FAA bill faces Senate holdup over expiring affordable internet program

EXCLUSIVE – At least two senators are demanding that a program subsidizing high-speed internet for lower-income families be extended as part of the airline safety bill making its way through the Senate.

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) plans to keep the upper chamber from fast-tracking the bill, a five-year reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, unless his amendment on the subsidy, known as the Affordable Connectivity Program, gets a vote on the Senate floor. Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT), another lead co-sponsor, is also pressing leadership for a funding extension.

The program, which expires in May, enjoys bipartisan support, in part because it affects voters in rural states and districts. But it has faced opposition from Republicans including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), the ranking member on the Commerce Committee, who say it has been subject to fraud.

Vance called an amendment vote the most “plausible pathway at this point” considering dynamics on the committee, which has jurisdiction over the program. Of the 23 million households benefiting from the subsidy, 1 million of them are in Ohio.

“I think there’s a good chance that we’ll be able to reauthorize it, but you know, we’ll see,” Vance said on Wednesday. “Peter Welch and I are working it pretty hard, and we’ll see how it goes.”

He and Welch, along with a few other senators, co-sponsored legislation in January that would provide another $7 billion for the program, in effect extending it through the rest of 2024. Vance told the Washington Examiner he would prevent the Senate from reaching an agreement to speed up FAA passage unless the measure gets a vote.

Separately, a spokesman for Welch said the senator is looking at “every possible option” to keep the internet program funded, noting the seniors and veterans who rely on it.

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) doubted there would be off-topic amendments on the FAA bill, which needs to pass before it expires on May 10, but he noted that could change as Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) negotiates a time agreement.

There were close to two dozen amendments filed for the FAA bill as of Tuesday, some of which were non-germane.

“Schumer at least goes into this with the understanding that there are going to be no extraneous amendments,” Durbin said on Wednesday.

Congress made a one-time, $14 billion allocation for the program in 2022 as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law but has so far ignored President Joe Biden’s request for an extension.

The internet subsidy, $30 for most qualifying households, will be slashed starting on Wednesday before expiring fully at the end of the month.

Cruz panned the idea of reauthorizing the program in a brief interview with the Washington Examiner, calling it rife with “significant fraud and abuse.”

He argued the subsidy had gone to consumers who already had broadband access rather than underserved Americans and expressed openness to the extension if it was targeted to the latter.

“As currently drafted, it doesn’t do that,” he said.

Vance said he was not wedded to the bill he introduced and would be willing to make changes that broaden its support in Congress.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

“No program is perfect, including the ACP,” he said, responding to the abuse cited by Cruz. “But I think it, by and large, is very good. And it serves the interest of a lot of people in rural areas all across our country.”

“I’m certainly open to changing it, but some version of ACP reauthorization really needs to happen in my view,” Vance added.