Broadband Summary of the HEROES Act

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The House Democrats recently unveiled their fourth COVID-19 bill, the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES Act.) The HEROES Act, which will be negotiated with the Senate, contains a number of provisions related to broadband and telecommunications access. At a high-level, the HEROES Act would result in the following:

• $4 Billion in Emergency Broadband Connectivity Funding – provides for a monthly discount of up to $50 to low-income households and those impacted by COVID-19, as well as reimbursement for providers who provide connected devices up to $100.
• $1.5 Billion for Connectivity and Devices for Students Without Broadband Access – provides $1.5 billion in funding through the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) E-Rate program to provide connectivity and devices, such as hotspots, to students, schools and libraries for use both at home and