Lawmakers Seek Local Media Aid in Next COVID-19 Bill; Other Entities Push Broadband

Lawmakers and private sector entities pressed Capitol Hill leaders Wednesday to include broadband funding and local media aid language in a coming COVID-19 package. Both issues have been identified as potential priorities (see 2004210060). More than 120 House members signed on to a letter led by House Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman David Cicilline, D-R.I., and ranking member Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., urging House leaders to support a bid by NAB and other news media groups to make broadcasters and local newspapers eligible for Paycheck Protection Program funding (see 2004200001). Free Press, Incompas, NTCA, Public Knowledge, the Rural Wireless Association and Twitter were among more than 200 entities that urged Hill leaders to use the next COVID-19 bill to “support access to affordable” broadband. “Hundreds of individual broadcasters and news publishers were not eligible for loan relief because they were affiliated with larger groups whose total employee count was more than 500 spread across various stations or newspapers,” Cicilline and the other lawmakers said. Signers included House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., and ranking member Doug Collins, R-Ga.