House Lawmakers File Companion of Lujan's ACP Stopgap Funding Bill

Reps. Nikki Budzinski, D-Ill., and Mike Carey, R-Ohio, led filing of a House companion to the Secure and Affordable Broadband Extension Act (S-4317) Tuesday in a bid to give the FCC’s lapsed affordable connectivity program $6 billion in stopgap funding for FY 2024. Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., filed S-4317 in May after he unsuccessfully attempted to attach identical language to the FAA reauthorization package (see 2405090068). The measure would couple the stopgap ACP funding with changes to the program’s scope and eligibility rules. Affordable Broadband Campaign spokesperson Gigi Sohn praised Budzinski and Carey for filing S-4317’s House companion. In a statement, Sohn said, “There is no excuse not to move this legislation forward.” Also praising the lawmakers were the ACLU, Common Sense Media, Incompas, National Digital Inclusion Alliance, National Lifeline Association, New America’s Open Technology Institute and Public Knowledge.