Broadband Adoption Act of 2015
Latest action · Jun 5, 2015 Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJun 3, 2015
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Broadband Adoption Act of 2015
Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to direct the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to adopt a final rule establishing support under the Universal Service Fund Lifeline Assistance Program for qualifying low-income consumers in urban and rural areas to purchase broadband Internet access service at reduced charges by reimbursing participating providers for each such consumer served.
Requires the program to allow qualifying consumers to elect to apply support from the Lifeline program to basic telephone service, voice telephony service, or broadband Internet access service, regardless of whether the service is purchased as a stand-alone service or in a bundle.
Directs the FCC to consult with the federal-state joint board on universal service regarding ways to encourage states to develop programs in conjunction with the Lifeline program.
Requires the program to be technology neutral to promote competition from service providers.
Requires participating broadband Internet access service providers to obtain FCC authorization to participate in the Lifeline program, but a provider is not required to be an eligible telecommunications carrier to receive support under the program.
Directs the FCC to: (1) adopt regulations to prevent receipt of duplicative support under the Lifeline program, and (2) establish a national database to determine consumer eligibility.
Cosponsors 10
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jun 3, 2015 to May 26, 2016, with 5 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Anna G. Eshoo | Original | Jun 3, 2015 |
| D-NM | Ben Ray Luján | Original | Jun 3, 2015 |
| D-NJ | Frank Pallone, Jr. | Original | Jun 3, 2015 |
| D-PA | Michael F. Doyle | Original | Jun 3, 2015 |
| D-VT | Peter Welch | Original | Jun 3, 2015 |
| D-MA | Joseph P. Kennedy III | Jul 28, 2015 | |
| D-FL | Kathy Castor | Jul 28, 2015 | |
| D-IL | Robin L. Kelly | Dec 17, 2015 | |
| D-CA | Jackie Speier | Mar 21, 2016 | |
| D-TN | Steve Cohen | May 26, 2016 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 5, 2015Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
- Jun 3, 2015Introduced in House
- Jun 3, 2015Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1472 | Broadband Adoption Act of 2015 | Related bill | Jun 1, 2015 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jun 3, 2015Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.