118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 275 

AN ACT 

To require the Federal Communications Commission to establish a vetting process for prospective applicants for 

high-cost universal service program funding. 

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

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Rural Broadband Pro3 tection Act of 2024’’. 

4 SEC. 2. VETTING PROCESS FOR PROSPECTIVE HIGH-COST 

5 UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND APPLICANTS. 

6 Section 254 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 

7 U.S.C. 254) is amended by adding at the end the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(m) VETTING OF HIGH-COST FUND RECIPIENTS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection— 

11 ‘‘(A) the term ‘covered funding’ means any 

12 new offer of high-cost universal service program 

13 funding, including funding provided through a 

14 reverse competitive bidding mechanism provided 

15 under this section, for the deployment of a 

16 broadband-capable network and the provision of 

17 supported services over the network; and 

18 ‘‘(B) the term ‘new covered funding award’ 

19 means an award of covered funding that is 

20 made based on an application submitted to the 

21 Commission on or after the date on which rules 

22 are promulgated under paragraph (2). 

23 ‘‘(2) COMMISSION RULEMAKING.—Not later 

24 than 180 days after the date of enactment of this 

25 subsection, the Commission shall initiate a rule26 making proceeding to establish a vetting process for 
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1 applicants for, and other recipients of, a new covered 

2 funding award. 

3 ‘‘(3) CONTENTS.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In promulgating rules 

5 under paragraph (2), the Commission shall pro6 vide that, consistent with principles of tech7 nology neutrality, the Commission will only 

8 award covered funding to applicants that can 

9 demonstrate that they meet the qualifications in 

10 subparagraph (B). 

11 ‘‘(B) QUALIFICATIONS DESCRIBED.—An 

12 applicant for a new covered funding award shall 

13 include in the initial application a proposal con14 taining sufficient detail and documentation for 

15 the Commission to ascertain that the applicant 

16 possesses the technical, financial, and oper17 ational capabilities, and has a reasonable busi18 ness plan, to deploy the proposed network and 

19 deliver services with the relevant performance 

20 characteristics and requirements defined by the 

21 Commission and as pledged by the applicant. 

22 ‘‘(C) EVALUATION OF PROPOSAL.—The 

23 Commission shall evaluate a proposal described 

24 in subparagraph (B) against— 
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1 ‘‘(i) reasonable and well-established 

2 technical, financial, and operational stand3 ards, including the technical standards 

4 adopted by the Commission in orders of 

5 the Commission relating to Establishing 

6 the Digital Opportunity Data Collection 

7 (WC Docket No. 19–195) (or orders of the 

8 Commission relating to modernizing any 

9 successor collection) for purposes of enti10 ties that must report broadband avail11 ability coverage; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) the applicant’s history of com13 plying with requirements in Commission 

14 and other government broadband deploy15 ment funding programs. 

16 ‘‘(D) PENALTIES FOR PRE-AUTHORIZATION

17 DEFAULTS.—In adopting rules for any new cov18 ered funding award, the Commission shall set a 

19 penalty for pre-authorization defaults of at least 

20 $9,000 per violation and may not limit the base 

21 forfeiture to an amount less than 30 percent of 

22 the applicant’s total support, unless the Com-
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1 mission demonstrates the need for lower pen2 alties in a particular instance.’’. 

Passed the Senate September 25, 2024. 

Attest: 

Secretary. 
118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 275 

AN ACT 

To require the Federal Communications Commisfunding. applicants for high-cost universal service program sion to establish a vetting process for prospective