrie Reintroduces SMART Spectrum Act

Congressman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) reintroduced the Simplifying Management, Access, Reallocation, and Transfer of Spectrum Act, or SMART Spectrum Act with Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) to establish a tool to improve the coordination of shared spectrum and mitigate harmful interference for commercial and federal users. Spectrum is a fixed, finite resource used for telecommunication and managed by the federal government. The federal government sets aside spectrum for public services and then auctions other spectrum frequencies to commercial users.