Community Connect Grant Program Act of 2023

Bill: 118-s-1611
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN]
Introduced: 2023-05-16
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Latest action: action_date: 2023-05-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-05-16
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Community Connect Grant Program Act of 2023</b></p> <p>This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 and otherwise modifies the Community Connect Program, which provides grants for high-speed broadband service in rural, economically challenged communities without such service.</p> <p>In particular, the bill establishes statutory minimum broadband speeds that must be provided under the grants. (Currently, minimum speeds are defined by the Federal Communications Commission.)</p> <p>Further, the bill specifies that grant funds may not be used to duplicate a service that will be provided in the future pursuant to an enforceable commitment under another broadband funding program. (Currently, grant funds may not be used to duplicate an existing service.)</p> <p>The bill also makes more areas eligible for grant-funded projects by increasing the broadband service capacity that is considered inadequate.</p>

tv_txt: II 118th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1611 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 16, 2023 Ms. Smith 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 reauthorize the Community Connect Grant Program, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Community Connect Grant Program Act of 2023 . 2. Community Connect Grant Program Section 604 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 ( 7 U.S.C. 950bb–3 ) is amended— (1) in subsection (a)— (A) in paragraph (1), by striking less than the and all that follows through the period at the end and inserting the following: “less than— (A) a 100-Mbps downstream transmission capacity; and (B) a 20-Mbps upstream transmission capacity. ; and (B) in paragraph (2)— (i) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking an area and inserting a rural area ; (ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking 10-Mbps and inserting 25-Mbps ; and (iii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 1-Mbps and inserting 3-Mbps ; (2) in subsection (d)(2)(A), by striking area; or and inserting area (including any eligible broadband service that will be provided in the future in the eligible service area pursuant to enforceable commitments for network deployment applicable under another broadband funding program); or ; and (3) in subsection (g), by striking 2023 and inserting 2028 .