A bill to require the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to carry out a grant and revolving loan program to provide funding for projects to increase the resiliency and energy efficiency of communications networks, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · December 12, 2024
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
The GREEN Communications Act would establish a $5 billion federal grant and loan program to help communications companies make their networks more energy efficient and resilient to climate change, severe weather, and natural disasters. The program, run by the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration, would support projects such as installing solar panels or wind turbines at communications facilities, relocating infrastructure away from flood-prone areas, hardening networks against extreme weather, and upgrading equipment to reduce energy consumption. The legislation prioritizes funding for projects in low-income communities, rural areas, and communities of color that are most vulnerable to climate impacts. The bill requires participating companies to report on their energy use, outages, and resiliency efforts, and directs the Federal Communications Commission to establish minimum performance standards for network resilience and update outage reporting requirements to include broadband networks. The legislation must be implemented within one year of enactment, with at least 25 percent of funds dedicated to energy efficiency projects and at least 25 percent to resilience projects.
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