U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, applauded the unanimous Senate passage of her Rural Broadband Protection Act. The legislation now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Rural Broadband Protection Act would require a more thorough vetting and verification process for internet service providers seeking to participate in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) high-cost programs. Additionally, this bill would provide essential safeguards to the Universal Service Fund’s High Cost program by ensuring that funding goes to companies with both a proven track record of success and those that have demonstrated sound judgment in deploying in hard-to-serve areas.

“West Virginians keep their word, and it’s time internet service providers do the same,” Senator Capito said. “This legislation expands on my previous broadband efforts, and is a product of many discussions I’ve had with small rural service providers and local leaders in West Virginia. These discussions made it abundantly clear the FCC needs congressional direction to ensure taxpayer money is being used properly to fund broadband deployment in rural areas. 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 toward our goal of closing the digital divide in communities of all sizes across our state. I encourage my House colleagues to pass this important legislation quickly.”

BACKGROUND:

The FCC’s High Cost program provides funding to telecom carriers to provide service in rural areas where the market alone cannot support the substantial cost of deploying network infrastructure and provide connectivity. Historically, it has subsidized voice service to ensure that rates in rural and urban areas are reasonably comparable. But with a series of reform orders that began in 2011, the FCC is modernizing the High Cost program to support broadband to ensure that all people in America – no matter where they live – have access to robust, affordable connectivity to fully participate in today’s society.

This modernized program is called the Connect America Fund, and it consists of a series of new funds that rely on incentive-based models and competitive bidding to award carriers a set amount of support to build out broadband to a defined number of locations in unserved and underserved areas.

For bill text, click here.

For a one-pager on the legislation, click here.