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 cons…
This bill amends section 701 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to create a broadband technical assistance program.
The Secretary of Agriculture would make grants to private, nonprofit, and public organizations to provide training and technical assistance to eligible rural entities.
Eligible assistance includes grant application support, financing identification, feasibility and environmental studies, management improvement, data collection, and other Secretary-identified needs.
Technocratic, bipartisan-friendly measure with modest fiscal implications; absence of explicit funding reduces immediate implementability and may require inclusion in an appropriations package.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill creates a new USDA grant authority to provide broadband technical assistance in rural areas with reasonably clear purpose, defined allowable assistance activities, and an explicit list of eligible recipients. It establishes selection priority for experienced organizations and allows national or multi-State on-site technical assistance applications.
Liberal emphasizes equity and Tribal/HBCU inclusion benefits
Liberal emphasizes equity and Tribal/HBCU inclusion benefits
Generally supportive because it targets known barriers to rural broadband adoption and includes Tribes and HBCUs.
Concerned about potential private-profit capture and lack of explicit funding, accountability, and community benefit requirements.
Cautiously favorable: pragmatic capacity-building addressing application and planning gaps that slow rural broadband.
Wants clear metrics, coordination with existing programs, and budgetary clarity to limit duplication and waste.
Skeptical of expanded federal grant programs; supports rural broadband goals but worries about increased federal involvement and taxpayer-funded assistance to private entities.
Would prefer market-driven solutions and tighter eligibility limits.
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Still ahead
Still ahead
Still ahead
Technocratic, bipartisan-friendly measure with modest fiscal implications; absence of explicit funding reduces immediate implementability and may require inclusion in an appropriations package.
The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.
Liberal emphasizes equity and Tribal/HBCU inclusion benefits
Technocratic, bipartisan-friendly measure with modest fiscal implications; absence of explicit funding reduces immediate implementability a…
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill creates a new USDA grant authority to provide broadband technical assistance in rural areas with reasonably clear purpose, defined allowable assistance activities, an…
Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.