S. 4201 · 116th Congress
A bill to direct the Federal Communications Commission to take certain actions to accelerate the Rural…
Full title
A bill to direct the Federal Communications Commission to take certain actions to accelerate the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction, and for other purposes.
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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 116th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
R
PortmanSponsor6 cosponsors · 4 D, 2 R
4 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to take specified actions to expedite the provision of broadband internet access service in unserved rural areas.
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in Senate · Jul 2, 2020
This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to take specified actions to expedite the provision of broadband internet access service in unserved rural areas.
Specifically, the FCC must modify the framework for the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction, which aims to facilitate the provision of broadband service to areas that are wholly unserved. Among other requirements, the FCC (1) must accept long-form applications prior to such auction from applicants that are willing to commit to a specified schedule for deploying broadband internet access service, and (2) shall not require applicants to be designated as eligible telecommunications carriers in order to receive Rural Digital Opportunity Fund support.
In addition, the bill establishes a deadline of October 1, 2020, for the FCC to create broadband maps that depict the extent of availability of broadband service in the United States and the areas that remain unserved.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: A bill to direct the Federal Communications Commission to take certain actions to accelerate the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction, and for other purposes.
Latest action (Jul 2, 2020): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications · Origin: Senate · Introduced: Jul 2, 2020
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.