I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4383 
To amend the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to provide requirements 
on the use of assistance for broadband deployment, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 9, 2021 
Mr. GOSAR (for himself, Ms. HERRELL, and Mr. ROSENDALE) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and 
in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to 
be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to provide 
requirements on the use of assistance for broadband 
deployment, 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 ‘‘Reprioritizing 
Unserved Rural Areas and Locations for Broadband Act 
of 2021’’ and the ‘‘RURAL Broadband Act of 2021’’. 
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SEC. 2. USE OF ASSISTANCE FOR DEPLOYMENT OF 
BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE. 
Title VI of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 
U.S.C. 950bb et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 607. USE OF ASSISTANCE FOR DEPLOYMENT OF 
BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF QUALIFYING BROADBAND-CA-
PABLE INFRASTRUCTURE.—In this section, the term 
‘qualifying broadband-capable infrastructure’ means fixed 
terrestrial broadband-capable infrastructure— 
‘‘(1) used by a service provider to provide fixed 
terrestrial broadband service for which the service 
provider receives universal service support under sec-
tion 254 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
U.S.C. 254), if— 
‘‘(A) the broadband service satisfies the 
current speed benchmark for fixed services es-
tablished by the Federal Communications Com-
mission under section 706 of the Telecommuni-
cations Act of 1996 (47 U.S.C. 1302); or 
‘‘(B) the service provider is in compliance 
with buildout obligations in the relevant area to 
provide retail fixed terrestrial broadband service 
that will comply with the applicable broadband 
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speed standard described in subparagraph (A); 
or 
‘‘(2) that— 
‘‘(A) was financed with funds provided by 
the Secretary under this Act or any other pro-
gram carried out by the Secretary for the costs 
of the construction, improvement, or acquisition 
of facilities or equipment for the purpose of 
providing fixed terrestrial telecommunications 
or broadband service; and 
‘‘(B)(i) is used to provide fixed terrestrial 
broadband service, if— 
‘‘(I) the broadband service satisfies 
any applicable broadband speed standards 
established by the Secretary; or 
‘‘(II) the service provider is in compli-
ance with buildout obligations in the rel-
evant area to provide retail fixed terrestrial 
broadband service that will comply with 
the applicable broadband speed standards 
described in subclause (I); or 
‘‘(ii) was financed with a loan under this 
Act or any other program carried out by the 
Secretary that remains outstanding for the pur-
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pose of providing fixed terrestrial telecommuni-
cations or broadband service. 
‘‘(b) RESTRICTION ON USE OF ASSISTANCE.—A loan, 
grant, or other assistance awarded under this Act, or by 
the rural development mission area under the Consoli-
dated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1921 
et seq.), may not be used to coordinate, approve, or fi-
nance the deployment of broadband-capable infrastructure 
by a service provider to provide retail fixed broadband 
service that would overbuild or otherwise duplicate quali-
fying broadband-capable infrastructure that another serv-
ice provider is using to provide retail fixed terrestrial 
broadband service in the same geographic area. 
‘‘(c) USE OF ASSISTANCE IN UNSERVED AREAS.— 
A loan, grant, or other assistance provided by the Sec-
retary hereunder, acting through the Administrator of the 
Rural Utilities Service, to coordinate, approve, or finance 
the deployment of broadband-capable infrastructure by a 
service provider may be used to provide retail fixed 
broadband service only in a geographic area in which there 
is no qualifying broadband-capable infrastructure owned 
or operated by another service provider.’’. 
Æ 
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