Rural Reasonable and Comparable Wireless Access Act of 2018

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. Short title This Act may be cited as the Rural Reasonable and Comparable Wireless Access Act of 2018 2. Availability of mobile and broadband services in underserved rural areas (a) Definitions In this section: (1) Broadband Internet access service The term broadband Internet access service (A) means a mass-market retail service by wire or radio that provides the capability to transmit data to, and receive data from, all or substantially all Internet endpoints, including any capabilities that are incidental to, and enable the operation of, the communications service; (B) includes any service that the Commission finds to provide a functional equivalent of the service described in subparagraph (A); and (C) does not include dial-up Internet access service. (2) Commercial mobile data service The term commercial mobile data service 47 U.S.C. 1401 (3) Commercial mobile service The term commercial mobile service 47 U.S.C. 332(d) (4) Commission The term Commission (5) Rural telephone company The term rural telephone company 47 U.S.C. 153 (6) Service area The term service area 47 U.S.C. 214(e) (b) Establishment of standard Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall promulgate regulations that establish a national standard to determine, with respect to access to universal service in rural, insular, and high-cost areas under section 254(b)(3) of the Communications Act of 1934 ( 47 U.S.C. 254(b)(3) (c) Underserved rural areas The standard established under subsection (b) shall— (1) define a rural area as any area that is— (A) a rural area, as defined in section 54.600(b)(1) of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on the date of enactment of this Act; or (B) a service area that is served by a rural telephone company; (2) define a rural area as underserved, with respect to a service described in subsection (b), if service that meets or exceeds the standard established under that subsection is not available in the area; and (3) provide that a rural area shall be considered underserved, with respect to a service described in subsection (b), if tests show that the service available in the area does not meet or exceed the applicable average determined under subsection (d)(1) with respect to that service. (d) Data from urban areas The Commission shall— (1) gather data on the average signal strength and average speed of commercial mobile service and commercial mobile data service, and on the average speed of broadband Internet access service, provided in the 20 most populous metropolitan statistical areas in the United States; and (2) specify in the standard established under subsection (b) that— (A) commercial mobile service or commercial mobile data service available in a rural area is reasonably comparable to that service provided in an urban area only if the average signal strength and average speed with respect to the service in the rural area meets or exceeds the average determined under paragraph (1) with respect to that service; and (B) broadband Internet access service available in a rural area is reasonably comparable to that service provided in an urban area only if the average speed with respect to the service in the rural area meets or exceeds the average determined under paragraph (1) with respect to that service. (e) Periodic updating of data The Commission shall periodically update the data gathered under subsection (d)(1).

Summary: Rural Reasonable and Comparable Wireless Access Act of 2018 This bill directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to commence a rulemaking to establish a national standard for determining whether mobile broadband service in rural areas is reasonably comparable to the service provided in urban areas. The FCC shall gather data about the average signal strength and speed of mobile broadband service from the 20 most-populated urban areas. The service provided in rural areas shall be deemed reasonably comparable to urban areas if the average signal strength and speed meet or exceed the averages in the most-populated areas.