Prioritizing Rural Broadband Affordability Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8147 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8147

 To require service affordability to be considered in awarding grants 
   under rural broadband programs administered by the Department of 
                              Agriculture.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 27, 2026

  Mrs. McClain Delaney (for herself and Mr. Bresnahan) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and 
in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
 To require service affordability to be considered in awarding grants 
   under rural broadband programs administered by the Department of 
                              Agriculture.

    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 ``Prioritizing Rural Broadband 
Affordability Act''.

SEC. 2. AFFORDABILITY.

    Section 601 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 
950bb) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (c)(2), by adding at the end the 
        following:
                    ``(C) Affordability.--In determining whether a 
                household is unserved for purposes of this section, the 
                Secretary shall consider the affordability of broadband 
                service.''; and
            (2) in subsection (d)(2), by striking subparagraph (C) and 
        inserting the following:
                    ``(C) Affordability.--In determining whether a 
                proposed service territory is unserved for purposes of 
                subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall consider the 
                affordability of broadband service in the service 
                territory.''.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by this Act shall take effect on the date that 
is 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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