Eliminating Barriers to Rural Internet Development Grant Eligibility Act
Bill: S.1695 | Sponsor: Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore (R-WV)
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Eliminating Barriers to Rural Internet Development Grant Eligibility Act or the E-BRIDGE Act
This bill authorizes the Department of Commerce to award economic development grants for public-private partnerships and certain consortiums to carry out specified broadband projects.
Such projects shall be to provide, extend, expand, or improve high-speed broadband service through (1) planning, technical assistance, or training; (2) land acquisition or development; or (3) acquisition, construction, or improvement of facilities.
Title to real or personal property acquired or improved with grant funds, or another acceptable possessory interest, must be vested in a public partner or eligible nonprofit organization or association for the useful life of the project. In addition, grant funds may be combined with amounts made available under any other federal program, and Commerce may provide credit toward the nonfederal share of a broadband project's cost.

To amend the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 to 
       provide for a high-speed broadband deployment initiative.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Eliminating Barriers to Rural 
Internet Development Grant Eligibility Act'' or the ``E-BRIDGE Act''.

SEC. 2. HIGH-SPEED BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT INITIATIVE.

    (a) In General.--Title II of the Public Works and Economic 
Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3141 et seq.) is amended by adding 
at the end the following:

``SEC. 219. HIGH-SPEED BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT INITIATIVE.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Broadband project.--The term `broadband project' 
        means, for the purpose of providing, extending, expanding, or 
        improving high-speed broadband service to further the goals of 
        this Act--
                    ``(A) planning, technical assistance, or training;
                    ``(B) the acquisition or development of land; or
                    ``(C) the acquisition, design and engineering, 
                construction, rehabilitation, alteration, expansion, or 
                improvement of facilities, including related machinery, 
                equipment, contractual rights, and intangible property.
            ``(2) Eligible recipient.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The term `eligible recipient' 
                means an eligible recipient.
                    ``(B) Inclusions.--The term `eligible recipient' 
                includes--
                            ``(i) a public-private partnership; and
                            ``(ii) a consortium formed for the purpose 
                        of providing, extending, expanding, or 
                        improving high-speed broadband service between 
                        1 or more eligible recipients and 1 or more 
                        for-profit organizations.
            ``(3) High-speed broadband.--The term `high-speed 
        broadband' means the provision of 2-way data transmission with 
        sufficient downstream and upstream speeds to end users to 
        permit effective participation in the economy and to support 
        economic growth, as determined by the Secretary.
    ``(b) Broadband Projects.--
            ``(1) In general.--On the application of an eligible 
        recipient, the Secretary may make grants under this title for 
        broadband projects, which shall be subject to the provisions of 
        this section.
            ``(2) Data requested.--In reviewing an application 
        submitted under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall request from 
        the Federal Communications Commission, the Administrator of the 
        National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the 
        Secretary of Agriculture, and the Appalachian Regional 
        Commission data on--
                    ``(A) the level and extent of broadband service 
                that exists in the area proposed to be served; and
                    ``(B) the level and extent of broadband service 
                that will be deployed in the area proposed to be served 
                pursuant to another Federal program.
            ``(3) Interest in real or personal property.--For any 
        broadband project carried out by an eligible recipient that is 
        a public-private partnership or consortium, the Secretary shall 
        require that title to any real or personal property acquired or 
        improved with grant funds, or if the recipient will not acquire 
        title, another possessory interest acceptable to the Secretary, 
        be vested in a public partner or eligible nonprofit 
        organization or association for the useful life of the project, 
        after which title may be transferred to any member of the 
        public-private partnership or consortium in accordance with 
        regulations promulgated by the Secretary.
            ``(4) Procurement.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law, no person or entity shall be disqualified from competing 
        to provide goods or services related to a broadband project on 
        the basis that the person or entity participated in the 
        development of the broadband project or in the drafting of 
        specifications, requirements, statements of work, or similar 
        documents related to the goods or services to be provided.
            ``(5) Broadband project property.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary may permit a 
                recipient of a grant for a broadband project to grant 
                an option to acquire real or personal property 
                (including contractual rights and intangible property) 
                related to that project to a third party on such terms 
                as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, subject 
                to the condition that the option may only be exercised 
                after the Secretary releases the Federal interest in 
                the property.
                    ``(B) Treatment.--The grant or exercise of an 
                option described in subparagraph (A) shall not 
                constitute a redistribution of grant funds under 
                section 217.
    ``(c) Sources of Assistance.--A grant provided under this section 
may be provided from amounts made available to carry out this title in 
combination with amounts made available under any other Federal 
program.
    ``(d) Non-Federal Share.--In determining the amount of the non-
Federal share of the cost of a broadband project, the Secretary may 
provide credit toward the non-Federal share for the present value of 
allowable contributions over the useful life of the broadband project, 
subject to the condition that the Secretary may require such assurances 
of the value of the rights and of the commitment of the rights as the 
Secretary determines to be appropriate.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of 
the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3121 
note; Public Law 89-136) is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section 218 the following:

``Sec. 219. High-speed broadband deployment initiative.''.
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