On March 16, Representative Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing Chair Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) introduced the Broadband Justice Act of 2021.The bill would provide $5 billion to expand affordable broadband access to millions of families living in federally subsidized housing, including HUD, USDA Rural Housing Service, and Low Income Housing Tax Credit housing.  For federally-subsidized housing, the bill includes the reasonable costs for broadband high-speed internet service as a utility. Funding to pay for the internet service would come in the form of “Connected Community” grants (for HUD and USDA housing) and loans (for LIHTC housing). An article on the bill is here.

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