Rural America Communication Expansion for the Future Act of 2008

Bill: 110-hr-5682
Sponsor: Rep. Allen, Thomas H. [D-ME-1]
Introduced: 2008-04-02 in the House
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Bonds
Broadband
Commerce
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Cooperative societies
Distance education
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Educational television
Elementary and secondary education
Emergency Management
Emergency communication systems
Federally-guaranteed loans
Finance and Financial Sector
Government Operations and Politics
Government lending
Grants-in-aid
Health
Higher education
Housing and Community Development
Income tax
Information networks
Policy sciences
Rural economic development
Rural health
Tax credits
Tax deductions
Taxation
Telecommunication industry
Telemedicine
Telephone
Television broadcasting
Television stations
Unrelated business income tax

Summary:
action_date: 2008-04-02
text: 
Rural America Communication Expansion for the Future Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit taxpayers in rural or underserved areas to elect to expense broadband expenditures, including installation and connection costs.
 
Permits mutual or cooperative telephone companies to reduce their unrelated business taxable income in any year by the amount of their broadband expenditures. 
 
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to designate census tracts identifying rural and underserved areas. Prohibits federal or state agencies from adopting regulations and ratemaking procedures that would eliminate or reduce the broadband expense deduction provided by this Act. 
 
Allows a business-related tax credit for providing broadband services to rural or underserved subscribers through the radio transmission of energy. 
 
Amends the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act to establish a grant to a local government with at least one rural or underserved area to establish publicly available broadband networks.
 
Extends funding for: (1) public safety communications interoperability; (2) 911 access; and (3) telehealth programs. 
 
Revises provisions relating to rural area loans and loan guarantees regarding access to broadband telecommunications services, including revising the definition of &quot;eligible rural community.&quot;
 
Requires designation of a National Center for Rural Telecommunications Assessment.
 
Establishes the Community Connect Grant Program to provide broadband service that fosters economic growth and delivers enhanced educational, health care, and public safety services.
 
Amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990 to authorize grants to noncommercial education television broadcast stations that serve rural areas to enhance digital services.
 
Extends the termination date of the authority to guarantee bonds or notes for electrification or telephone purposes.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-11-19
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Specialty Crops, Rural Development, and Foreign Agriculture.
action_date: 2008-04-02
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet.
action_date: 2008-04-02
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2008-04-02
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2008-04-02
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2008-04-02
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2008-04-02
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2008-04-02
text: Introduced in House