EXCLUSIVE – At least two senators are demanding that a program subsidizing high-speed internet for lower-income families be extended as part of the airline safety bill making its way through the Senate.
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) plans to keep the upper chamber from fast-tracking the bill, a five-year reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, unless his amendment on the subsidy, known as the Affordable Connectivity Program, gets a vote on the Senate floor. Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT), another lead co-sponsor, is also pressing leadership for a funding extension.
The program, which expires in May, enjoys bipartisan support, in part because it affects voters in rural states and districts. But it has faced opposition from Republicans including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), the ranking member on the Commerce Committee, who say it has been subject to fraud.
Vance called an amendment vote the most “plausible pathway at this point” considering
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