Title: RESTORED Act of 2018
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Restoring Economic Strength and Telecommunications Operations by Releasing Expected Dollars Act of 2018 or the RESTORED Act of 2018
This bill amends the Communications Act of 1934 to allow a telecommunications carrier to use funds provided from the Universal Service High Cost program to aid in the restoration of telecommunications capabilities after a presidentially declared major disaster or emergency if the carrier repairs its network as quickly and widely as possible to restore service, and uses such funds only in an area that is substantially unserved by facilities-based providers of residential fixed voice and broadband service that do not receive high cost support funds.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4832 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4832

  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.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    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 Representatives 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 Releasing 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 following:
    ``(m) Use of High Cost Universal Service Support Following 
Presidentially Declared Major Disasters or Emergencies.--
            ``(1) Use of support.--A covered telecommunications 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 restoration only 
                in a covered area that is substantially unserved by 
                facilities-based providers of residential fixed voice 
                and broadband service that do not receive high cost 
                support.
            ``(2) Advance payments.--
                    ``(A) In general.--If a covered telecommunications 
                carrier makes an election described in subparagraph (B) 
                with respect to a covered area, the Commission shall 
                provide to such carrier in the form of a single advance 
                payment the high cost support that, in the absence of 
                such election, such carrier would have received with 
                respect to such area over the number of months 
                specified in such election.
                    ``(B) Election.--The election described in this 
                subparagraph is an election--
                            ``(i) by a covered telecommunications 
                        carrier to receive high cost support with 
                        respect to a covered area for a number of 
                        months specified in the election (not to exceed 
                        7 months) in the form of a single advance 
                        payment; and
                            ``(ii) that is made not later than 30 days 
                        after the President has declared a major 
                        disaster or emergency under the Robert T. 
                        Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
                        Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) with 
                        respect to such area.
            ``(3) Definitions.--
                    ``(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 Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
                Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.).
                    ``(B) Covered telecommunications carrier.--The term 
                `covered telecommunications carrier' means an eligible 
                telecommunications 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 support for high cost 
                areas under subpart D of part 54 of title 47, Code of 
                Federal Regulations.''.
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