Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025
Sponsor
Full profile: /officials/H001093
Source: Congress.gov · FEC
Cosponsors (1)
Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.
Latest Action
The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →
Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 61.
2025-04-29
Source: Congress.gov
Committee Activity
Currently in
- House Committee on Energy and CommerceReported By · 2025-04-24
Previously
- Energy and Commerce CommitteeReported By · 2025-04-24
- Energy and Commerce CommitteeMarkup By · 2025-04-08
- House Committee on Energy and CommerceMarkup By · 2025-04-08
- Energy and Commerce CommitteeReferred To · 2025-03-27
- House Committee on Energy and CommerceReferred To · 2025-03-27
Plain-English Summary
Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025 This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to establish a process to vet applicants for certain funding programs that support affordable broadband deployment in high-cost areas, including rural communities. Specifically, the FCC must conduct a rulemaking to develop a vetting process for applicants seeking funding under high-cost universal service programs for the deployment of a broadband-capable network and the provision of supported services over the network. The FCC must require applications for such funding to document each applicant’s technical, financial, and operational capabilities related to the proposed deployment, as well as a reasonable business plan. The FCC must evaluate applications against reasonable and well-established standards and must consider each applicant’s history of compliance with the requirements of other government broadband funding programs. After the rulemaking is finalized, funds may only be awarded to applicants that satisfy the standards established therein. Finally, the FCC must set financial penalties for applicants that default in some manner during the evaluation process before they are authorized to begin receiving support.
Plain-English rewrite of the Congressional Research Service summary published on Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed.
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