US Senate

Sens Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the Assisting Broadband Connectivity Act.

Sen Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urging the Department of the Treasury to provide crucial flexibility to state and local governments in the use of American Rescue Plan funds in order to help close the digital divide and ensure families can afford broadband. Under the American Rescue Plan, state and local governments are able to use funding from the Local Fiscal Recovery Fund and the $10 billion Capital Projects Fund to expand broadband infrastructure.

Ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Mike Rounds (R-SD) introduced the Recognizing and Ensuring Taxpayer Access to Infrastructure Necessary for GPS and Satellite Communications (RETAIN GPS) Act (S.2166). The April 2020 Ligado Order from the Federal Communications Commission recognized the likelihood of interference to GPS signals and requires Ligado Networks to pay the federal government the costs for repairs.

Sens Michael Bennet (D-CO), Angus King (I-ME), and Rob Portman (R-OH) introduced major bipartisan legislation to provide $40 billion in flexible funding to states, Tribal governments, US territories, and the District of Columbia to bridge the digital divide.

Sens John Thune (R-SD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Brian Schatz (D-HI), and Mark Warner (D-VA) reintroduced the Filter Bubble Transparency Act (S.2024). The bill would require large-scale internet platforms that collect data from more than 1 million users and gross more than $50 million per year to provide greater transparency to consumers, and allow users to view content that has not been curated as a result of a secret algorithm. 

Sens Patty Murray (D-WA), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Angus King (I-ME) introduced new bipartisan legislation aimed at closing the growing digital divide in communities across the country. The Digital Equity Act of 2021 (S.2018) would create new federal investments targeted toward a diverse array of projects at the state and local level.