[20210223]IN11612_紧急宽带效益：实施和未来政策方向.pdf

CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i The Emergency Broadband Benefit: Implementation and Future Policy Directions February 23, 2021 The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the Act) created the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBB). It subsidizes broadband service for eligible householdsdefined as those households that suffered income loss during the pandemic or meet other need-based criteria specified in the Act, such as eligibility for school lunch programs. Any broadband provider that had an “established program” that was “widely available” as of April 1, 2020, and maintains “verification processes that are sufficient to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse” may apply to participate in the program. The Act requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to promulgate implementing regulations within 60 days of passage (by February 25, 2021). EBB is a temporary program funded by a congressional appropriation of $3.2 billion, available until expended, or until six months after the current public health emergency declared by the Secretary of Health and Human Services terminates. Even though the Appropriations Act construes EBB as a temp