I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 205 
To accelerate rural broadband deployment. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 5, 2021 
Mr. KELLY of Mississippi introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To accelerate rural broadband deployment. 
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 ‘‘Accelerating 
Broadband Connectivity Act of 2021’’. 
SEC. 2. ACCELERATING BROADBAND CONNECTIVITY. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
(1) the term ‘‘Commission’’ means the Federal 
Communications Commission; 
(2) the terms ‘‘Phase I’’ and ‘‘Phase II’’ mean 
Phase I and Phase II, respectively, of the Rural Dig-
ital Opportunity Fund auction provided for in the 
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Report and Order in the matter of Rural Digital Op-
portunity Fund and Connect America Fund adopted 
by the Commission on January 30, 2020 (FCC 20– 
5); 
(3) the term ‘‘qualified carrier’’ means a terres-
trial telecommunications carrier that receives sup-
port from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund 
under subpart J of part 54 of title 47, Code of Fed-
eral Regulations, or any successor regulations; and 
(4) the term ‘‘Rural Digital Opportunity Fund 
support’’ means support from the Rural Digital Op-
portunity Fund under subpart J of part 54 of title 
47, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor 
regulations. 
(b) ACCELERATING
BROADBAND
CONNECTIVITY 
FUND.—There is established in the Treasury of the 
United States a fund to be known as the ‘‘Accelerating 
Broadband Connectivity Fund’’. 
(c) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—The Commission may 
use amounts in the Accelerating Broadband Connectivity 
Fund to provide support to qualified carriers in accord-
ance with subsection (d). 
(d) AMOUNT AND USE OF FUNDS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.— 
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(A) PHASE I SUPPORT RECIPIENTS.—The 
Commission shall make one-time funding offers 
to qualified carriers that receive Rural Digital 
Opportunity Fund support during Phase I, and 
that commit to meeting the conditions under 
paragraph (2), to accelerate the broadband de-
ployment obligations assumed by those carriers 
with respect to that support. 
(B) PHASE II SUPPORT RECIPIENTS.—The 
Commission shall use any amounts in the Accel-
erating Broadband Connectivity Fund that are 
not otherwise committed under subparagraph 
(A) to make one-time funding offers to qualified 
carriers that receive Rural Digital Opportunity 
Fund support during Phase II, and that com-
mit to meeting the conditions under paragraph 
(2), to accelerate the broadband deployment ob-
ligations assumed by those carriers with respect 
to that support. 
(2) CONDITIONS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—A qualified carrier that 
receives amounts under paragraph (1) shall— 
(i) 
begin 
construction 
of 
the 
broadband network for which the amounts 
are awarded not later than 180 days after 
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the date on which the award under para-
graph (1) is authorized; 
(ii) begin to make broadband service 
available from the broadband network de-
ployed using Rural Digital Opportunity 
Fund support not later than 1 year after 
the date on which the award under para-
graph (1) is authorized; and 
(iii) meet all buildout obligations from 
the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund sup-
port not later than 3 years after the date 
on which the award under paragraph (1) is 
authorized. 
(B) FORCE
MAJEURE.—The Commission 
shall adopt rules under subsection (f)(1) to pro-
vide for the extension of a deadline under sub-
paragraph (A) of this paragraph if an event 
outside the control of a qualified carrier pre-
vents the qualified carrier from meeting the 
deadline. 
(3) AMOUNT OF AWARD.—The amount awarded 
to a qualified carrier under paragraph (1) shall be 
proportional to the amount of Rural Digital Oppor-
tunity Fund support received by the qualified car-
rier. 
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(e) DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED.—A qualified car-
rier that receives amounts under this section shall— 
(1) maintain appropriate documentation dem-
onstrating the use of the amounts; and 
(2) make the documentation described in para-
graph (1) available upon request as prescribed by 
the Commission. 
(f) EXPEDITED RULEMAKING.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall adopt 
rules to carry out this section as needed on an expe-
dited basis. 
(2) USE OF EXISTING RULES AUTHORIZED.— 
To the extent the Commission determines necessary 
in the public interest, the Commission may rely on 
the rules under part 54 of title 47, Code of Federal 
Regulations, and funding distribution mechanisms 
established under those rules in administering funds 
made available under this section. 
(3) ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE ACT EXEMP-
TION.—The Commission shall adopt rules under 
paragraph (1) without regard to the notice and com-
ment requirements under section 553 of title 5, 
United States Code. 
(4) PAPERWORK
REDUCTION
ACT
EXEMP-
TION.—A collection of information conducted or 
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sponsored under this section shall not constitute a 
collection of information for the purposes of sub-
chapter I of chapter 35 of title 44, United States 
Code (commonly referred to as the ‘‘Paperwork Re-
duction Act’’). 
(g) ENFORCEMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall imple-
ment and enforce this section as if it were a part of 
the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 151 et 
seq.). 
(2) UNLAWFUL FUNDING APPLICATION.— 
(A) OFFENSE.—It shall be unlawful for a 
person to willfully, knowingly, or recklessly seek 
funding under this section if doing so would 
violate— 
(i) this section; or 
(ii) any rules of the Commission. 
(B) FORFEITURES.—Any person who vio-
lates subparagraph (A) shall be subject to a 
forfeiture in an amount of not more than 3 
times the amount of funds made available to 
the person under this section, in addition to any 
forfeiture authorized under section 503 of the 
Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 503). 
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(3) AUDIT AND INQUIRY REQUIREMENTS.—The 
Commission shall adopt requirements, through the 
expedited rulemaking under subsection (f), to— 
(A) ensure that a qualified carrier that re-
ceives amounts under this section complies with 
the requirements of this section; and 
(B) prevent waste, fraud, and abuse of the 
amounts distributed under this section. 
(h) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Accelerating 
Broadband Connectivity Fund $6,000,000,000 for pur-
poses of this section. 
Æ 
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