Sen. Ed Markey wants the FCC to rethink its broadband deployment plans

On Thursday, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) announced a new bill that would require the Federal Communications Commission to study how the novel coronavirus pandemic has affected the lives of people who are now using the internet to learn and work from home. The bill is part of a larger push for more broadband availability as a response to the ongoing pandemic.

The foundation of Sen. Ed Markey’s (D-MA) plan lies in the Obama-era American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a stimulus package passed in 2009 as part of the federal government’s response to the last global economic crisis. Markey authored language in that law creating the National Broadband Plan, requiring the FCC to lay out a “roadmap” for providing universal internet access across the...

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