II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 608 

To help small business broadband providers keep customers connected. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 4, 2021 

Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself, Mr. CRAMER, Ms. SMITH, Mr. MARSHALL, Mr. 

MERKLEY, Mr. BARRASSO, Mr. DURBIN, Ms. ERNST, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, 

Ms. LUMMIS, Mr. KELLY, Mr. COTTON, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. MORAN, Mr. 

WARNER, Mr. HOEVEN, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. PETERS, Mr. CRAPO, Mr. WARNOCK, Mr. 

TILLIS, Mr. BENNET, Mr. SULLIVAN, Mr. KAINE, Mr. HAWLEY, and Ms. 

ROSEN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To help small business broadband providers keep customers 

connected. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Keeping Critical Con5 nections Act of 2021’’. 

6 SEC. 2. KEEPING CRITICAL CONNECTIONS EMERGENCY 

7 FUND. 

8 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 608 IS

1 (1) the term ‘‘Commission’’ means the Federal 

2 Communications Commission; 

3 (2) the term ‘‘covered program’’ means a pro4 gram established by a small business broadband pro5 vider under which the small business broadband pro6 vider, at any time during the COVID–19 emergency 

7 period, voluntarily— 

8 (A) provides a customer with free or dis9 counted broadband service, or free upgrades of 

10 existing service to meet certain capacity and 

11 speed needs, due specifically to the presence of 

12 a student in the household of the customer who 

13 needs distance learning capability; or 

14 (B) refrains from disconnecting broadband 

15 service provided to an existing customer due to 

16 nonpayment or underpayment if the customer— 

17 (i) has a household income, at the 

18 time of the nonpayment or underpayment, 

19 that does not exceed 135 percent of the 

20 Federal poverty guidelines (as determined 

21 by the Secretary of Health and Human 

22 Services); 

23 (ii) is unable to make a full payment 

24 due specifically to the economic impact of 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 608 IS

1 the national emergency described in para2 graph (3); and 

3 (iii) provides sufficient documentation 

4 to the provider to show that the customer 

5 meets the criteria under clauses (i) and 

6 (ii); 

7 (3) the term ‘‘COVID–19 emergency period’’ 

8 means the period during which the national emer9 gency declaration by the President under the Na10 tional Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) 

11 with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 

12 (COVID–19) is in effect; and 

13 (4) the term ‘‘small business broadband pro14 vider’’ means a broadband provider that provides 

15 broadband service to fewer than 250,000 customers. 

16 (b) FUNDING.— 

17 (1) APPROPRIATION.—Out of any funds in the 

18 Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there is appro19 priated to the Commission $2,000,000,000 for fiscal 

20 year 2021, to remain available until expended, to re21 imburse small business broadband providers for the 

22 costs of carrying out a covered program. 

23 (2) RULES.—The Commission shall promulgate 

24 rules on an expedited basis, and without regard to 

25 section 553 of title 5, United States Code, regarding 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 608 IS

1 the provision of reimbursements to small business 

2 broadband providers under paragraph (1). 

Æ 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS