Title: RURAL Broadband Act of 2018
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Reprioritizing Unserved Rural Areas and Locations for Broadband Act of 2018 or the RURAL Broadband Act of 2018
This bill amends the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to allow financial assistance provided by the Rural Utilities Service for the deployment of broadband-capable infrastructure by a service provider to be used to provide retail fixed broadband service in an area where there is no qualifying broadband-capable infrastructure owned or operated by another service provider. The term "qualifying broadband-capable infrastructure" means fixed broadband-capable infrastructure: (1) used by a service provider to provide fixed broadband service for which the provider receives universal service support funds, and (2) was financed with funds from the Department of Agriculture.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2970 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2970

To amend the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to provide requirements 
   on the use of assistance for broadband deployment, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 24, 2018

 Mr. Daines (for himself and Mr. Leahy) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, 
                        Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to provide requirements 
   on the use of assistance for broadband deployment, and for other 
                               purposes.

    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 ``Reprioritizing Unserved Rural Areas 
and Locations for Broadband Act of 2018'' or the ``RURAL Broadband Act 
of 2018''.

SEC. 2. USE OF ASSISTANCE FOR DEPLOYMENT OF BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE.

    Title VI of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 604. USE OF ASSISTANCE FOR DEPLOYMENT OF BROADBAND 
              INFRASTRUCTURE.

    ``(a) Definition of Qualifying Broadband-Capable Infrastructure.--
In this section, the term `qualifying broadband-capable infrastructure' 
means fixed broadband-capable infrastructure--
            ``(1) used by a service provider to provide fixed broadband 
        service for which the service provider receives universal 
        service support under section 254 of the Communications Act of 
        1934 (47 U.S.C. 254), if--
                    ``(A) the broadband service satisfies any 
                applicable broadband speed standards under that section 
                and the regulations issued under that section; or
                    ``(B) the service provider is in compliance with 
                buildout obligations to provide retail fixed broadband 
                service that will comply with applicable broadband 
                speed standards described in subparagraph (A); or
            ``(2) that--
                    ``(A) was financed with funds provided by the 
                Secretary under this Act or any other program carried 
                out by the Secretary for the costs of the construction, 
                improvement, or acquisition of facilities or equipment 
                for the purpose of providing fixed telecommunications 
                or broadband service; and
                    ``(B)(i) is used to provide fixed broadband 
                service, if--
                            ``(I) the broadband service satisfies any 
                        applicable broadband speed standards 
                        established by the Secretary; or
                            ``(II) the service provider is in 
                        compliance with buildout obligations to provide 
                        retail fixed broadband service that will comply 
                        with applicable broadband speed standards 
                        described in subclause (I); or
                    ``(ii) was financed with a loan under this Act or 
                any other program carried out by the Secretary that 
                remains outstanding.
    ``(b) Restriction on Use of Assistance.--A loan, grant, or other 
assistance awarded under this Act, or by the rural development mission 
area under the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 
1921 et seq.), may not be used to coordinate, approve, or finance the 
deployment of broadband-capable infrastructure by a service provider to 
provide retail fixed broadband service that would overbuild or 
otherwise duplicate qualifying broadband-capable infrastructure that 
another service provider is using to provide retail fixed broadband 
service in the same area.
    ``(c) Use of Assistance in Unserved Areas.--A loan, grant, or other 
assistance provided by the Secretary, acting through the Administrator 
of the Rural Utilities Service, to coordinate, approve, or finance the 
deployment of broadband-capable infrastructure by a service provider 
may be used to provide retail fixed broadband service in an area in 
which there is no qualifying broadband-capable infrastructure owned or 
operated by another service provider.''.
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