IB 

Union Calendar No. 125 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3193 

[Report No. 117–171, Part I] 

To amend the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 to 

provide for a high-speed broadband deployment initiative. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 13, 2021 

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri (for himself and Mr. GUEST) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, 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 

NOVEMBER 3, 2021 

Additional sponsors: Mr. WEBSTER of Florida, Mr. WITTMAN, Mr. STAUBER, 

Mr. BUDD, Ms. STEFANIK, Mr. KELLER, Mrs. HARSHBARGER, Ms. VAN

DUYNE, Miss GONZA ́LEZ-COLO ́N, Mr. MANN, and Mr. RESCHENTHALER

NOVEMBER 3, 2021 

Reported from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

NOVEMBER 3, 2021 

Committee on Financial Services discharged; committed to the Committee of 

the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed 


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•HR 3193 RH

A BILL 

To amend the Public Works and Economic Development 

Act of 1965 to provide for a high-speed broadband deployment initiative. 


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•HR 3193 RH

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 ‘‘Eliminating Barriers 

5 to Rural Internet Development Grant Eligibility Act’’ or 

6 the ‘‘E-BRIDGE Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. HIGH-SPEED BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT INITIA8 TIVE. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title II of the Public Works and 

10 Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3141 et 

11 seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘SEC. 219. HIGH-SPEED BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT INITIA13 TIVE. 

14 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

15 ‘‘(1) BROADBAND PROJECT.—The term 

16 ‘broadband project’ means, for the purpose of pro17 viding, extending, expanding, or improving high18 speed broadband service to further the goals of this 

19 Act— 

20 ‘‘(A) planning, technical assistance, or 

21 training; 

22 ‘‘(B) the acquisition or development of 

23 land; or 

24 ‘‘(C) the acquisition, design and engineer25 ing, construction, rehabilitation, alteration, exVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Nov 03, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3193.RH H3193

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1 pansion, or improvement of facilities, including 

2 related machinery, equipment, contractual 

3 rights, and intangible property. 

4 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE RECIPIENT.— 

5 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘eligible re6 cipient’ means an eligible recipient. 

7 ‘‘(B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘eligible re8 cipient’ includes— 

9 ‘‘(i) a public-private partnership; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) a consortium formed for the pur11 pose of providing, extending, expanding, or 

12 improving high-speed broadband service 

13 between 1 or more eligible recipients and 1 

14 or more for-profit organizations. 

15 ‘‘(3) HIGH-SPEED BROADBAND.—The term 

16 ‘high-speed broadband’ means the provision of 2-way 

17 data transmission with sufficient downstream and 

18 upstream speeds to end users to permit effective 

19 participation in the economy and to support eco20 nomic growth, as determined by the Secretary. 

21 ‘‘(b) BROADBAND PROJECTS.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—On the application of an el23 igible recipient, the Secretary may make grants 

24 under this title for broadband projects, which shall 

25 be subject to the provisions of this section. 


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•HR 3193 RH

1 ‘‘(2) DATA REQUESTED.—In reviewing an ap2 plication submitted under paragraph (1), the Sec3 retary shall request from the Federal Communica4 tions Commission, the Administrator of the National 

5 Telecommunications and Information Administra6 tion, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Appa7 lachian Regional Commission data on— 

8 ‘‘(A) the level and extent of broadband 

9 service that exists in the area proposed to be 

10 served; and 

11 ‘‘(B) the level and extent of broadband 

12 service that will be deployed in the area pro13 posed to be served pursuant to another Federal 

14 program. 

15 ‘‘(3) INTEREST IN REAL OR PERSONAL PROP16 ERTY.—For any broadband project carried out by an 

17 eligible recipient that is a public-private partnership 

18 or consortium, the Secretary shall require that title 

19 to any real or personal property acquired or im20 proved with grant funds, or if the recipient will not 

21 acquire title, another possessory interest acceptable 

22 to the Secretary, be vested in a public partner or eli23 gible nonprofit organization or association for the 

24 useful life of the project, after which title may be 

25 transferred to any member of the public-private 


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1 partnership or consortium in accordance with regu2 lations promulgated by the Secretary. 

3 ‘‘(4) PROCUREMENT.—Notwithstanding any 

4 other provision of law, no person or entity shall be 

5 disqualified from competing to provide goods or serv6 ices related to a broadband project on the basis that 

7 the person or entity participated in the development 

8 of the broadband project or in the drafting of speci9 fications, requirements, statements of work, or simi10 lar documents related to the goods or services to be 

11 provided. 

12 ‘‘(5) BROADBAND PROJECT PROPERTY.— 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

14 permit a recipient of a grant for a broadband 

15 project to grant an option to acquire real or 

16 personal property (including contractual rights 

17 and intangible property) related to that project 

18 to a third party on such terms as the Secretary 

19 determines to be appropriate, subject to the 

20 condition that the option may only be exercised 

21 after the Secretary releases the Federal interest 

22 in the property. 

23 ‘‘(B) TREATMENT.—The grant or exercise 

24 of an option described in subparagraph (A) 


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1 shall not constitute a redistribution of grant 

2 funds under section 217. 

3 ‘‘(c) SOURCES OF ASSISTANCE.—A grant provided 

4 under this section may be provided from amounts made 

5 available to carry out this title in combination with 

6 amounts made available under any other Federal program. 

7 ‘‘(d) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—In determining the 

8 amount of the non-Federal share of the cost of a 

9 broadband project, the Secretary may provide credit to10 ward the non-Federal share for the present value of allow11 able contributions over the useful life of the broadband 

12 project, subject to the condition that the Secretary may 

13 require such assurances of the value of the rights and of 

14 the commitment of the rights as the Secretary determines 

15 to be appropriate.’’. 

16 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

17 in section 1(b) of the Public Works and Economic Devel18 opment Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3121 note; Public Law 

19 89–136) is amended by inserting after the item relating 

20 to section 218 the following: 

‘‘Sec. 219. High-speed broadband deployment initiative.’’. 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
Union Calendar No. 125 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3193 

[Report No. 117–171, Part I] 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Works and Economic Develbroadband deployment initiative. opment Act of 1965 to provide for a high-speed 

NOVEMBER 3, 2021 

Reported from the Committee on Transportation and 

Infrastructure 

NOVEMBER 3, 2021 

Committee on Financial Services discharged; committed 

the Union and ordered to be printed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS