[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 41 (Thursday, March 4, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S1206]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 965. Mr. CRAMER submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 891 proposed by Mr. Schumer to the bill H.R. 1319, to 
provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of S. Con. Res. 5; 
which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

        At the appropriate place in title VII, insert the 
     following:
       In section 7402(c)(2)(A), in the matter preceding clause 
     (i), strike ``$7,171,000,000'' and insert ``$5,171,000,000''.
       At the end of subtitle D of title VII, add the following:

     SEC. 7405. KEEPING CRITICAL CONNECTIONS EMERGENCY FUND.

       (a) Definitions.--In this section--
       (1) the term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
     Communications Commission;
       (2) the term ``covered program'' means a program 
     established by a small business broadband provider under 
     which the small business broadband provider, at any time 
     during the COVID-19 emergency period, voluntarily--
       (A) provides a customer with free or discounted broadband 
     service, or free upgrades of existing service to meet certain 
     capacity and speed needs, due specifically to the presence of 
     a student in the household of the customer who needs distance 
     learning capability; or
       (B) refrains from disconnecting broadband service provided 
     to an existing customer due to nonpayment or underpayment if 
     the customer--
       (i) has a household income, at the time of the nonpayment 
     or underpayment, that does not exceed 135 percent of the 
     Federal poverty guidelines (as determined by the Secretary of 
     Health and Human Services);
       (ii) is unable to make a full payment due specifically to 
     the economic impact of the national emergency described in 
     paragraph (3); and
       (iii) provides sufficient documentation to the provider to 
     show that the customer meets the criteria under clauses (i) 
     and (ii);
       (3) the term ``COVID-19 emergency period'' means the period 
     during which the national emergency declaration by the 
     President under the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 
     et seq.) with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-
     19) is in effect; and
       (4) the term ``small business broadband provider'' means a 
     broadband provider that provides broadband service to fewer 
     than 250,000 customers.
       (b) Appropriation.--In addition to amounts otherwise 
     available, there is appropriated to the Commission for fiscal 
     year 2021, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise 
     appropriated, $2,000,000,000, to remain available until 
     expended, to reimburse small business broadband providers for 
     the costs of carrying out a covered program.
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