Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025
Latest action · May 11, 2026 Became Public Law No: 119-89.
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.
- IntroducedJan 15, 2025
- Passed SenateJun 26, 2025
- Passed HouseApr 20, 2026
- To the PresidentApr 30, 2026
- Became lawMay 11, 2026Public Law 119-89
Summary
Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025
This act requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to vet the qualifications of applicants for certain funding programs that support affordable broadband deployment in high-cost areas (e.g., rural communities).
Specifically, the FCC must develop a vetting process for applicants seeking funding under high-cost universal service programs for the deployment of a broadband-capable network and the provision of supported services over the network. The FCC must require applicants to submit a proposal that contains sufficient detail and documentation for the FCC to ascertain that the applicant possesses the technical, financial, and operational capabilities related to the proposed deployment and has a reasonable business plan. The FCC must evaluate applications against reasonable and well-established standards and must consider each applicant’s history of compliance with the requirements of other government broadband funding programs.
The FCC must establish this vetting process through a rulemaking proceeding. After the rule is finalized, funds may only be awarded to applicants that satisfy the standards established therein.
Finally, the FCC must set financial penalties for applicants that default in some manner during the evaluation process before they are authorized to begin receiving support.
Cosponsors 4
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 15, 2025 to Dec 16, 2025; 2 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MN | Amy Klobuchar | Original | Jan 15, 2025 |
| R-UT | John R. Curtis | Original | Jan 15, 2025 |
| D-MI | Gary C. Peters | Mar 11, 2025 | |
| D-GA | Raphael G. Warnock | Dec 16, 2025 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee | Referred Jan 15, 2025Markup Feb 5, 2025Reported Apr 28, 2025 |
Actions 17
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 11, 2026Signed by President.
- May 11, 2026Became Public Law No: 119-89.
- Apr 30, 2026Presented to President.
- Apr 20, 2026Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H2976-2978)
- Apr 20, 2026Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2977)
- Apr 20, 2026Mr. Allen moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Apr 20, 2026DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 98.
- Apr 20, 2026Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Jul 3, 2025Received in the House.
- Jul 3, 2025Held at the desk.
- Jun 27, 2025Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Jun 26, 2025Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote. (consideration: CR S3570; text: CR S3570)
- Apr 28, 2025Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz without amendment. With written report No. 119-14.
- Apr 28, 2025Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 48.
- Feb 5, 2025Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- Jan 15, 2025Introduced in Senate
- Jan 15, 2025Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
In the Congressional Record 2
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H2976–H2978Text printed H2977 | Erin Houchin R-IN, Jennifer L. McClellan D-VA, Rick W. Allen R-GA | Apr 20, 2026 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S3570Text printed S3570 | Jon Husted R-OH | Jun 26, 2025 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
- Mar 10, 2025S. 98, Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on February 5, 2025
CRS reports 2
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 2
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| IF13283 | The Universal Service Fund’s Lifeline Program and High Cost Program: Current Regulatory Activity | Resource | Aug 6, 2026 |
| R47621 | The Universal Service Fund and Related FCC Broadband Programs: Overview and Considerations for Congress | Report | Jan 21, 2026 |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 1768 | Lower Costs for Everyday Americans Act | Related bill | Mar 3, 2025 |
| HR 2399 | Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025 | Identical bill | Apr 29, 2025 |
Titles 6
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Title
- Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to require the Federal Communications Commission to establish a vetting process for prospective applicants for high-cost universal service program funding.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025
- Short Title(s) as Reported to Senate
- Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025
- Short Title(s) as Passed Senate
- Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025
- Short Titles from ENR (Enrolled) bill text
- Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications.
Text 4
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- —Enrolled Bill
- Jun 26, 2025Engrossed in Senate
- Apr 28, 2025Reported to Senate
- Jan 15, 2025Introduced in Senate
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; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
