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1 1 (December 30, 2024)

handle is hein.crs/govervj0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 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 farm bills and in Agriculture appropriations acts. The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 farm bill; P.L. 115-334) amended, reauthorized, and codified many of the rural broadband programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through FY2023. Congress enacted two one-year extensions of the 2018 farm bill that extended it through FY2025 (P.L. 118-22, §102, Division B; P.L. 118-158, §4101, Division D). As a result, authorizations for many of the USDA broadband programs are set to expire on September 30, 2025. Congress provides discretionary funding for USDA broadband programs through annual appropriations acts. The 2018 farm bill provided authorizations of appropriations for many of the USDA broadband programs. Subsequent annual appropriations acts may or may not provide funding. Appropriated levels may be different from authorizations of appropriations. Background According to a 20231 Feden Communications Commission (FCC) repo t, about 19 million or 28% of people living in rural areas in the United States lack broadband access at speeds of at least 100 megabits per second download and 20 megabits per second upload (i.e., 100/20 Mbps). On rural tribal lands, the FCC found that 881,000 or 40% of people lack broadband service. The USDA Rural Utilities Service administers five programs to support broadband deployment in rural areas: * The ( mimnity Connect Grant Pogram, which provides grants to deploy broadband to economically distressed communities and their essential community facilities (7 U.S.C. §950bb-3); * The Distance Learning and Teiemedicine Program, which provides grants to help rural communities acquire the technology and training to connect educational and medical professionals with students, teachers, and patients in rural areas (7 U.S.C. §950aaa-2); * The Reoneti Program, which provides grants, loans, and loan-grant combinations to build and update facilities or equipment needed to provide broadband access to rural areas (P.L. 115-141, §779); * The Rural Broadband Progra , which provides loans and loan guarantees to construct or improve facilities and equipment used to provide broadband access to rural areas (7 U.S.C. §950bb); and Updated December 30, 2024 * The Telecommunications Infrastructure Program, which provides loans and loan guarantees for the construction, maintenance, and expansion of broadband and telephone service in rural areas (7 U.S.C. §935). These programs support broadband deployment in rural areas. Except for the Telecommunications Infrastructure Program and Rural Broadband Program loan guarantees, the USDA broadband programs define rural areas as areas with 20,000 or fewer people and not adjacent or contiguous to a city of more than 50,000 people (7 U.S.C. §950bb(b)(3)(A)). The Telecommunications Infrastructure Program defines rural areas as with 5,000 or fewer people (7 U.S.C. §924(b)). The Rural Broadband Program defines rural areas for loan guarantees as areas with 50,000 or fewer people and not adjacent or contiguous to a city of more than 50,000 people (7 U.S.C. §1991(a)(13)). 2018 Farm i Prov OS Titles VI and XII of the 2018 farm bill include the following rural broadband provisions. Community Connect Grant Program Congress codified the Community Connect Grant Program. Congress authorized appropriations of $50 million annually for the program through FY2024. FY2024 appropriations were $20 million. Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program Congress required USDA to set aside at least 20% of the funding for the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program for telemedicine projects providing substance abuse treatment services through FY2025. Congress authorized appropriations for the program of $82 million annually through FY2024. FY2024 appropriations were $50 million. Rural Broadband Program Congress added a grant component to the Rural Broadband Program, in addition to loans and loan guarantees. To date, Congress has provided funding for loans and loan guarantees but not for grants. Congress directed USDA to prioritize funding for applications for projects that serve rural communities without broadband service to homes of at least 10 megabits per second download and 1 megabit per second upload (10/1 Mbps). Congress also required USDA to prioritize applications for projects that provide broadband service to rural communities with other characteristics, such as those having a population of less than 10,000 permanent residents, experiencing outmigration, or that are isolated from other population centers. Congress authorized appropriations for the program of $350 million annually through FY2024. Congress did

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