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November 5, 2021
Infrastructure Bill - $65 Billion for Broadband – Punted Again
NATE continues to urge Congress to pass the federal infrastructure package that contains historic funding for broadband. Unfortunately, this legislation has become a political football as moderate and progressive Democrats in the House fight for their priorities in President Biden’s Build Back Better (also referred to as the Reconciliation Package or social infrastructure bill) agenda.
Due to the political infighting, a vote on the bipartisan infrastructure package has been delayed several times. NATE has urged Congress to set aside partisan fights over social programs and pass this critical infrastructure legislation which will result in $65 billion for our industry and make improvements to communications workforce programs.
NATE Takes Action on Drone Legislation
NATE’s legislative and regulatory team met with the office of Congressman Garrett Graves (R-LA) to discuss legislation he introduced, along with cosponsor Congressman Greg Stanton (D-AZ) that would provide grants for drone technology deployment and training programs.
The Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grant Act would authorize $200 million for grant programs that would be used for infrastructure inspection programs. NATE believes that using drones for communications tower inspections, particularly in the aftermath of natural disasters, is an important safety and efficiency issue.
Read NATE’s letter and latest actions here.
West Virginia Broadband is a Good Start – Training Programs Needed
West Virginia Governor Jim Justice recently announced $1 billion in funding for broadband. NATE welcomes this announcement, but advised Governor Justice that his goals will go unmet if West Virginia is not also investing in tower technician training programs. Read NATE’s letter to Governor Justice here.
Congressman David McKinley (R-WV), who recently visited a tower with NATE members in Clarksburg, WV, joined in support of NATE’s request to establish communications training programs. NATE is pleased to work with the Congressman on these issues thankful for his leadership and support.
Broadband Mapping Issues Worry Congressional Leaders
Congresswoman Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-WA), Republican leader of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, recently expressed concern with the ability to deploy broadband to areas in need. Her concerns, shared by NATE, are in reference to the FFC’s slow pace in releasing updated broadband coverage maps.
NATE has supported legislation to address the mapping issues, including Senator Deb Fisher’s (R-NE) amendment to the Senate infrastructure package which would require that FCC to provide maps of federally funded broadband projects. Read NATE’s statement on this issue.
NATE Pushes OSHA on Burdensome Regulations
The U.S. Senate recently confirmed Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Douglas Parker, and NATE issued a statement congratulating him on his confirmation.
NATE also sent Assistant Secretary Parker a letter requesting that OSHA work with NATE members to adopt industry consensus safety standards rather than establishing burdensome regulations on small business owners. Read NATE’s letter here.
NATE Welcomes FCC Nominations
The FCC has been without a permanent chair for several months, with Jessica Rosenworcel serving as Acting Chairwoman. The Commission has also not been fully staffed because President Biden was slow to nominate Democrat commissioners. President Biden recently designated Rosenworcel as the new Chairwoman and renominated her for an additional term. He also nominated Gigi Sohn to serve as the fifth commissioner.
If Chairwoman Rosenworcel is not confirmed by the Senate, she must leave the agency by January 1. NATE has had a positive relationship with Chairwoman Rosenworcel and urged the Senate to confirm her.
A Win For Family Businesses?
As President Biden and Democrats in Congress continue to negotiate the Build Back Better plan, NATE and our partners at the Family Business Coalition have been fighting plans to increase taxes on family businesses.
Thus far, some of the more egregious tax increases – taxing unrealized gains at death or annually through market to market, cutting the estate tax exemption in half, and retroactively changing annuity trusts (GRATs) – have been pulled from the negotiations. However, it seems clear that the current Build Back Better plan won’t raise the necessary revenue to pay for the various social programs that are being pushed.
NATE and the Family Business Coalition sent a letter to the tax writing committees in Congress addressing these issues. NATE will continue to fight tax increases on family businesses and protect contractors’ ability to pass their businesses to the next generation in their families.
Possible Reprieve in Steel Prices?
Steel prices have impacted the telecom industry for several years, and the supply chain issues we are experiencing have compounded the challenges in our industry. NATE members have reported that steel for manufacturing towers is up sharply and delivery times have almost doubled. Some NATE members estimate that shipments for steel mounts have gone from 2-3 days to 6-8 weeks and galvanized antenna pipe costs have increased from $3.89/foot one year ago to $7.01/ft. today.
NATE welcomes a recent announcement from President Biden that outlines a deal with European trading partners that would allow a certain amount of steel and aluminum produced in the European Union to enter the U.S. tariff-free. The agreement would come into effect on Dec. 1.
You can read more about this here and in Construction Dive newsletter.
