I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6723 
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to clarify the eligibility of 
broadband internet access services for Federal universal service support, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 5, 2020 
Mr. PETERSON (for himself, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. VAN DREW, Mr. COX of Cali-
fornia, Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky, Mr. LUCAS, Ms. CRAIG, Mr. CASE, Mr. 
GONZALEZ of Texas, and Mr. CORREA) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to clarify the 
eligibility of broadband internet access services for Fed-
eral universal service support, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Universal Broadband 
Act of 2020’’. 
SEC. 2. UNIVERSAL SERVICE SUPPORT FOR BROADBAND 
INTERNET ACCESS SERVICES. 
(a) CLARIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR SUPPORT.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 254(c) of the Com-
munications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254(c)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) BROADBAND
INTERNET
ACCESS
SERV-
ICES.—In addition to the services included in the 
definition of universal service under paragraph (1), 
the Commission shall designate broadband internet 
access services as services that are supported by 
Federal universal service support mechanisms. In 
designating services under this paragraph, the Com-
mission shall ensure that the services designated are 
sufficient for the purposes for which consumers use 
broadband internet access services, as such purposes 
evolve over time.’’. 
(2) OBLIGATIONS OF ELIGIBLE TELECOMMUNI-
CATIONS
CARRIERS.—Section 214(e)(1)(A) of the 
Communications 
Act 
of 
1934 
(47 
U.S.C. 
214(e)(1)(A)) is amended by inserting ‘‘all of’’ after 
‘‘offer’’. 
(b) CONTRIBUTIONS TO UNIVERSAL SERVICE.— 
(1) PROVIDERS OF BROADBAND INTERNET AC-
CESS SERVICES REQUIRED TO CONTRIBUTE.—Sec-
tion 254 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
U.S.C. 254) is amended— 
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(A) in subsection (b)(4), by inserting ‘‘and 
all providers of broadband internet access serv-
ices’’ after ‘‘telecommunications services’’; and 
(B) in subsection (d)— 
(i) in the heading, by striking ‘‘TELE-
COMMUNICATIONS CARRIER’’; 
(ii) in the first sentence, by inserting 
‘‘and every provider of broadband internet 
access services’’ after ‘‘telecommunications 
services’’; and 
(iii) in the second sentence— 
(I) by inserting ‘‘, or provider or 
class of providers,’’ after ‘‘carriers’’; 
and 
(II) by inserting ‘‘or provider’s’’ 
after ‘‘carrier’s’’ each place it appears. 
(2) ADDITIONAL MATTERS RELATING TO UNI-
VERSAL SERVICE CONTRIBUTIONS.—Section 254(d) 
of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
254(d)) is amended— 
(A) by striking ‘‘Every telecommunications 
carrier’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Every telecommunications 
carrier’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(2) EXCLUSION FROM CONTRIBUTION BASE OF 
SERVICES PROVIDED TO LIFELINE CONSUMERS.—In 
determining the amount that a telecommunications 
carrier or provider of a broadband internet access 
service is required to contribute under this sub-
section, the Commission shall exclude from the de-
termination any services provided by such carrier or 
provider to consumers who receive services through 
the Lifeline program of the Commission. 
‘‘(3) CONSIDERATION OF ANTICIPATED FUND-
ING NEEDS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—In determining the 
amount of contributions required under this 
subsection, the Commission shall consider fore-
casts of anticipated demand for services that 
are supported by each of the Federal universal 
service support mechanisms over periods that 
are sufficiently long to allow for adequate plan-
ning, thereby ensuring sufficient and predict-
able funding for each such mechanism. 
‘‘(B) PROHIBITION
ON
CONTRIBUTION 
LIMIT.—The Commission may not establish any 
limit on the total amount of contributions re-
quired under this subsection with respect to all 
Federal universal service support mechanisms, 
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except for establishing the amount that pro-
viders are required to contribute with respect to 
a particular time period based on the projected 
demand for services that are supported by Fed-
eral universal service support mechanisms over 
such time period.’’. 
(c) ACCESS IN TRIBAL AREAS.—Section 254(b)(3) of 
the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254(b)(3)) 
is amended— 
(1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘ACCESS
IN 
RURAL AND HIGH COST AREAS’’ and inserting ‘‘AC-
CESS IN ALL REGIONS’’; and 
(2) by inserting ‘‘Tribal,’’ after ‘‘insular,’’. 
(d) PROHIBITION ON EXPENDITURE LIMIT.—Section 
254 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254) 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(m) PROHIBITION ON EXPENDITURE LIMIT.—The 
Commission may not establish any limit on the total 
amount of funds that may be expended through all Fed-
eral universal service support mechanisms. Nothing in the 
preceding sentence shall be construed to prohibit the Com-
mission from ensuring that funds expended through the 
Federal universal service support mechanisms are ex-
pended for services eligible for support through such 
mechanisms.’’. 
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(e) CONSULTATION
AMONG
FCC, NTIA, 
AND 
USDA.—The Federal Communications Commission, the 
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and 
Information, and the Secretary of Agriculture shall, in ad-
ministering Federal financial assistance for the deploy-
ment of broadband services, consult with one another re-
garding the distribution of such assistance for the deploy-
ment of broadband services in rural areas. 
(f) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—Section 254 of the 
Communications Act of 1934, as amended by subsection 
(d), is further amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(n) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—Not later than 
180 days after the end of each calendar year, the Commis-
sion shall submit to Congress a report that contains the 
following: 
‘‘(1) A statement of the total amount expended 
in such year to support broadband internet access 
services through the Federal universal service sup-
port mechanisms for high-cost areas. 
‘‘(2) A statement of the amount, of the total 
amount stated under paragraph (1), expended in 
each of the following: 
‘‘(A) Rural areas. 
‘‘(B) Insular areas. 
‘‘(C) Tribal areas. 
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‘‘(D) Areas that, as of the beginning of 
such year, were unserved areas, as determined 
by the Commission. 
‘‘(3) A description of progress during such year 
in advancing the universal service principles de-
scribed in subsection (b) and the requirements for 
meeting future growth in the demand for the serv-
ices that are supported by Federal universal service 
support mechanisms, including challenges that may 
prevent the advancement of such principles.’’. 
(g) BROADBAND INTERNET ACCESS SERVICE DE-
FINED.—Section 254 of the Communications Act of 1934, 
as amended by subsections (d) and (f), is further amended 
by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(o) BROADBAND INTERNET ACCESS SERVICE DE-
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘broadband internet ac-
cess service’— 
‘‘(1) 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, but excluding dial-up inter-
net access service; and 
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‘‘(2) includes any service that the Commission 
finds to be providing a functional equivalent of the 
service described in paragraph (1).’’. 
Æ 
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