Mitch McConnell Ties $2,000 Checks to Section 230 Repeal, WISPA and Multifamily Broadband Council, Predictions for 2021

Hours after blocking legislation to increase direct payments in the coronavirus stimulus legislation, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday introduced a bill tying $2,000 stimulus checks to unrelated items on President Donald Trump’s agenda, including a full repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and the creation of a new congressional committee to further investigate the integrity of the 2020 U.S. elections.

Early Tuesday, many Republicans seemed poised to support the increased stimulus checks which Trump called for Sunday evening after signing the coronavirus relief and government spending package.

Yet, in a floor statement made Tuesday afternoon, McConnell tied the increase in funds to the vote integrity measure and Section 230 repeal — either or both of which might be seen as a poison pill. “During this process, the president highlighted three additional issues of national significance he would like to see Congress tackle together. This week, the Senate will begin a process to bring these three priorities into focus.”

McConnell explained that the Senate plans to address Section 230 and election fraud this week, but by tying the increased payments to measures that Democrats oppose, the top Senate Republican’s bill will most likely sink efforts to get Americans additional COVID-19 relief.

McConnell’s legislation seemingly aligns Senate Republicans to do controversial aspects of Trump’s agenda, including his feud with high-tech platform companies including Google, Facebook and Twitter.

Some see the rift between Trump and big tech opening when he was flagged for a Tweet, in May, that contained misleading information about the voting process.

On Tuesday, Trump lashed out again against the law which enables online platforms to moderate content:

WISPA takes over the Multifamily Broadband Council, which will close its doors

The Wireless Internet Service Providers Association and the Multifamily Broadcast Council signed a membership option agreement in December 2020, which will transition all active MBC members into WISPA effective January 1, 2021.

MBC is a trade association representing those who deliver unique, personalized broadband solutions to multifamily communities, multiple-dwelling units, and other multi-tenant environments. Its members are non-franchised companies and their vendors who specialize in deploying connectivity solutions for the multifamily marketplace. The goal of MBC was always to work to foster competitive communications and alternative broadband choices for multifamily communities across the U.S.

In a statement, WISPA wrote that the synergy between MBC and WISPA is strong and vibrant.

“As our organizations continued to work together, we saw more opportunities for alignment,” said Valerie Sargent, executive director for MBC. “WISPA had more members starting to venture into the MDU space yet had no aspect of its membership dedicated to multifamily needs. MBC had the 25 years of practical application, standards and experience working within that environment, and can lend these decades of knowledge to WISPA members.”

“The partnership is a natural fit,” reiterated Claude Aiken, president and CEO of WISPA. “WISPA and MBC members are small entrepreneurial operators that drive incredible value for consumers and recognize the tremendous need to close the urban and rural digital divide. We’re going to do all we can to open up the multifamily market to competitive entry and deliver the diverse competition that communities need and deserve.”

Telecom predictions for 2021

As we wrap up the chaos that embodied 2020 and embark on a new year, many are airing out their telecom policy hopes gearing up for the year 2021. While many are hoping for a clear skies and brighter futures ahead, CCG Consulting’s President Doug Dawson recently published a blogpost airing his 2021 telecom predictions, which may knock the wind out of some sails.

Among other predictions, Dawson anticipates that the Federal Communications Commission’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund will deliver far less high-speed broadband infrastructure than it promises to.

“The reverse auction was a disaster in many ways, with a lot of the money going to companies that can’t possibly do what they promised or companies that largely intend to make a profit by pocketing a lot of the grants,” writes Dawson. Although the FCC will have a chance to rectify some of the problems during the review of the long forms, Dawson believes that they won’t disqualify many of the winning bidders.

Dawson further predicts that the technician shortage will become much more noticeable, as telecom companies are currently struggling to hire and retain technicians.

Dawson gives readers a reality check, predicting that the pandemic will continue to slow down progress within the industry. “Even with a vaccine finally hitting the market, the first six months of 2021 will continue under pandemic restrictions,” Dawson writes.

Although $65 million in the coronavirus relief package was allocated to fixing the FCC’s broadband maps, Dawson believes the FCC maps aren’t going to get any better, as it may not be within the agency’s interest to improve them.

Dawson reiterates that the future of the next FCC is unpredictable until the Georgia Senate races conclude. “If the Democrats prevail in both races, then I predict that the new FCC will start the process of trying to bring back broadband regulation and net neutrality. But even then, I don’t expect much progress on the effort for most of 2021,” he concludes.

See also Broadband Breakfast Editor and Publisher Drew Clark’s piece with his observations and projections, “The Top 10 Broadband Stories of 2020, and What They Mean for 2021,” December 30, 2020