Another piece of legislation making money available for rural broadband, The Broadband Internet Connections for Rural America Act (HR 4374), passed by voice vote Thursday in the U.S. House of Representatives Agriculture Committee.
“It is impossible to overstate how important it is that we get every single resident of rural America connected to high speed and affordable broadband. This connectivity is a lifeline in so many ways for so many people,” said Committee Chairman David Scott (D-GA), in his statement introducing the legislation.
In its current iteration, the bipartisan legislation provides $300,000,000 annually from 2022 to 2030, to expand rural broadband service nationwide by increasing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) expiring loan and grant program, according to press reports.
“I want to make one thing abundantly clear. This committee – the House Agriculture Committee – is taking the lead on this issue. We know what rural America needs and what they’re asking for, and it’s absolutely vital that House Agriculture be the guiding light on this issue,” Scott said.
The legislation establishes the ReConnect Rural Broadband Program, which would fund loans, grants, and loan guarantees for the construction or improvement of internet service in small towns and rural areas that are unserved or underserved. The measure currently gives priority to communities with 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload.
An additional $2.4 billion would be set aside for pilot projects to test various broadband technologies, according to reports.
Earlier this week, Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the Assisting Broadband Connectivity Act, which would streamline the funding process and remove barriers for broadband connectivity in hard-to-serve rural areas.
“This bipartisan bill makes commonsense updates to help areas connect all the pieces from both the state and federal level to get some of these expensive and urgent rural broadband projects done,” Grassley said.
The Assisting Broadband Connectivity Act will make changes to the rural broadband programs at the USDA so areas aren’t automatically ineligible for federal funding because the project previously received state funding. This change will ease administrative burdens for those applying to provide broadband to rural America. However, this won’t change the requirements or due diligence for USDA Rural Utilities Service when they administer these programs, according to Grassley.
“When we invest in broadband infrastructure, we invest in opportunity for all Americans,” Klobuchar said. “In 2021, we should be able to bring high-speed internet to every family in America — regardless of their zip code. This legislation will help bridge the digital divide by ensuring states are able to access the funding they need to provide broadband service in rural and low-income communities.”
This legislation will also provide more flexibility with funding and resources. States will be able to use federal funds, such as COVID aid for broadband, fulfilling their requirement in most applications to match federal dollars. This update will help rural America move forward by providing more coordination and funding availability for broadband projects.
The funding in this measure is separate from the $65 billion in broadband funding proposed in the bipartisan infrastructure package currently being negotiated between Congress and the White House.
By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor
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