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1 1 (February 9, 2022)

handle is hein.crs/govefgf0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Servkce Inforrning the legislative debate since 1914 0 February 9, 2022 Farm Bill Primer: Rural Broadband Provisions Since 2002, Congress has included provisions addressing rural broadband (i.e., high-speed internet access) in the rural development title of omnibus farm bills. The provisions amend and reauthorize many of the rural broadband programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This In Focus provides background information on USDA rural broadband programs, an overview of selected provisions in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 farm bill, P.L. 115-334), and issues for Congress as it considers the next farm bill. Background According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), approximately 14.5 million Americans lack access to broadband at speeds of at least 25 megabits per second download and 3 megabits per second upload (i.e., 25/3 Mbps). Of these Americans, 11 million live in rural areas. The lack of broadband is concentrated in certain rural regions in the United States. The USDA Economic Research Service found that broadband is less available in rural counties in the lower Great Plains and Western Mountain states and in rural persistent poverty counties in the Deep South and Southwest. Persistent poverty counties are counties where 20% or more of the population have lived at or below the federal poverty line during four consecutive U.S. measurements dating back to 1980. Federal rural broadband programs help to deploy broadband in rural areas and aim to increase the use of broadband by rural residents. USDA, the FCC, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) administer these programs-only USDA administers broadband programs focused exclusively on rural areas. Most USDA broadband programs define a rural area as any area that is not located within (1) a city, town, or incorporated area that has a population of greater than 20,000 inhabitants or (2) an urbanized area contiguous and adjacent to a city or town that has a population of greater than 50,000 inhabitants (7 C.F.R. §1738.2). USDA administers five rural broadband programs: the ReConnect Program, Rural Broadband Program, Community Connect Grant Program, Telecommunications Infrastructure Program, and Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program. All of the USDA rural broadband programs rely on discretionary funding. See CRS Report R46912, USDA Rural Broadband, Electric, and Water Programs: FY2022 Appropriations to learn more about these programs. 2018 Farm Bill Provisions The rural development title (Title VI) of the 2018 farm bill includes provisions that affect the Rural Broadband Program, Community Connect Grant Program, and Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program. Authorizations of appropriations for these programs expire on September 30, 2023. Selected Rural Broadband Provisions in the 2018 Farm Bill (P.L. 1 15-334, Title VI) Rural Broadband Program added a grant component to the program; for grants, required at least 90% of households in the service area be without sufficient broadband access; for loans, required at least 50% of households in the service area be without sufficient broadband access; and . increased the minimum acceptable level of broadband service from 4/1 Mbps to 25/3 Mbps. Community Connect Grant Program permanently authorized the program. Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program set aside not less than 20% of program funding for telemedicine projects that provide treatment services for substance use disorder. Rural Broadband Progran The Rural Broadband Program provides funds for the cost of construction, improvement, and acquisition of facilities and equipment needed to provide broadband service to rural areas. The 2018 farm bill added a grant component to the Rural Broadband Program, which previously was authorized to offer direct loans and loan guarantees only. To date, Congress has appropriated funding for direct loans and loan guarantees but not for grants. In the 2018 farm bill, Congress raised the authorization of annual appropriations for the program to $350 million for FY2019- FY2023. For grants, the 2018 farm bill required that at least 90% of households within the proposed service area lack broadband access at the minimum acceptable level of broadband service for a rural area. The law increased the minimum acceptable level of broadband service from 4/1 Mbps to 25/3 Mbps. For direct loans, the law required that at least 50% of households in the proposed service area lack broadband access at the minimum acceptable level of broadband service. In addition, the law directed USDA to prioritize Rural Broadband Program applications providing broadband service to rural communities that do not have residential broadband service of at least 10/1 Mbps. The law also prioritized applications for projects providing the maximum ,tps:/crsrepor

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