Agenda - Council Work Session - 03/08/2022

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4362 Federal Register/Vol. 87, No. 18/Thursday, January 27, 2022/Rules and Regulations Public Comment:Some commenters for some governments to support the experienced;for example,it may not be also use the term "gap networks"to well-being of households and reasonably proportional for a cash refer to equipment installed as part of individuals in their communities. Some assistance program to provide assistance wi-fi systems, such as routers,repeaters, commenters requested that Treasury set in a very small amount to a group that and access points;this equipment a specific dollar amount for permissible experienced severe harm and in a much provides consumer access to an existing cash transfers,and Treasury has also larger amount to a group that broadband network and does not require received recipient questions on whether experienced relatively little harm. new network build-out or construction. specific types of transfers, such as those 6. Survivor's benefits.The interim These commenters recommended that to a substantial share of the population final rule included an enumerated Treasury permit, as assistance to in the jurisdiction,would be a eligible use for survivor's benefits to households for internet access, permissible use of funds. surviving family members of investments in public wi-fi networks, Treasury Response:Treasury is individuals who have died from free wi-fi in public housing maintaining this enumerated eligible COVID-19,including cash assistance to communities,and other equipment that use in the final rule,in line with widows,widowers, or dependents. offers internet access to end users by commenters recommendations.Because public Comment:Treasury did not utilizing existing broadband networks. the final rule is intended to provide Other commenters recommended that flexibility to recipients to respond to the receive any comments on the inclusion eligible uses in this category include particularized pandemic impacts in of survivor's benefits as an enumerated use for impacted households in the providing devices and equipment their communities,which may vary in necessary to access the Internet,like type and intensity, setting a specific Interim final rule. computers and routers, directly to low- dollar threshold for eligible cash Treasury Response:This use of funds income households. transfers would fail to recognize the remains eligible under the final rule. Treasury Response:Treasury has particularized needs of communities Consistent with the general determined that these services,which and limit recipients'flexibility to tailor reorganization noted above,the final expand internet access without their response to those needs. rule organizes survivor's benefits under constructing new networks,are an To provide greater clarity,Treasury is assistance to households to clarify that appropriate enumerated eligible use as elaborating on the analysis that households are the intended assistance to households to respond to recipients may undertake to assess the beneficiaries of survivor's benefits. a negative economic impact, and they eligibility of specific cash assistance 7.Assistance accessing or applying are permitted under the final rule. programs or transfers. Cash transfers, for public benefits or services. Treasury is clarifying that eligible uses like all eligible uses in this category, Recognizing that eligible households under this category can also include a must respond to the negative economic often face barriers to accessing public wide range of programs and services to impacts of the pandemic on a household benefits or services that improve health expand internet access and digital or class of households.For the reasons and economic outcomes,the interim literacy, such as subsidies for the cost of discussed above,recipients may final rule included as an enumerated internet service, other programs that presume that low-and moderate-income eligible use in disproportionately support adoption of internet service households (as defined in the final rule), impacted communities,public benefits where available, digital literacy as well as households that experienced navigators to assist community members programs, or programs that provide unemployment,food insecurity,or with navigating and applying for devices and equipment to access the housing insecurity, experienced a available federal,state,and local public internet(e.g.,programs that provide negative economic impact due to the benefits or services.Treasury also equipment like tablets,computers, or pandemic. clarified in subsequent guidance after routers)to households. Recipients Recipients may also identify other the interim final rule that this eligible seeking to use funds for equipment households or classes of households use category would include outreach should refer to the section Capital that experienced a negative economic efforts to increase uptake of the Child Expenditures in General Provisions: impact of the pandemic and provide Tax Credit. Other for additional eligibility standards cash assistance that is reasonably Background:The under-enrollment of that apply to uses of funds for capital proportional to,and not grossly in expenditures (e.g., equipment,property, excess of,the amount needed to address eligible households in social assistance programs is awell-recognized and and facilities). the negative economic impact. For 5. Cash assistance.The interim final example,in the ARPA,Congress persistent challenge. There are many reasons why a household may not be rule included as an enumerated eligible authorized Economic Impact Payments use cash assistance and provided that to households at certain income levels, receiving a particular benefit even cash transfers must be "reasonably identifying and responding to a negative though they are eligible. For many proportional"to the negative economic economic impact of the pandemic on federal programs, enrollment processes vary from state-to-state. Sometimes, impact they address and may not be these households. "grossly in excess of the amount needed Finally,Treasury has reiterated in the households are simply unaware that to address"the impact.In assessing final rule that responses to negative they are eligible for a particular whether a transfer is reasonably economic impacts should be reasonably benefit.124 For example, despite having proportional,recipients may"consider proportional to the impact that they are one of the highest rates of participation and take guidance from the per person intended to address. Uses that bear no of any benefits program,nearly 20 amounts previously provided by the relation or are grossly disproportionate percent of eligible individuals do not Federal Government in response to the to the type or extent of harm participate in the Supplementary COVID-19 crisis," and transfers experienced would not be eligible uses. Nutritional Assistance Program "grossly in excess of such amounts" are Reasonably proportional refers to the not eligible. scale of the response compared to the 1z4 Amy Finkelstein&Matthew J Notowidigdo, Public Comment:Several commenters scale of the harm.It also refers to the Take-Up and Targeting:Experimental Evidence from SNAP,The Quarterly Journal of Economics, expressed support for this eligible use, targeting of the response to beneficiaries vol 134(3),pages 1505-1556(2019),https:// noting that this is a common policy tool compared to the amount of harm they www.nber.org/papers/w24652.