The second challenge is affordability: Helping households pay for access. The committee eventually unanimously approved Ausley's proposal and a second measure to expand high-speed networks to Florida's rural areas and other underserved communities. Both count on tapping into some of the more than $4 billion Congress put in the COVID-19 Relief Act for states. The various grant programs include one to provide a monthly stipend for low-income households to pay for equipment and services. The other bill, by Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills, offered a slim-downed version of the Ausley plan. Importantly, it was amended to include $1.4 million to fund the research and planning that's in both bills.