By Julia Arciga

Law360 (June 24, 2020, 3:00 PM EDT) -- In moves sparked by the coronavirus pandemic, lawmakers in both the Senate and House unveiled pieces of legislation Wednesday that aim to expand broadband access in rural and underserved areas.

A group of senators introduced the Accelerating Broadband Connectivity Act of 2020, which proposes the creation of a fund to inject more money into an existing program for rural broadband expansion. On the House side, the Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act was unveiled, which proposes a $100 billion investment for building high-speed broadband infrastructure in underserved regions.

The Senate bill introduced by Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, would create a Federal Communications Commission fund to put more money towards the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction process.

The RDOF, solidified earlier this year, will distribute $20.4 billion over the next 10 years to places that lack speedy internet service through contracts chosen via auctions.

The new FCC fund, according to the lawmakers, would incentivize winning bidders of the RDOF auction to complete their buildouts in a shorter time frame.

Those who voluntarily begin construction of their broadband project within 180 days of the auction and start delivering broadband service to the region within one year will be able to get additional money through the new FCC fund to further build that network. After the winners receive the money from the fund, they would have to meet other RDOF buildout obligations within the next three years.

On Wednesday, Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. — along with members of the House Rural Broadband Task Force and other Democratic representatives — also unveiled their own bill to invest billions in broadband infrastructure and enforce measures to ensure the internet services would remain affordable.

The House bill would include $80 billion for the nationwide deployment of broadband infrastructure, $5 billion for low-interest financing of the broadband deployment through a secured loan program, another $5 billion to help students without internet access participate in remote learning and $1 billion to create grant programs aimed at closing broadband access gaps.

Within the proposed broadband infrastructure, the bill would require that internet service plans provide an affordable option. It also proposes a $50 monthly discount on plans for low-income consumers, and would direct the FCC to collect and publish nationwide broadband price data.

Wicker, the chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, said the Senate bill would address the "pressing need" for expanded access to broadband due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"I hope our legislation will advance quickly to meet the connectivity needs of Americans living in rural areas, including many in my home state of Mississippi," he said in a Wednesday statement.

Clyburn, in his own statement, said the House bill would address the broadband access "disparity" issue "once and for all."

Both bills quickly received support. The Rural Broadband Association and the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association lauded the Senate bill, while FCC Commissioners Geoffrey Starks and Jessica Rosenworcel voiced support for the House bill's efforts.

The bills come after Wicker and Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore. — the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee — listed legislative priorities and action items earlier this month that aimed to expand broadband access and fill connectivity gaps during the pandemic and beyond.

The FCC did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.

--Additional reporting by Kelcee Griffis. Editing by Kelly Duncan.

Update: This story has been updated to include information about the House bill.

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