Both sides have signed this (Bill Ranking)
H.R. 2399 · 119th Congress (2025-2026)
2 members · Left 1 · Center 0 · Right 1 (Bill Ranking)
| Sponsor | Rep. Houchin, Erin (R-IN) (Introduced 03/27/2025) |
|---|---|
| Sponsor Voting Record | Right · DW-NOMINATE +0.62 · measured from every roll-call vote this member has cast (voteview.com) (Sponsor Ranking) |
| Support |
LLLCLRR support across the spectrum: 2 members signed on (Bill Ranking) this bill: sponsor + current cosponsors, each once |
| Committees | House - Energy and Commerce Committee; House - Energy and Commerce Committee; House - Energy and Commerce Committee |
| Latest Action | 04/29/2025 Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 61. |
| Roll Call Votes | There have been no roll call votes |
| Source | view on congress.gov → |
Introduced in House (03/27/2025)
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.
119 HR 2399 EH: Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025 U.S. House of Representatives text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. IB 119th CONGRESS1st Session H. R. 2399
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AN ACT To require the Federal Communications Commission to establish a vetting process for prospective applicants for high-cost universal service program funding.
1.Short titleThis Act may be cited as the Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025.
2.Vetting process for prospective high-cost universal service fund applicantsSection 254 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254) is amended by adding at the end the following: (m)Vetting of high-Cost fund recipients (1)DefinitionsIn this subsection— (A)the term covered funding means any new offer of high-cost universal service program funding, including funding provided through a reverse competitive bidding mechanism provided under this section, for the deployment of a broadband-capable network and the provision of supported services over the network; and (B)the term new covered funding award means an award of covered funding that is made based on an application submitted to the Commission on or after the date on which rules are promulgated under paragraph (2). (2)Commission rulemakingNot later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Commission shall initiate a rulemaking proceeding to establish a vetting process for applicants for, and other recipients of, a new covered funding award. (3)Contents (A)In generalIn promulgating rules under paragraph (2), the Commission shall provide that, consistent with principles of technology neutrality, the Commission will only award covered funding to applicants that can demonstrate that they meet the qualifications in subparagraph (B). (B)Qualifications describedAn applicant for a new covered funding award shall include in the initial application a proposal containing sufficient detail and documentation for the Commission to ascertain that the applicant possesses the technical, financial, and operational capabilities, and has a reasonable business plan, to deploy the proposed network and deliver services with the relevant performance characteristics and requirements defined by the Commission and as pledged by the applicant. (C)Evaluation of proposalThe Commission shall evaluate a proposal described in subparagraph (B) against— (i)reasonable and well-established technical, financial, and operational standards, including the technical standards adopted by the Commission in orders of the Commission relating to Establishing the Digital Opportunity Data Collection (WC Docket No. 19–195) (or orders of the Commission relating to modernizing any successor collection) for purposes of entities that must report broadband availability coverage; and (ii)the applicant’s history of complying with requirements in the Commission and other government broadband deployment funding programs. (D)Penalties for pre-authorization defaultsIn adopting rules for any new covered funding award, the Commission shall set a penalty for pre-authorization defaults of at least $9,000 per violation and may not limit the base forfeiture to an amount less than 30 percent of the applicant’s total support, unless the Commission demonstrates the need for lower penalties in a particular instance.. Passed the House of Representatives April 28, 2025.Kevin F. McCumber,Clerk.
119 HR 2399 IH: Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025 U.S. House of Representatives 2025-03-27 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. I119th CONGRESS1st SessionH. R. 2399IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESMarch 27, 2025Mrs. Houchin (for herself and Ms. Kelly of Illinois) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and CommerceA BILLTo require the Federal Communications Commission to establish a vetting process for prospective applicants for high-cost universal service program funding.1.Short titleThis Act may be cited as the Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025.2.Vetting process for prospective high-cost universal service fund applicantsSection 254 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254) is amended by adding at the end the following:(m)Vetting of high-Cost fund recipients(1)DefinitionsIn this subsection—(A)the term covered funding means any new offer of high-cost universal service program funding, including funding provided through a reverse competitive bidding mechanism provided under this section, for the deployment of a broadband-capable network and the provision of supported services over the network; and(B)the term new covered funding award means an award of covered funding that is made based on an application submitted to the Commission on or after the date on which rules are promulgated under paragraph (2).(2)Commission rulemakingNot later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Commission shall initiate a rulemaking proceeding to establish a vetting process for applicants for, and other recipients of, a new covered funding award.(3)Contents(A)In generalIn promulgating rules under paragraph (2), the Commission shall provide that, consistent with principles of technology neutrality, the Commission will only award covered funding to applicants that can demonstrate that they meet the qualifications in subparagraph (B).(B)Qualifications describedAn applicant for a new covered funding award shall include in the initial application a proposal containing sufficient detail and documentation for the Commission to ascertain that the applicant possesses the technical, financial, and operational capabilities, and has a reasonable business plan, to deploy the proposed network and deliver services with the relevant performance characteristics and requirements defined by the Commission and as pledged by the applicant.(C)Evaluation of proposalThe Commission shall evaluate a proposal described in subparagraph (B) against— (i)reasonable and well-established technical, financial, and operational standards, including the technical standards adopted by the Commission in orders of the Commission relating to Establishing the Digital Opportunity Data Collection (WC Docket No. 19–195) (or orders of the Commission relating to modernizing any successor collection) for purposes of entities that must report broadband availability coverage; and(ii)the applicant’s history of complying with requirements in the Commission and other government broadband deployment funding programs.(D)Penalties for pre-authorization defaultsIn adopting rules for any new covered funding award, the Commission shall set a penalty for pre-authorization defaults of at least $9,000 per violation and may not limit the base forfeiture to an amount less than 30 percent of the applicant’s total support, unless the Commission demonstrates the need for lower penalties in a particular instance..
119 HR 2399 PCS: Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025 U.S. House of Representatives 2025-04-29 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. IICalendar No. 61119th CONGRESS1st SessionH. R. 2399IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATESApril 29, 2025Received; read twice and placed on the calendarAN ACTTo require the Federal Communications Commission to establish a vetting process for prospective applicants for high-cost universal service program funding.1.Short titleThis Act may be cited as the Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025.2.Vetting process for prospective high-cost universal service fund applicantsSection 254 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254) is amended by adding at the end the following:(m)Vetting of high-Cost fund recipients(1)DefinitionsIn this subsection—(A)the term covered funding means any new offer of high-cost universal service program funding, including funding provided through a reverse competitive bidding mechanism provided under this section, for the deployment of a broadband-capable network and the provision of supported services over the network; and(B)the term new covered funding award means an award of covered funding that is made based on an application submitted to the Commission on or after the date on which rules are promulgated under paragraph (2).(2)Commission rulemakingNot later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Commission shall initiate a rulemaking proceeding to establish a vetting process for applicants for, and other recipients of, a new covered funding award.(3)Contents(A)In generalIn promulgating rules under paragraph (2), the Commission shall provide that, consistent with principles of technology neutrality, the Commission will only award covered funding to applicants that can demonstrate that they meet the qualifications in subparagraph (B).(B)Qualifications describedAn applicant for a new covered funding award shall include in the initial application a proposal containing sufficient detail and documentation for the Commission to ascertain that the applicant possesses the technical, financial, and operational capabilities, and has a reasonable business plan, to deploy the proposed network and deliver services with the relevant performance characteristics and requirements defined by the Commission and as pledged by the applicant.(C)Evaluation of proposalThe Commission shall evaluate a proposal described in subparagraph (B) against— (i)reasonable and well-established technical, financial, and operational standards, including the technical standards adopted by the Commission in orders of the Commission relating to Establishing the Digital Opportunity Data Collection (WC Docket No. 19–195) (or orders of the Commission relating to modernizing any successor collection) for purposes of entities that must report broadband availability coverage; and(ii)the applicant’s history of complying with requirements in the Commission and other government broadband deployment funding programs.(D)Penalties for pre-authorization defaultsIn adopting rules for any new covered funding award, the Commission shall set a penalty for pre-authorization defaults of at least $9,000 per violation and may not limit the base forfeiture to an amount less than 30 percent of the applicant’s total support, unless the Commission demonstrates the need for lower penalties in a particular instance..Passed the House of Representatives April 28, 2025.Kevin F. McCumber,Clerk.April 29, 2025Received; read twice and placed on the calendar
119 HR 2399 RH: Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025 U.S. House of Representatives 2025-04-24 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. IBUnion Calendar No. 55119th CONGRESS1st SessionH. R. 2399[Report No. 119–78]IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESMarch 27, 2025Mrs. Houchin (for herself and Ms. Kelly of Illinois) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and CommerceApril 24, 2025Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printedA BILLTo require the Federal Communications Commission to establish a vetting process for prospective applicants for high-cost universal service program funding.1.Short titleThis Act may be cited as the Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025.2.Vetting process for prospective high-cost universal service fund applicantsSection 254 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254) is amended by adding at the end the following:(m)Vetting of high-Cost fund recipients(1)DefinitionsIn this subsection—(A)the term covered funding means any new offer of high-cost universal service program funding, including funding provided through a reverse competitive bidding mechanism provided under this section, for the deployment of a broadband-capable network and the provision of supported services over the network; and(B)the term new covered funding award means an award of covered funding that is made based on an application submitted to the Commission on or after the date on which rules are promulgated under paragraph (2).(2)Commission rulemakingNot later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Commission shall initiate a rulemaking proceeding to establish a vetting process for applicants for, and other recipients of, a new covered funding award.(3)Contents(A)In generalIn promulgating rules under paragraph (2), the Commission shall provide that, consistent with principles of technology neutrality, the Commission will only award covered funding to applicants that can demonstrate that they meet the qualifications in subparagraph (B).(B)Qualifications describedAn applicant for a new covered funding award shall include in the initial application a proposal containing sufficient detail and documentation for the Commission to ascertain that the applicant possesses the technical, financial, and operational capabilities, and has a reasonable business plan, to deploy the proposed network and deliver services with the relevant performance characteristics and requirements defined by the Commission and as pledged by the applicant.(C)Evaluation of proposalThe Commission shall evaluate a proposal described in subparagraph (B) against— (i)reasonable and well-established technical, financial, and operational standards, including the technical standards adopted by the Commission in orders of the Commission relating to Establishing the Digital Opportunity Data Collection (WC Docket No. 19–195) (or orders of the Commission relating to modernizing any successor collection) for purposes of entities that must report broadband availability coverage; and(ii)the applicant’s history of complying with requirements in the Commission and other government broadband deployment funding programs.(D)Penalties for pre-authorization defaultsIn adopting rules for any new covered funding award, the Commission shall set a penalty for pre-authorization defaults of at least $9,000 per violation and may not limit the base forfeiture to an amount less than 30 percent of the applicant’s total support, unless the Commission demonstrates the need for lower penalties in a particular instance..April 24, 2025Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
The bill's own words, from our database (synced from the GPO BILLS XML); paragraph breaks added at the bill's section boundaries, nothing else changed.
| Date | Chamber | All Actions |
|---|---|---|
| 03/27/2025 | Library of Congress | Introduced in House |
| 03/27/2025 | Library of Congress | Introduced in House |
| 03/27/2025 | House floor actions | Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. |
| 04/08/2025 | House committee actions | Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held |
| 04/08/2025 | House committee actions | Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 51 - 1. |
| 04/24/2025 | Library of Congress | Reported by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 119-78. |
| 04/24/2025 | House floor actions | Reported by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 119-78. |
| 04/24/2025 | House floor actions | Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 55. |
| 04/28/2025 | House floor actions | Mr. Bilirakis moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill. |
| 04/28/2025 | House floor actions | Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H1662-1663) |
| 04/28/2025 | House floor actions | DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 2399. |
| 04/28/2025 | Library of Congress | Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H1662-1663) |
| 04/28/2025 | House floor actions | On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H1662-1663) |
| 04/28/2025 | House floor actions | Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection. |
| 04/29/2025 | Senate | Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 61. |
| Title Type | Title |
|---|---|
| Official Titles from EH (Engrossed in House) bill text | To require the Federal Communications Commission to establish a vetting process for prospective applicants for high-cost universal service program funding. |
| Short Title(s) from PCS (Placed on Senate Calendar) bill text | Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025 |
| Short Title(s) as Passed House | Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025 |
| Short Title(s) as Reported to House | Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025 |
| Display Title | Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025 |
| Short Title(s) as Introduced | Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025 |
| Official Title as Introduced | To require the Federal Communications Commission to establish a vetting process for prospective applicants for high-cost universal service program funding. |
There are no amendments to this bill.
* = Original cosponsor
| Committee | Activity |
|---|---|
| House - Energy and Commerce Committee | 04/24/2025 Reported By |
| House - Energy and Commerce Committee | 04/08/2025 Markup By |
| House - Energy and Commerce Committee | 03/27/2025 Referred To |
Policy Area: Science, Technology, Communications
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