In the News: House panel OKs $3 billion in Internet grants

The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday approved about $3 billion in grants to assist expansion of wireless and high-speed Internet in rural and hard-to-serve areas, Reuters reports.

The measure, part of a larger stimulus bill, contains a controversial provision that would require recipients of the grants to abide by so-called open-access principles that forbid discrimination of applications and content. Some Internet service providers oppose that provision.