II 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2418 

To direct the Federal Communications Commission to promulgate regulations 

that establish a national standard for determining whether mobile and 

broadband services available in rural areas are reasonably comparable 

to those services provided in urban areas. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 13, 2018 

Ms. HASSAN (for herself and Mrs. CAPITO) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

Transportation 

A BILL 

To direct the Federal Communications Commission to promulgate regulations that establish a national standard 

for determining whether mobile and broadband services 

available in rural areas are reasonably comparable to 

those services provided in urban areas. 

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 ‘‘Rural Reasonable and 

5 Comparable Wireless Access Act of 2018’’. 


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•S 2418 IS

1 SEC. 2. AVAILABILITY OF MOBILE AND BROADBAND SERV2 ICES IN UNDERSERVED RURAL AREAS. 

3 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

4 (1) BROADBAND INTERNET ACCESS SERVICE.— 

5 The term ‘‘broadband Internet access service’’— 

6 (A) means a mass-market retail service by 

7 wire or radio that provides the capability to 

8 transmit data to, and receive data from, all or 

9 substantially all Internet endpoints, including 

10 any capabilities that are incidental to, and en11 able the operation of, the communications serv12 ice; 

13 (B) includes any service that the Commis14 sion finds to provide a functional equivalent of 

15 the service described in subparagraph (A); and 

16 (C) does not include dial-up Internet ac17 cess service. 

18 (2) COMMERCIAL MOBILE DATA SERVICE.—The 

19 term ‘‘commercial mobile data service’’ has the 

20 meaning given the term in section 6001 of the Mid21 dle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 

22 (47 U.S.C. 1401). 

23 (3) COMMERCIAL MOBILE SERVICE.—The term 

24 ‘‘commercial mobile service’’ has the meaning given 

25 the term in section 332(d) of the Communications 

26 Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 332(d)). 


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1 (4) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 

2 means the Federal Communications Commission. 

3 (5) RURAL TELEPHONE COMPANY.—The term 

4 ‘‘rural telephone company’’ has the meaning given 

5 the term in section 3 of the Communications Act of 

6 1934 (47 U.S.C. 153). 

7 (6) SERVICE AREA.—The term ‘‘service area’’ 

8 has the meaning given the term in section 214(e) of 

9 the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 

10 214(e)). 

11 (b) ESTABLISHMENT OF STANDARD.—Not later than 

12 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Com13 mission shall promulgate regulations that establish a na14 tional standard to determine, with respect to access to uni15 versal service in rural, insular, and high-cost areas under 

16 section 254(b)(3) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 

17 U.S.C. 254(b)(3)), whether commercial mobile services, 

18 commercial mobile data services, and broadband Internet 

19 access services available in rural areas are reasonably com20 parable to those services provided in urban areas. 

21 (c) UNDERSERVED RURAL AREAS.—The standard 

22 established under subsection (b) shall— 

23 (1) define a rural area as any area that is— 

24 (A) a rural area, as defined in section 

25 54.600(b)(1) of title 47, Code of Federal ReguVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:17 Feb 14, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2418.IS S2418

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1 lations, as in effect on the date of enactment of 

2 this Act; or 

3 (B) a service area that is served by a rural 

4 telephone company; 

5 (2) define a rural area as underserved, with re6 spect to a service described in subsection (b), if serv7 ice that meets or exceeds the standard established 

8 under that subsection is not available in the area; 

9 and 

10 (3) provide that a rural area shall be considered 

11 underserved, with respect to a service described in 

12 subsection (b), if tests show that the service avail13 able in the area does not meet or exceed the applica14 ble average determined under subsection (d)(1) with 

15 respect to that service. 

16 (d) DATA FROM URBAN AREAS.—The Commission 

17 shall— 

18 (1) gather data on the average signal strength 

19 and average speed of commercial mobile service and 

20 commercial mobile data service, and on the average 

21 speed of broadband Internet access service, provided 

22 in the 20 most populous metropolitan statistical 

23 areas in the United States; and 

24 (2) specify in the standard established under 

25 subsection (b) that— 


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1 (A) commercial mobile service or commer2 cial mobile data service available in a rural area 

3 is reasonably comparable to that service pro4 vided in an urban area only if the average sig5 nal strength and average speed with respect to 

6 the service in the rural area meets or exceeds 

7 the average determined under paragraph (1) 

8 with respect to that service; and 

9 (B) broadband Internet access service 

10 available in a rural area is reasonably com11 parable to that service provided in an urban 

12 area only if the average speed with respect to 

13 the service in the rural area meets or exceeds 

14 the average determined under paragraph (1) 

15 with respect to that service. 

16 (e) PERIODIC UPDATING OF DATA.—The Commis17 sion shall periodically update the data gathered under sub18 section (d)(1). 

Æ 


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