The U.S. Senate on Sept. 25 unanimously passed U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito’s (R-WV) bipartisan Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2024, which now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration.

If enacted, S. 275 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, according to a bill summary provided by the senator’s staff, thereby improving accountability and transparency in the process.

“West Virginians keep their word, and it’s time internet service providers do the same,” 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 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,” she added.

S. 275 also would provide 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, the summary says.

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. 

However, 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 affordable connectivity, states the summary.

S. 275 would require the FCC to establish a process to vet applicants for certain funding that supports affordable broadband deployment in high-cost areas, including rural communities, among other provisions.

“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,” said Sen. Capito. “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.”

Sen. Capito sponsored S. 275 in February 2023 alongside lead original cosponsor U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).