I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 800 

To establish the Office of Rural Broadband Initiatives within the Department 

of Agriculture, to preserve open Internet requirements, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 1, 2017 

Mr. HUFFMAN (for himself, Mr. POCAN, and Mr. NOLAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in 

addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 

each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To establish the Office of Rural Broadband Initiatives within 

the Department of Agriculture, to preserve open Internet 

requirements, and for other purposes. 

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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘New Deal Rural Broadband Act of 2017’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

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Sec. 2. Office of Rural Broadband Initiatives. 

Sec. 3. Breaking Ground on Rural Broadband Program. 

Sec. 4. Tribal broadband assistance program. 

Sec. 5. Telecommunications loan and loan guarantee program. 

Sec. 6. Modifications to existing rural broadband programs. 

Sec. 7. Inventory of Federal and State assets. 

Sec. 8. Retention of rental fees associated with communications use authorizations on Federal lands. 

1 SEC. 2. OFFICE OF RURAL BROADBAND INITIATIVES. 

2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Title VI of the Rural Elec3 trification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb et seq.) is amend4 ed— 

5 (1) by redesignating sections 601 through 603 

6 as sections 603 through 605, respectively; and 

7 (2) by inserting before section 603 (as so redes8 ignated) the following new sections: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 601. DEFINITIONS. 

10 ‘‘In this title: 

11 ‘‘(1) OFFICE.—The term ‘Office’ means the Of12 fice of Rural Broadband Initiatives established 

13 under section 602(a)(1). 

14 ‘‘(2) PANEL.—The term ‘Panel’ means the 

15 Rural Broadband Advisory Panel established pursu16 ant to section 602(d). 

17 ‘‘(3) UNDER SECRETARY.—The term ‘Under 

18 Secretary’ means the Under Secretary for Rural 

19 Broadband Initiatives appointed under section 

20 602(a)(2). 

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1 ‘‘SEC. 602. OFFICE OF RURAL BROADBAND INITIATIVES. 

2 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

3 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is established in the 

4 Department of Agriculture the Office of Rural 

5 Broadband Initiatives. 

6 ‘‘(2) UNDER SECRETARY.—The head of the Of7 fice shall be the Under Secretary for Rural 

8 Broadband Initiatives, who shall— 

9 ‘‘(A) be appointed by the President, by and 

10 with the advice and consent of the Senate; and 

11 ‘‘(B) report directly to the Secretary. 

12 ‘‘(b) RESPONSIBILITIES.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary shall 

14 administer all rural and underserved areas 

15 broadband-related grant, loan, and loan guarantee 

16 programs administered by the Administrator of the 

17 Rural Utilities Service as of the date of the enact18 ment of this section, including— 

19 ‘‘(A) the rural broadband access loan, loan 

20 guarantee, and grant program under section 

21 603; 

22 ‘‘(B) the breaking ground on rural 

23 broadband program under section 606; 

24 ‘‘(C) the tribal broadband assistance pro25 gram under section 607; 

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1 ‘‘(D) the Community Connect Grant Pro2 gram described in subpart A of part 1739 of 

3 title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (or suc4 cessor regulations); and 

5 ‘‘(E) loans under title II. 

6 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—The Under Secretary 

7 shall— 

8 ‘‘(A) conduct extensive, nationwide out9 reach to rural and underserved areas; 

10 ‘‘(B) develop a comprehensive strategy for 

11 broadband in rural and underserved areas; 

12 ‘‘(C) coordinate Federal resources for 

13 State, regional, and local governments to pro14 vide broadband assistance to citizens living and 

15 working in rural and underserved areas; 

16 ‘‘(D) assess all relevant technologies (in17 cluding WiFi, WIMAX, DSL, cable, satellite, 

18 fiber, and broadband over power lines), to de19 termine if such technologies are able to support 

20 in whole or in part rural broadband require21 ments; 

22 ‘‘(E) establish and maintain the Web-based 

23 clearinghouse described in subsection (e); 

24 ‘‘(F) coordinate Federal rural broadband 

25 programs; and 

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1 ‘‘(G) provide technical assistance to State, 

2 regional, and local governments to develop de3 ployment strategies for broadband in rural and 

4 underserved areas. 

5 ‘‘(c) COMPREHENSIVE RURAL BROADBAND STRAT6 EGY.— 

7 ‘‘(1) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 

8 days after the date of the appointment of the first 

9 Under Secretary under subsection (a), and annually 

10 thereafter, the Under Secretary shall submit to the 

11 President and to the Committees on Agriculture and 

12 Energy and Commerce of the House of Representa13 tives and the Committees on Agriculture, Nutrition, 

14 and Forestry and Commerce, Science, and Transpor15 tation of the Senate, a report describing a com16 prehensive strategy for broadband in rural and un17 derserved areas that includes— 

18 ‘‘(A) recommendations— 

19 ‘‘(i) to promote interagency coordina20 tion between Federal agencies with respect 

21 to policies, procedures, targeted resources, 

22 and existing rural and underserved areas 

23 broadband programs; 

24 ‘‘(ii) to improve and streamline the 

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1 lating to rural and underserved areas 

2 broadband technologies; 

3 ‘‘(iii) to specify how Federal agency 

4 programs and resources can meet rural 

5 and underserved area broadband require6 ments; and 

7 ‘‘(iv) to promote successful model de8 ployments and appropriate technology use 

9 in rural and underserved areas so that 

10 State, regional, and local governments can 

11 benefit from the cataloging of successes of 

12 other State, regional, and local govern13 ments; 

14 ‘‘(B) a needs assessment for the implemen15 tation of rural and underserved areas 

16 broadband; and 

17 ‘‘(C) a strategic plan for comprehensive 

18 rural and underserved areas broadband and a 

19 description of the amount of time needed to 

20 achieve such strategic plan. 

21 ‘‘(2) ANNUAL REPORT UPDATE.—The Under 

22 Secretary shall update the report required under 

23 paragraph (1) on an annual basis. 

24 ‘‘(d) RURAL BROADBAND ADVISORY PANEL.— 

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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days 

2 after the date of appointment of the first Under Sec3 retary under subsection (a), the Under Secretary 

4 shall submit to the Committees on Agriculture and 

5 Energy and Commerce of the House of Representa6 tives and the Committees on Agriculture, Nutrition, 

7 and Forestry and Commerce, Science, and Transpor8 tation of the Senate, a plan to establish a Rural 

9 Broadband Advisory Panel. 

10 ‘‘(2) CHAIRPERSON.—The Panel shall be 

11 chaired by the Under Secretary or a designee there12 of. 

13 ‘‘(3) MEMBERSHIP.—The Panel shall be com14 posed of representatives of— 

15 ‘‘(A) State governments; 

16 ‘‘(B) local governments; 

17 ‘‘(C) tribal governments; 

18 ‘‘(D) communications equipment vendors 

19 (including broadband data service providers); 

20 ‘‘(E) public utility services; 

21 ‘‘(F) local exchange carriers; 

22 ‘‘(G) wireless carriers; 

23 ‘‘(H) satellite communications services; 

24 and 

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1 ‘‘(I) other entities, as determined by the 

2 Under Secretary. 

3 ‘‘(4) MEETINGS.—The Panel shall meet not less 

4 than 4 times each year. 

5 ‘‘(5) DUTIES.—The Panel shall— 

6 ‘‘(A) assist the Under Secretary in the an7 nual report update under subsection (c)(2); 

8 ‘‘(B) evaluate the effectiveness of all Fed9 eral broadband assistance programs and policies 

10 with respect to providing broadband access in 

11 rural and underserved areas; 

12 ‘‘(C) evaluate best practices employed at 

13 the State and local government level to foster 

14 broadband access in rural and underserved 

15 areas. 

16 ‘‘(e) WEB-BASED CLEARINGHOUSE.—The Under 

17 Secretary shall establish and maintain a comprehensive 

18 and interactive rural broadband Web-based clearinghouse 

19 of resources for rural and underserved areas broadband, 

20 including— 

21 ‘‘(1) successful public-private partnerships; 

22 ‘‘(2) funding sources; 

23 ‘‘(3) technology tutorials; 

24 ‘‘(4) descriptions of best practices; 

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1 ‘‘(5) assessments of various technology solu2 tions; 

3 ‘‘(6) case studies and feasibility studies; 

4 ‘‘(7) descriptions of the applications of 

5 broadband in rural and underserved areas, including 

6 telework, telemedicine, distance learning, training, 

7 homeland security, senior citizen connectivity and 

8 program development, and business and economic 

9 development; 

10 ‘‘(8) analyses of broadband policies in rural and 

11 underserved areas; and 

12 ‘‘(9) supports for networks among rural and 

13 underserved communities and economic development 

14 agencies.’’. 

15 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 603 of the 

16 Rural Electrification Act of 1936, as redesignated by sub17 section (a)(1), is amended by striking ‘‘Administrator’’ 

18 and inserting ‘‘Under Secretary’’. 

19 (c) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after the 

20 date of the appointment of the first Under Secretary 

21 under section 602(a) of title VI of the Rural Electrifica22 tion Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb et seq.), as amended 

23 by this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall issue regula24 tions with respect to the qualification criteria for the loan 

25 and loan guarantee programs under such title that— 

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1 (1) emphasize streamlining the application 

2 process and processing time; 

3 (2) ensure that the financial requirements for 

4 applicants do not unduly disqualify applicants that 

5 have demonstrated a viable business plan; and 

6 (3) do not diminish the mission of the program 

7 to deliver broadband service to rural and under8 served areas. 

9 (d) IMPLEMENTATION REPORT.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after 

11 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

12 Agriculture shall submit to Congress a report de13 scribing the resources and staff necessary to carry 

14 out this section and the amendments made by this 

15 section. 

16 (2) COMPTROLLER GENERAL REVIEW.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller Gen18 eral of the United States shall review the report 

19 submitted under paragraph (1) for validity. 

20 (B) REPORT.—Not later than 30 days 

21 after the date on which the report is submitted 

22 under paragraph (1), the Comptroller General 

23 of the United States shall submit to Congress 

24 a report containing the findings of the review 

25 under subparagraph (A). 

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1 SEC. 3. BREAKING GROUND ON RURAL BROADBAND PRO2 GRAM. 

3 Title VI of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 

4 U.S.C. 950bb et seq.), as amended by section 2, is further 

5 amended by adding at the end the following new section: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 606. BREAKING GROUND ON RURAL BROADBAND 

7 PROGRAM. 

8 ‘‘(a) GRANTS, LOANS, AND LOAN GUARANTEES.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary, in 

10 consultation with the Federal Communications Com11 mission and other relevant Federal agencies, shall 

12 establish the breaking ground on rural broadband 

13 program to make grants, loans, or loan guarantees 

14 to eligible entities for broadband programs to, with 

15 respect to rural and underserved areas— 

16 ‘‘(A) acquire equipment, instrumentation, 

17 networking capability, hardware and software, 

18 digital network technology, and infrastructure 

19 for broadband services; 

20 ‘‘(B) construct and deploy broadband serv21 ice related infrastructure; 

22 ‘‘(C) ensure access to broadband service by 

23 community anchor institutions; 

24 ‘‘(D) facilitate access to broadband service 

25 to low-income, unemployed, aged, and otherwise 

26 vulnerable populations; 

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1 ‘‘(E) construct and deploy broadband fa2 cilities that improve public safety; 

3 ‘‘(F) provide broadband communications 

4 services; and 

5 ‘‘(G) such other activities the Under Sec6 retary determines appropriate. 

7 ‘‘(2) AWARD LOCATIONS.—To the extent prac8 tical, the Under Secretary shall award not less than 

9 one grant, loan, or loan guarantee under this section 

10 to an eligible entity located in each State. 

11 ‘‘(3) CONSULTATION.—The Under Secretary 

12 shall consult a State with respect to— 

13 ‘‘(A) identifying areas in need of 

14 broadband programs located in the State; and 

15 ‘‘(B) the allocation of grant funds and 

16 loans and loan guarantees for broadband pro17 grams within the State. 

18 ‘‘(b) EXPIRATION OF PROGRAM.—The Under Sec19 retary may not award grants, loans, or loan guarantees 

20 under this section on a date that is after September 30, 

21 2022. 

22 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—To receive a grant, loan, or loan 

23 guarantee under this section, an eligible entity shall sub24 mit an application to the Under Secretary at such time, 

25 in such manner, and containing such information as the 

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1 Under Secretary may require, including a description of 

2 how— 

3 ‘‘(1) the eligible entity will use funds awarded 

4 under this section; 

5 ‘‘(2) such funds are necessary to implement the 

6 broadband program; 

7 ‘‘(3) the broadband program will comply with 

8 all applicable Federal, State, and local laws; 

9 ‘‘(4) the eligible entity will meet the non-Fed10 eral funds requirements under subsection (e), includ11 ing the source and amount of such other funding; 

12 and 

13 ‘‘(5) the eligible entity will accomplish the 

14 broadband program goals not later than to 5 years 

15 after receiving an award under this section. 

16 ‘‘(d) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants, loans, or loan 

17 guarantees under this section, the Under Secretary may 

18 give priority to— 

19 ‘‘(1) a broadband program that— 

20 ‘‘(A) will serve the largest population by— 

21 ‘‘(i) increasing the affordability and 

22 number of subscribers; 

23 ‘‘(ii) increasing broadband speed; or 

24 ‘‘(iii) enhancing healthcare delivery, 

25 education, or services for children; and 

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1 ‘‘(B) will serve a rural area (as such term 

2 is defined in section 203(b)); and 

3 ‘‘(2) an eligible entity that is a socially and eco4 nomically disadvantaged small business concern as 

5 defined under section 8(a) of the Small Business Act 

6 (15 U.S.C. 637(a)). 

7 ‘‘(e) NON-FEDERAL FUNDS REQUIREMENTS.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para9 graph (2), the recipient of a grant under this section 

10 shall provide funds, in-kind contributions, or a com11 bination of both, from sources other than funds pro12 vided through such grant in an amount that is at 

13 least equal to 20 percent of the amount of such 

14 grant. 

15 ‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.—The Under Secretary may 

16 provide a waiver to the requirements of paragraph 

17 (1) to an eligible entity that— 

18 ‘‘(A) submits an application for such waiv19 er, at such time, in such manner, and con20 taining such information as the Under Sec21 retary may require; and 

22 ‘‘(B) demonstrates financial need. 

23 ‘‘(f) DEOBLIGATE FUNDS.—In addition to other au24 thority under applicable law, the Under Secretary may 

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1 deobligate awards under this section if an eligible entity 

2 demonstrates— 

3 ‘‘(1) an insufficient level of performance; or 

4 ‘‘(2) wasteful or fraudulent spending (as de5 fined by the Under Secretary). 

6 ‘‘(g) REPORTS BY AWARD RECIPIENTS.—At such 

7 time as may be determined by the Under Secretary, an 

8 eligible entity that receives a grant, loan, or loan guar9 antee under this section shall submit to the Under Sec10 retary a report that includes a description of the use of 

11 funds made available pursuant to this section. 

12 ‘‘(h) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 180 

13 days after the date on which funds are first made available 

14 to carry out this section under subsection (k), and once 

15 each 180 days thereafter until the expiration of the pro16 gram under subsection (b), the Under Secretary shall sub17 mit to the Committees on Appropriations of the House 

18 of Representatives and the Senate, the Committees on Ag19 riculture and Energy and Commerce of the House of Rep20 resentatives, and the Committees on Agriculture, Nutri21 tion, and Forestry and Commerce, Science, and Transpor22 tation of the Senate, a report that includes— 

23 ‘‘(1) the number of grants, loans, and loan 

24 guarantees applied for and provided under this sec25 tion; 

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1 ‘‘(2) the communities proposed to be served in 

2 each grant, loan, or loan guarantee application sub3 mitted in 180 days before the date such report is 

4 submitted; 

5 ‘‘(3) the period of time required to approve 

6 each grant, loan, or loan guarantee application 

7 under this section; 

8 ‘‘(4) any outreach activities carried out by the 

9 Under Secretary to encourage entities in rural and 

10 underserved areas to submit applications under this 

11 section; and 

12 ‘‘(5) each broadband service, including the type 

13 and speed of broadband service, for which assistance 

14 was sought, and each broadband service for which 

15 assistance was provided, under this section. 

16 ‘‘(i) DATABASE.—Not later than 180 days after the 

17 date on which funds are first made available to carry out 

18 this section under subsection (k), the Under Secretary 

19 shall establish and maintain a fully searchable database, 

20 accessible on the Internet at no cost to the public, that 

21 includes— 

22 ‘‘(1) a list of— 

23 ‘‘(A) each entity that has applied for an 

24 award under this section; and 

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1 ‘‘(B) each eligible entity that has received 

2 an award under this section; 

3 ‘‘(2) a description of each application under this 

4 section, and the status of each application; 

5 ‘‘(3) the purpose for which each eligible entity 

6 is receiving funds under this section; and 

7 ‘‘(4) each report submitted under subsection 

8 (h). 

9 ‘‘(j) ELIGIBLE ENTITY DEFINED.—In this section, 

10 the term ‘eligible entity’ means— 

11 ‘‘(1) a State or political subdivision thereof, the 

12 District of Columbia, a territory or possession of the 

13 United States, an Indian tribe (as defined in section 

14 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education 

15 Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)) or native Hawai16 ian organization; 

17 ‘‘(2) a nonprofit organization; or 

18 ‘‘(3) any other entity the Under Secretary de19 termines to be in the public interest. 

20 ‘‘(k) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

21 is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Agri22 culture to carry out this section $20,000,000,000 to re23 main available until September 30, 2022.’’. 

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1 SEC. 4. TRIBAL BROADBAND ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 

2 Title VI of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 

3 U.S.C. 950bb et seq.), is amended by inserting after sec4 tion 606, as added by section 3, the following new section: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 607. TRIBAL BROADBAND ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 

6 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary shall make 

7 grants, loans, or loan guarantees to entities to— 

8 ‘‘(1) plan, construct, acquire, or improve facili9 ties or equipment for the purpose of providing 

10 broadband service on tribal lands; 

11 ‘‘(2) provide broadband service on tribal lands; 

12 ‘‘(3) develop among tribal members technical 

13 expertise related to broadband service; and 

14 ‘‘(4) improve the adoption of broadband service 

15 by individuals on tribal lands. 

16 ‘‘(b) APPLICATION.—An entity desiring financial as17 sistance under this section shall submit an application to 

18 the Under Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 

19 containing such information as the Under Secretary may 

20 require, including— 

21 ‘‘(1) a description of the ability of the entity to 

22 furnish the minimum acceptable level of broadband 

23 service for tribal lands; and 

24 ‘‘(2) an assurance that the entity will submit a 

25 report, at such time, in such manner, and containing 

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1 such information as the Under Secretary may speci2 fy, that describes— 

3 ‘‘(A) the use by the entity of funds under 

4 this section; and 

5 ‘‘(B) the provision by the entity of 

6 broadband service on tribal lands using such as7 sistance, including— 

8 ‘‘(i) the number and location of resi9 dences and businesses that receive im10 proved broadband service as a result of 

11 such assistance; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) the average price and speed of 

13 broadband service for such residences and 

14 businesses before and after the use by the 

15 entity of such assistance. 

16 ‘‘(c) PRIORITY.—In providing financial assistance 

17 under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to ap18 plications from entities proposing to— 

19 ‘‘(1) provide broadband service in underserved 

20 tribal areas; 

21 ‘‘(2) provide broadband service to the greatest 

22 number of households in underserved tribal areas; 

23 and 

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1 ‘‘(3) improve the ability of tribal governments 

2 or their designees to provide telecommunications 

3 service on tribal lands. 

4 ‘‘(d) LIMITATION.—The Under Secretary may not 

5 provide financial assistance under this section for a fiscal 

6 year to an entity that provides telecommunications service 

7 to 20 percent or more of the households in the United 

8 States if the cost to the Federal Government of such fi9 nancial assistance exceeds 15 percent of the assistance 

10 made available under this section for the fiscal year. 

11 ‘‘(e) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the date 

12 on which funds are first made available to carry out this 

13 section under subsection (f), the Under Secretary shall 

14 submit to Congress and to the Rural Broadband Advisory 

15 Panel a report that describes the extent of participation 

16 under this section for the preceding fiscal year, including 

17 a description of— 

18 ‘‘(1) the communities served by activities sup19 ported by funds under this section; 

20 ‘‘(2) the number of grants, loans, and loan 

21 guarantees applied for and provided under this sec22 tion; 

23 ‘‘(3) the period of time required to approve 

24 each application under this section; and 

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1 ‘‘(4) the overall progress towards fulfilling the 

2 goal of providing broadband service on tribal lands, 

3 including a description of— 

4 ‘‘(A) the number and location of residences 

5 and businesses that receive improved broadband 

6 service as a result of financial assistance under 

7 this section; 

8 ‘‘(B) the average price and speed of 

9 broadband service for such residences and busi10 nesses; 

11 ‘‘(C) any network improvements supported 

12 under this section; and 

13 ‘‘(D) activities supported under this sec14 tion that improve broadband service on tribal 

15 lands for educational institutions, health care 

16 providers, and public safety service providers. 

17 ‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

18 is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Agri19 culture to carry out this section $25,000,000 for each of 

20 fiscal years 2017 through 2022, to remain available until 

21 expended.’’. 

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1 SEC. 5. TELECOMMUNICATIONS LOAN AND LOAN GUAR2 ANTEE PROGRAM. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title II of the Rural Electrifica4 tion Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 922 et seq.) is amended by 

5 adding at the end the following new section: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 208. REGIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVELOP7 MENT. 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In addition to any preference 

9 given under section 201 with respect to a telephone loan 

10 made under this Act, the Secretary may give preference 

11 to an application for such a loan for a project that, as 

12 determined by the Secretary, supports the development of 

13 telecommunications services on a multijurisdictional basis. 

14 ‘‘(b) EVALUATION OF APPLICATIONS.—In evaluating 

15 an application described in subsection (a), the Secretary 

16 shall consider whether— 

17 ‘‘(1) the project that is the subject of the appli18 cation was developed through the collaboration and 

19 participation of multiple stakeholders in the service 

20 area of the project, including State, local, and tribal 

21 governments, nonprofit institutions, institutions of 

22 higher education, and private entities; 

23 ‘‘(2) the applicant has an understanding of the 

24 applicable regional resources that could support the 

25 project, including natural resources, human re26 sources, infrastructure, and financial resources; and 

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1 ‘‘(3) the project has clear objectives and in2 cludes a means to establish measurable performance 

3 measures and to track progress toward meeting such 

4 objectives.’’. 

5 (b) EXEMPTION FROM STATE AGENCY REQUIRE6 MENT.—Section 201 of the Rural Electrification Act of 

7 1936 (7 U.S.C. 922) is amended in the last sentence by 

8 inserting ‘‘or the application involved is an application de9 scribed in section 208’’ before the period at the end. 

10 (c) DEFINITION OF RURAL AREA.—Section 203(b) of 

11 the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 924(b)) 

12 is amended by striking ‘‘5,000’’ and inserting ‘‘20,000’’. 

13 SEC. 6. MODIFICATIONS TO EXISTING RURAL BROADBAND 

14 PROGRAMS. 

15 (a) AWARD OF GRANTS.—Section 603 of the Rural 

16 Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb), as redesig17 nated by section 2, is further amended— 

18 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘loans and 

19 loan guarantees’’ and inserting ‘‘loans, loan guaran20 tees, and grants’’; 

21 (2) in subsection (c)— 

22 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

23 ‘‘AND LOAN GUARANTEES’’ and inserting 

24 ‘‘LOAN GUARANTEES, AND GRANTS’’; 

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1 (B) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, and 

2 may make grants,’’ after ‘‘loans’’; and 

3 (C) in paragraph (2)— 

4 (i) in the matter preceding subpara5 graph (A), by striking ‘‘loans or loan guar6 antees’’ and inserting ‘‘loans, loan guaran7 tees, or grants’’; 

8 (ii) in subparagraph (A)— 

9 (I) by striking ‘‘loan and loan 

10 guarantee’’ and inserting ‘‘loan, loan 

11 guarantee, and grant’’; and 

12 (II) by striking ‘‘loans and loan 

13 guarantees’’ and inserting ‘‘loans, 

14 loan guarantees, and grants’’; and 

15 (iii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

16 ‘‘loans or loan guarantees’’ and inserting 

17 ‘‘loans, loan guarantees, or grants’’; 

18 (3) in subsection (d)— 

19 (A) in paragraph (1)(A)— 

20 (i) in the matter preceding clause (i), 

21 by striking ‘‘loan or loan guarantee’’ and 

22 inserting ‘‘loan, loan guarantee, or grant’’; 

23 (ii) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘loan’’ 

24 and inserting ‘‘loan or grant’’; and 

25 (iii) in clause (iii)— 

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1 (I) by striking ‘‘loan’’ and insert2 ing ‘‘loan or grant’’; and 

3 (II) by striking ‘‘loan made or 

4 guaranteed’’ and inserting ‘‘loan or 

5 grant made or loan guaranteed’’; 

6 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

7 (i) in subparagraph (A), in the matter 

8 preceding clause (i)— 

9 (I) by inserting ‘‘or the funds re10 ceived through a grant made’’ after 

11 ‘‘guaranteed’’; and 

12 (II) by striking ‘‘loan or loan 

13 guarantee’’ and inserting ‘‘loan, loan 

14 guarantee, or grant’’; and 

15 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

16 ‘‘loan or loan guarantee’’ and inserting 

17 ‘‘loan, loan guarantee, or grant’’; 

18 (C) in paragraph (3)(A), by striking ‘‘loan 

19 or loan guarantee’’ and inserting ‘‘loan, loan 

20 guarantee, or grant’’; 

21 (D) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘loan or 

22 loan guarantee’’ and inserting ‘‘loan, loan guar23 antee, or grant’’; 

24 (E) in paragraph (5)(A), in the matter 

25 preceding clause (i), by striking ‘‘loan or loan 

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1 guarantee’’ and inserting ‘‘loan, loan guarantee, 

2 or grant’’; 

3 (F) in paragraph (6)— 

4 (i) by striking ‘‘loan or loan guar5 antee’’ and inserting ‘‘loan, loan guar6 antee, or grant’’; and 

7 (ii) by striking ‘‘loan involved’’ and in8 serting ‘‘loan or grant involved’’; and 

9 (G) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘loan’’ 

10 and inserting ‘‘loan or grant’’; 

11 (4) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘loan or loan 

12 guarantee’’ and inserting ‘‘loan, loan guarantee, or 

13 grant’’; 

14 (5) in subsection (j)— 

15 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

16 by striking ‘‘loan and loan guarantee’’ and in17 serting ‘‘loan, loan guarantee, and grant’’; 

18 (B) in paragraph (1)— 

19 (i) by striking ‘‘loans’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘loans or grants’’; and 

21 (ii) by striking ‘‘loan’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘loan or grant’’; 

23 (C) in paragraph (2)— 

24 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

25 ‘‘loan’’ and inserting ‘‘loan or grant’’; and 

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1 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

2 ‘‘loans and loan guarantees’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘loans, loan guarantees, and grants’’; and 

4 (D) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘loan’’ 

5 and inserting ‘‘loan or grant’’; 

6 (6) by redesignating subsections (k) and (l) as 

7 subsections (l) and (m), respectively; 

8 (7) by inserting after subsection (j) the fol9 lowing new subsection: 

10 ‘‘(k) MATCHING FUNDS REQUIREMENT.—The recipi11 ent of a grant under this section shall provide funds, in12 kind contributions, or a combination of both, from sources 

13 other than funds provided through such grant in an 

14 amount that is at least equal to 10 percent of the amount 

15 of such grant.’’; 

16 (8) in subsection (l) (as so redesignated)— 

17 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking 

18 ‘‘$25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 

19 through 2018’’ and inserting ‘‘$50,000,000 for 

20 each of fiscal years 2017 through 2020’’; and 

21 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘loans 

22 and loan guarantees’’ and inserting ‘‘loans, loan 

23 guarantees, and grants’’ each place it appears; 

24 and 

25 (9) in subsection (m) (as so redesignated)— 

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1 (A) by striking ‘‘loan or loan guarantee’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘loan, loan guarantee, or grant’’; 

3 and 

4 (B) by striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘2020’’. 

6 (b) PRIORITY FOR SUPPORT FOR DEVELOPMENT OF

7 BROADBAND SERVICE.—Section 601(c)(2) of the Rural 

8 Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb(c)(2)), as 

9 amended by subsection (a), is further amended— 

10 (1) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

11 the end; 

12 (2) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period 

13 at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

14 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub15 paragraph: 

16 ‘‘(E) give priority to applicants that offer 

17 in the applications of the applicants to provide 

18 support for multijurisdictional projects for the 

19 development of broadband service in rural and 

20 underserved areas that are developed through 

21 the collaboration and participation of multiple 

22 stakeholders in the service area of such a 

23 project, including State, local, and tribal gov24 ernments, nonprofit institutions, institutions of 

25 higher education, and private entities.’’. 

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1 SEC. 7. INVENTORY OF FEDERAL AND STATE ASSETS. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

3 date of enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary for 

4 Rural Broadband Initiatives shall— 

5 (1) establish and maintain an inventory of any 

6 real property that is owned, leased, or otherwise 

7 managed by the Federal Government on which a 

8 broadband facility could be constructed, as deter9 mined by the Under Secretary for Rural Broadband 

10 Initiatives; and 

11 (2) make such inventory available to the public. 

12 (b) EXECUTIVE AGENCY REPORTS.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months 

14 after the date of enactment of this Act, each execu15 tive agency shall submit to the Under Secretary for 

16 Rural Broadband Initiatives a report that includes 

17 information regarding any real property that is 

18 owned, leased, or otherwise managed by such agency 

19 on which a broadband facility could be constructed. 

20 (2) CHANGES IN REAL PROPERTY.—Not later 

21 than 30 days after receiving notice of changes in the 

22 information included in a report under paragraph 

23 (1), the head of an applicable executive agency shall 

24 notify the Under Secretary for Rural Broadband Ini25 tiatives of such changes. 

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1 (3) NATIONAL SECURITY EXEMPTION.—An 

2 agency may exclude from the report described in 

3 paragraph (1) any information the head of the exec4 utive agency determines would harm national secu5 rity. 

6 (c) STATE AND LOCAL ASSETS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—A State, local, or tribal gov8 ernment may provide to the Under Secretary for 

9 Rural Broadband Initiatives information regarding 

10 any real property that is owned, leased, or otherwise 

11 managed by the State, local, or tribal government on 

12 which a broadband facility could be constructed. 

13 (2) CONSULTATION.—The Under Secretary for 

14 Rural Broadband Initiatives shall, in consultation 

15 with State, local, or tribal governments, issue such 

16 guidance or regulations as may be necessary to en17 sure that information provided by a State, local, or 

18 tribal government under paragraph (1) is accurate. 

19 SEC. 8. RETENTION OF RENTAL FEES ASSOCIATED WITH 

20 COMMUNICATIONS USE AUTHORIZATIONS ON 

21 FEDERAL LANDS. 

22 (a) SPECIAL ACCOUNT REQUIRED.—The Secretary of 

23 the Treasury shall establish a special account in the 

24 Treasury for each Federal land management agency for 

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1 agement agency for communications use authorizations on 

2 Federal lands granted, issued, or executed by the Federal 

3 land management agency. 

4 (b) DEPOSIT AND RETENTION OF RENTAL FEES.— 

5 Rental fees received by a Federal land management agen6 cy shall— 

7 (1) be deposited in the special account estab8 lished for that Federal land management agency; 

9 and 

10 (2) remain available for expenditure under sub11 section (c), to the extent and in such amounts as are 

12 provided in advance in appropriation Acts. 

13 (c) EXPENDITURE OF RETAINED FEES.—Amounts 

14 deposited in the special account for a Federal land man15 agement agency shall be used for Federal land manage16 ment agency activities related to communications sites, in17 cluding the following: 

18 (1) Administering communications use author19 izations, including cooperative agreements under 

20 subsection (d). 

21 (2) Preparing needs assessments or other pro22 grammatic analyses necessary to designate commu23 nications sites and authorize communications uses 

24 on or adjacent to Federal lands. 

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1 (3) Developing management plans for commu2 nications sites on or adjacent to Federal lands. 

3 (4) Training for management of communica4 tions sites on or adjacent to Federal lands. 

5 (5) Obtaining or improving access to commu6 nications sites on or adjacent to Federal lands. 

7 (d) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT AUTHORITY.— 

8 (1) DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR.—The 

9 Secretary of the Interior may enter into cooperative 

10 agreements to carry out the activities described in 

11 subsection (c). 

12 (2) FOREST SERVICE.—The Secretary of Agri13 culture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Serv14 ice, may enter into cooperative agreements to carry 

15 out the activities described in subsection (c). 

16 (e) NO EFFECT ON OTHER FEE RETENTION AU17 THORITIES.—This section shall not limit or otherwise af18 fect fee retention by a Federal land management agency 

19 under any other authority. 

20 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

21 (1) COMMUNICATIONS SITE.—The term ‘‘com22 munications site’’ means an area of Federal lands 

23 designated for telecommunications uses. 

24 (2) COMMUNICATIONS USE.—The term ‘‘com25 munications use’’ means the placement and opermstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with BILLS

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1 ation of infrastructure for wireless telecommuni2 cations, regardless of whether the use of radio fre3 quencies by such telecommunications is pursuant to 

4 a license issued by the Federal Communications 

5 Commission or on an unlicensed basis in accordance 

6 with the regulations of the Commission. The term 

7 includes ancillary activities directly related to such 

8 placement and operation. 

9 (3) COMMUNICATIONS USE AUTHORIZATION.— 

10 The term ‘‘communications use authorization’’ 

11 means a right-of-way, permit, or lease granted, 

12 issued, or executed by a Federal land management 

13 agency for the primary purpose of authorizing the 

14 occupancy and use of Federal lands for communica15 tions use. 

16 (4) FEDERAL LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCY.— 

17 The term ‘‘Federal land management agency’’ 

18 means the National Park Service, the United States 

19 Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Man20 agement, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Forest 

21 Service. 

22 (5) FEDERAL LANDS.—The term ‘‘Federal 

23 lands’’ means lands under the jurisdiction and man24 agement of a Federal land management agency. 

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1 (6) RENTAL FEE.—The term ‘‘rental fee’’ 

2 means the fee collected by a Federal land manage3 ment agency for the occupancy and use authorized 

4 by a communications use authorization pursuant to 

5 and consistent with authorizing law. 

Æ 

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