I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8466 

To amend division N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 to improve 

the Affordable Connectivity Program, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 17, 2024 

Mr. WILLIAMS of New York introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, Transportation and Infrastructure, 

Science, Space, and Technology, Natural Resources, Oversight and Accountability, Foreign Affairs, and the Judiciary, 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 amend division N of the Consolidated Appropriations 

Act, 2021 to improve the Affordable Connectivity Program, 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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Affordable 

5 Connectivity Program Improvement and Extension Act of 

6 2024’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. IMPROVING THE AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY PRO2 GRAM. 

3 (a) IMPROVING VERIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY.— 

4 (1) REQUIRED USE OF NATIONAL VERIFIER TO

5 DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY.—Section 904 of division 

6 N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (47 

7 U.S.C. 1752) is amended— 

8 (A) in subsection (a)(6)(C), by striking ‘‘or 

9 the participating provider verifies eligibility 

10 under subsection (a)(2)(B)’’; and 

11 (B) in subsection (b)(2), by striking 

12 ‘‘shall’’ and all that follows and inserting the 

13 following: ‘‘shall use the National Verifier or 

14 National Lifeline Accountability Database.’’. 

15 (2) REPEAL OF ELIGIBILITY THROUGH A PRO16 VIDER’S EXISTING LOW-INCOME PROGRAM.—Section 

17 904(a)(6) of division N of the Consolidated Appro18 priations Act, 2021 (47 U.S.C. 1752(a)(6)) is 

19 amended— 

20 (A) in subparagraph (C), by adding ‘‘or’’ 

21 at the end; 

22 (B) by striking subparagraph (D); and 

23 (C) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as 

24 subparagraph (D). 

25 (3) LIMITATION ON ELIGIBILITY THROUGH THE

26 COMMUNITY ELIGIBILITY PROVISION OF THE FREE


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1 LUNCH PROGRAM AND THE FREE SCHOOL BREAK2 FAST PROGRAM.—Section 904(a)(6) of division N of 

3 the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (47 

4 U.S.C. 1752(a)(6)) is amended by striking subpara5 graph (B) and inserting the following: 

6 ‘‘(B) at least 1 member of the household— 

7 ‘‘(i) is eligible for and receives— 

8 ‘‘(I) free or reduced price lunch 

9 under the school lunch program estab10 lished under the Richard B. Russell 

11 National School Lunch Act (42 

12 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.); or 

13 ‘‘(II) free or reduced price break14 fast under the school breakfast pro15 gram established under section 4 of 

16 the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 

17 U.S.C. 1773); and 

18 ‘‘(ii) attends a school the local edu19 cational agency of which does not elect to 

20 receive special assistance payments under 

21 section 11(a)(1)(F) of the Richard B. Rus22 sell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 

23 1759a(a)(1)(F)).’’. 

24 (4) REDUCTION OF ELIGIBLE HOUSEHOLDS.— 

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1 dated Appropriations Act, 2021 (47 U.S.C. 

2 1752(a)(6)(A)) is amended by striking ‘‘except that’’ 

3 and all that follows and inserting a semicolon. 

4 (5) INFORMATIONAL REQUIREMENT.—Section 

5 904(b)(6) of division N of the Consolidated Appro6 priations Act, 2021 (47 U.S.C. 1752(b)(6)) is 

7 amended by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(D) That the participating provider has 

9 obtained the last 4 digits of the social security 

10 number of at least 1 member from each eligible 

11 household for which the participating provider 

12 is seeking reimbursement.’’. 

13 (6) EFFECTIVE DATE; RULES.— 

14 (A) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph— 

15 (i) the terms ‘‘affordable connectivity 

16 benefit’’, ‘‘Commission’’, ‘‘eligible house17 hold’’, and ‘‘participating provider’’ have 

18 the meanings given those terms in section 

19 904(a) of division N of the Consolidated 

20 Appropriations Act, 2021 (47 U.S.C. 

21 1752(a)), as amended by this subsection; 

22 and 

23 (ii) the term ‘‘Affordable Connectivity 

24 Program’’ means the program established 

25 under section 904(b)(1) of division N of 


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1 the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 

2 (47 U.S.C. 1752(b)(1)). 

3 (B) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Except as pro4 vided in subparagraph (C), the amendments 

5 made by this subsection shall take effect on the 

6 date of enactment of this Act. 

7 (C) ENROLLED HOUSEHOLDS.—A house8 hold that received the affordable connectivity 

9 benefit as of April 30, 2024, but is no longer 

10 an eligible household by reason of the amend11 ments made by this subsection shall nonetheless 

12 be treated as an eligible household until the 

13 date that is 180 days after the date of enact14 ment of this Act. 

15 (D) UPDATING RULES.—Not later than 

16 180 days after the date of enactment of this 

17 Act, the Commission shall update the rules of 

18 the Commission relating to the Affordable 

19 Connectivity Program to implement the amend20 ments made by this subsection. 

21 (E) RE-CERTIFICATION.—During the pe22 riod beginning on the date on which the Com23 mission updates the rules under subparagraph 

24 (D) and ending on the date that is 240 days 

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1 ticipating provider or the Administrator of the 

2 Universal Service Administrative Company, as 

3 applicable, shall re-certify the eligibility of a 

4 household for the Affordable Connectivity Pro5 gram in accordance with section 54.1806(f) of 

6 title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, or any 

7 successor regulation, based on the amendments 

8 made by this subsection. 

9 (b) LIMITATION WITH RESPECT TO CHANGING PRO10 VIDERS.—Section 904(a)(6) of division N of the Consoli11 dated Appropriations Act, 2021 (47 U.S.C. 1752(a)(6)), 

12 as amended by subsection (a), is further amended— 

13 (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (A), (B), 

14 (C), and (D) as clauses (i), (ii), (iii), and (iv), re15 spectively, and conforming the margins accordingly; 

16 (2) by striking ‘‘The term’’ and inserting the 

17 following: 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term’’; and 

19 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION WITH RESPECT TO

21 CHANGING PROVIDERS.—Notwithstanding sub22 paragraph (A), in the case of a household that 

23 receives an affordable connectivity benefit pur24 suant to the Affordable Connectivity Program 

25 and is seeking to change broadband providers, 


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1 the term ‘eligible household’ does not apply to 

2 such household for purposes of a new 

3 broadband provider unless such household has 

4 been receiving broadband internet access service 

5 from the current broadband provider of such 

6 household for at least 180 days.’’. 

7 (c) ANTIFRAUD CONTROLS, PERFORMANCE GOALS, 

8 AND MEASURES.—Section 904 of division N of the Con9 solidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (47 U.S.C. 1752) is 

10 amended by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(k) ANTIFRAUD CONTROLS, PERFORMANCE GOALS, 

12 AND MEASURES.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

13 of enactment of this subsection, the Commission shall de14 velop and implement antifraud controls, performance 

15 goals, and performance measures for the Affordable 

16 Connectivity Program, and in doing so, shall consider the 

17 recommendations submitted by the Comptroller General of 

18 the United States to the Commission in the report entitled 

19 ‘Affordable Broadband: FCC Could Improve Performance 

20 Goals and Measures, Consumer Outreach, and Fraud Risk 

21 Management’, publicly released January 25, 2023 (GAO– 

22 23–105399).’’. 

23 (d) REPORT ON EFFECTIVENESS.—Not later than 1 

24 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Inspector 

25 General of the Federal Communications Commission shall 


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1 submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

2 Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on En3 ergy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a re4 port analyzing the effects of this section, including the 

5 amendments made by this section, with respect to improv6 ing the efficiency and quality of the Affordable 

7 Connectivity Program established under section 904 of di8 vision N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (47 

9 U.S.C. 1752). 

10 (e) APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS.—Section 904(i)(2) 

11 of division N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 

12 2021 (47 U.S.C. 1752(i)(2)) is amended— 

13 (1) in the paragraph heading, by striking ‘‘AP14 PROPRIATION’’ and inserting ‘‘APPROPRIATIONS’’; 

15 (2) by striking ‘‘There is’’ and inserting the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(A) FISCAL YEAR 2021.—There is’’; and 

18 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(B) FISCAL YEAR 2024.—There is appro20 priated to the Affordable Connectivity Fund, 

21 out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise 

22 appropriated, $6,000,000,000 for fiscal year 

23 2024, to remain available until expended.’’. 


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1 (f) RESCISSION.—Section 521(a)(4) of the Consoli2 dated Appropriations Act, 2024 is amended by striking 

3 ‘‘$12,440,000,000,’’ and inserting ‘‘$18,440,000,000,’’. 

Æ 


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