I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4832 
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to clarify that an eligible tele-
communications carrier may use high cost universal service support to 
aid in the restoration of telecommunications capabilities in an area in 
which the President has declared a major disaster or emergency and 
may elect to receive an advance payment of such support. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 18, 2018 
Mr. CRAMER 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 that 
an eligible telecommunications carrier may use high cost 
universal service support to aid in the restoration of 
telecommunications capabilities in an area in which the 
President has declared a major disaster or emergency 
and may elect to receive an advance payment of such 
support. 
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 ‘‘Restoring Economic 
Strength and Telecommunications Operations by Releas-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:39 Jan 20, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4832.IH
H4832
SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
ing Expected Dollars Act of 2018’’ or the ‘‘RESTORED 
Act of 2018’’. 
SEC. 2. USE OF HIGH COST UNIVERSAL SERVICE SUPPORT 
FOLLOWING 
PRESIDENTIALLY 
DECLARED 
MAJOR DISASTERS OR EMERGENCIES. 
Section 254 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
U.S.C. 254) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(m) USE OF HIGH COST UNIVERSAL SERVICE SUP-
PORT FOLLOWING PRESIDENTIALLY DECLARED MAJOR 
DISASTERS OR EMERGENCIES.— 
‘‘(1) USE
OF
SUPPORT.—A covered tele-
communications carrier may use high cost support 
received with respect to a covered area to aid in the 
restoration of telecommunications capabilities in 
such area if such carrier— 
‘‘(A) repairs its network as rapidly and 
widely as possible to restore service; and 
‘‘(B) uses such support for such restora-
tion only in a covered area that is substantially 
unserved by facilities-based providers of resi-
dential fixed voice and broadband service that 
do not receive high cost support. 
‘‘(2) ADVANCE PAYMENTS.— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:39 Jan 20, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4832.IH
H4832
SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
‘‘(A) COVERED AREA.—The term ‘covered 
area’ means an area with respect to which the 
President has declared a major disaster or 
emergency under the Robert T. Stafford Dis-
aster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
U.S.C. 5121 et seq.). 
‘‘(B) 
COVERED
TELECOMMUNICATIONS 
CARRIER.—The term ‘covered telecommuni-
cations carrier’ means an eligible telecommuni-
cations carrier designated under section 214(e) 
that receives high cost support with respect to 
a covered area. 
‘‘(C) HIGH
COST
SUPPORT.—The term 
‘high cost support’ means universal service sup-
port for high cost areas under subpart D of 
part 54 of title 47, Code of Federal Regula-
tions.’’. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:39 Jan 20, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H4832.IH
H4832
SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS