I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1721 
To amend the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 to authorize additional 
funds for the Emergency Broadband Connectivity Fund, to provide 
grants to States and Tribal Entities to strengthen the National Lifeline 
Eligibility Verifier, to provide for Federal coordination between the Na-
tional Lifeline Eligibility Verifier and the National Accuracy Clearing-
house, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 9, 2021 
Mr. VEASEY (for himself and Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, 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 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 to 
authorize additional funds for the Emergency Broadband 
Connectivity Fund, to provide grants to States and Trib-
al Entities to strengthen the National Lifeline Eligibility 
Verifier, to provide for Federal coordination between the 
National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier and the National 
Accuracy Clearinghouse, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. AUTHORIZATION FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR 
THE 
EMERGENCY 
BROADBAND 
CONNECTIVITY FUND. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Emer-
gency Broadband Connectivity Fund established under 
subsection (i) of section 904 of title IX of division N of 
the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 
116–260) $6,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2022 for the pur-
poses described in paragraph (3) of such subsection, and 
such amount is authorized to remain available until fiscal 
year 2026. 
SEC. 2. GRANTS TO STATES TO STRENGTHEN NATIONAL 
LIFELINE ELIGIBILITY VERIFIER. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 45 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Commission shall 
establish a program to provide a grant, from amounts ap-
propriated under subsection (d), to each eligible entity for 
the purpose described under subsection (b). 
(b) PURPOSE.—The Commission shall make a grant 
to each eligible entity for the purpose of establishing or 
amending a connection between the databases of such en-
tity that contain information concerning the receipt by a 
household, or a member of a household, of benefits under 
a program administered by such entity (including any ben-
efit provided under the supplemental nutrition assistance 
program under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 
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U.S.C. 2011 et seq.)) and the National Lifeline Eligibility 
Verifier so that the receipt by a household, or a member 
of a household, of benefits under such benefits program— 
(1) is reflected in the National Lifeline Eligi-
bility Verifier; and 
(2) can be used to verify eligibility for— 
(A) the Lifeline program established under 
subpart E, part 54, of title 47, Code of Federal 
Regulations (or any successor regulation); and 
(B) the Emergency Broadband Benefit 
Program established under section 904(b) of 
title IX of division N of the Consolidated Ap-
propriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116–260). 
(c) DISBURSEMENT OF GRANT FUNDS.—Not later 
than 60 days after the program established under sub-
section (a) is established, funds provided under each grant 
made under such subsection shall be disbursed to the enti-
ty receiving such grant. 
(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATION.—There are 
authorized to be appropriated $200,000,000 for fiscal year 
2022 for the purposes of carrying out this section, and 
such amount is authorized to remain available until fiscal 
year 2026. 
(e) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—In this section, the term 
‘‘eligible entity’’ means an entity that— 
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(1) is a State or Tribal entity; and 
(2) not later than 30 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, submits to the Commission 
an application containing such information as the 
Commission may require. 
SEC. 3. FEDERAL COORDINATION BETWEEN NATIONAL ELI-
GIBILITY VERIFIER AND NATIONAL ACCU-
RACY CLEARINGHOUSE. 
Notwithstanding section 11(x)(2)(C)(i) of the Food 
and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2020(x)(2)(C)(i)), 
not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Commission shall, in coordination with the 
Secretary of Agriculture, establish an automated connec-
tion, to the maximum extent practicable, between the Na-
tional Lifeline Eligibility Verifier and the National Accu-
racy Clearinghouse established under section 11(x) of the 
Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2020(x)) for 
the supplemental nutrition assistance program. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) 
AUTOMATED
CONNECTION.—The 
term 
‘‘automated connection’’ means a connection be-
tween two or more information systems where the 
manual input of information in one system leads to 
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the automatic input of the same information into 
any other connected system. 
(2) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 
means the Federal Communications Commission. 
(3) 
NATIONAL
LIFELINE
ELIGIBILITY 
VERIFIER.—The term ‘‘National Lifeline Eligibility 
Verifier’’ has the meaning given such term in section 
54.400 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations (or 
any successor regulation). 
(4) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ has the mean-
ing given such term in section 3 of the Communica-
tions Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 153). 
(5) TRIBAL ENTITY.—The term ‘‘Tribal entity’’ 
means any of the following: 
(A) The governing body of any Indian or 
Alaska Native Tribe, band, nation, pueblo, vil-
lage, community, component band, or compo-
nent reservation, individually recognized (in-
cluding parenthetically) in the list published 
most recently as of the date of enactment of 
this Act pursuant to section 104 of the Feder-
ally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 
(25 U.S.C. 5131). 
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