U.S. Rep. John Curtis (R-UT) last week unveiled a bipartisan bill that would require congressional direction to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to ensure taxpayer money is properly used to fund broadband deployment in America’s rural areas.
The Rural Broadband Protection Act was introduced by Rep. Curtis and U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster (D-NH) to combat waste fraud and abuse in federal broadband programs.
“Broadband access is critical to our modern-day economy. Unfortunately, some broadband providers make commitments that they cannot deliver on and leave rural Americans without high-speed internet and the taxpayers holding the bag,” Rep. Curtis said on Jan. 12. “The Rural Broadband Protection Act ensures there is a thorough vetting process to crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse in FCC rural broadband programs.”
If enacted, the bill would provide safeguards to the FCC’s high-cost programs by ensuring that funding goes to companies with both a proven track record of success and have demonstrated sound judgment in deploying in hard-to-serve areas, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Curtis’ staff.
“Access to quality, reliable broadband is essential to participating fully in the 21st century,” said Rep. Kuster. “I’m thrilled to introduce bipartisan, bicameral legislation to help prevent government waste by ensuring that federal dollars go to providers that can do the work and deploy broadband networks to the most rural and hard-to-reach communities.”
US Telecom and NTCA —The Rural Broadband Association endorsed the bill, which is companion legislation to the same-named S. 275, introduced in February 2023 by U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).
“Broadband access is critical to the strength of our economy and our communities,” Sen. Capito said. “By verifying that providers can actually deliver on the promises made to bring high-speed internet to specific areas, we can maximize the influx of broadband dollars coming to West Virginia and move closer toward our goal of closing the digital divide in communities of all sizes across our state.”