To amend the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to improve access to broadband telecommunications services in rural areas, including by encouraging the provision of broadband loans and grants to increase broadband service in rural ports, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · August 21, 2023
Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development.
The Broadband Internet for Small Ports Act amends the Rural Electrification Act to expand broadband funding to small ports in rural areas. The bill directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture to give equal priority to broadband projects serving rural ports alongside existing rural broadband initiatives, and it increases grant funding from 50 percent to up to 75 percent of project costs for projects serving particularly underserved communities. The legislation also establishes new requirements for applicants to provide precise location data on broadband infrastructure within 30 days of project completion and streamlines the environmental review process by allowing the government to obligate funds before completing certain reviews. The bill affects rural port communities, broadband providers, and agricultural areas by prioritizing broadband deployment in these underserved regions, though it does not specify new funding amounts or timelines beyond the existing loan and grant programs under the Rural Electrification Act.
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