The House of Representatives has passed The Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025 (S.98). The bill, which already has passed the Senate, now goes to President Trump for his signature.
The bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to establish a process to vet applications for some funding programs that provide affordable broadband in rural and other high-cost areas, according to a summary of the bill posted at Congress.gov.
The summary says that the FCC is tasked with concluding a rulemaking to develop a vetting process for those seeking funds under high-cost Universal Service programs for deployment of broadband-capable networks and the subsequent provisioning of services over those networks.
Under the Rural Broadband Protection Act, the FCC would require applicants for funding to document the technical, financial, and operational capabilities of applications as well as assess their business plans. These assessments would be conducted within the context of established standards and take into account applicants’ history of compliance with other government broadband funding programs. The FCC would be authorized to award funds to applicants who pass muster with the rules that are established.
The bill also calls for penalties to be set for applicants that default during the evaluation process.
NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association lauded the passage of the Rural Broadband Protection Act.
“NTCA has long maintained that rural Americans deserve high-quality broadband access from providers capable of delivering on the promises they make in taking government funding. Better vetting of providers’ capabilities before they are awarded such funds is good public policy and common sense,” CEO Mike Romano said in a press release.
“Representing community-based providers with a proven track record of performance, NTCA is delighted that the Rural Broadband Protection Act has passed the House and the Senate, and we look forward to seeing it signed into law.”
Romano, who took over leadership of the organization in February, told Telecompetitor that Universal Service continues to be the NTCA’s “north star.”
Congresswoman Erin Houchin (IN-09) sponsored the House bill. Lack of internet access, she said in a statement, “is an issue that has real consequences for education, health care, and precision agriculture. [The Rural Broadband Protection Act] ensures that when Congress sends broadband dollars to states, those dollars actually reach rural areas through proven providers.”
The FCC will be busy. Last week, the FCC said it has begun a review of the Universal Service Fund. Chairman Brendan Carr said that ways will be sought to update every component of the program.
