Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025
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.
Timeline
- Apr 30, 2026Presented to President.
- Apr 30, 2026Presented to President.
- Apr 20, 2026Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Apr 20, 2026On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2977)
- Apr 20, 2026Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2977)
- Apr 20, 2026DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 98.
- Apr 20, 2026Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H2976-2978)
- Apr 20, 2026Mr. Allen moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Jul 3, 2025Held at the desk.
- Jul 3, 2025Received in the House.
- Jun 27, 2025Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Jun 26, 2025Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote. (consideration: CR S3570; text: CR S3570)
- Jun 26, 2025Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
- Apr 28, 2025Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 48.
- Apr 28, 2025Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz without amendment. With written report No. 119-14.
- Apr 28, 2025Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz without amendment. With written report No. 119-14.
- Feb 5, 2025Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- Jan 15, 2025Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Jan 15, 2025Introduced in Senate
Cosponsors
In the News
- Last Week In Congress: How Cascadia’s U.S. lawmakers voted (April 20th-24th) - Northwest Progressive Institute
- How They Voted (Congress) - highlandscurrent.org
- Congress Approves Several Broadband Measures - National Association of REALTORS®
- Lipedema World Alliance Delphi Consensus-Based Position Paper on the Definition and Management of Lipedema: Results from the 2023 Lipedema World Congress in Potsdam - Nature
- Report to Congress on U.S. Capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro - USNI News
- Courts and Congress Say IRS Must Approve Civil Tax Penalties in Writing Before They Are Asserted - JD Supra
- Congressional Progressive Caucus endorses the Fair Representation Act - FairVote
- 118th Congress Begins with New Committee Membership on House and Senate Committees That Focus on Affordable Housing, Community Development - Novogradac
- Congress and commerce in the final frontier (part 1) - The Space Review
- The New Vacancies Act: Congress Acts to Protect the Senate's Confirmation Prerogative - Every CRS Report