S.Amdt. 2279

1. Strikes section 6104

   Strikes

   In S. 3240 · Placed on Calendar Senate

   Struck: SEC. 6104. ACCESS TO BROADBAND TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES IN RURAL AREAS.

   Struck: Section 601 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb) is amended--

   Struck: (1) in subsection (a), by striking "loans and" and inserting "grants, loans, and";

   Struck: (2) in subsection (b), by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the following:

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   Struck: "(3) Rural area.--The term 'rural area' means any area described in section 3002 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act.";

   Struck: (3) in subsection (c)--

   Struck: (A) in the subsection heading, by striking "Loans and" and inserting "Grants, Loans, and";

   Struck: (B) in paragraph (1), by inserting "make grants and" after "Secretary shall";

   Struck: (C) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following:

   Struck: "(2) Priority.--

   Struck: "(A) In general.--In making grants or guaranteeing loans under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give the highest priority to applicants that offer to provide broadband service to the greatest proportion of households that, prior to the provision of the broadband service, had no incumbent service provider.

   Struck: "(B) Other.--After giving priority to the applicants described in subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall then give priority to projects that serve rural communities--

   Struck: "(i) with a population of less than 20,000 permanent residents;

   Struck: "(ii) experiencing outmigration;

   Struck: "(iii) with a high percentage of low- income residents; and

   Struck: "(iv) that are isolated from other significant population centers."; and

   Struck: (D) by adding at the end the following:

   Struck: "(3) Grant amounts.--

   Struck: "(A) Eligibility.--To be eligible for a grant under this section, the project that is the subject of the grant shall be carried out in a rural area.

   Struck: "(B) Maximum.--Except as provided in subparagraph (D), the amount of any grant made under this section shall not exceed 50 percent of the development costs of the project for which the grant is provided.

   Struck: "(C) Grant rate.--The Secretary shall establish the grant rate for each project in accordance with regulations issued by the Secretary that shall provide for a graduated scale of grant rates that establish higher rates for projects in communities that have--

   Struck: "(i) remote locations;

   Struck: "(ii) low community populations;

   Struck: "(iii) low income levels; and

   Struck: "(iv) developed the applications of the communities with the participation of combinations of stakeholders, including--

   Struck: "(I) State, local, and tribal governments;

   Struck: "(II) nonprofit institutions;

   Struck: "(III) institutions of higher education;

   Struck: "(IV) private entities; and

   Struck: "(V) philanthropic organizations.

   Struck: "(D) Secretarial authority to adjust.--The Secretary may make grants of up to 75 percent of the development costs of the project for which the grant is provided to an eligible entity if the Secretary determines that the project serves a remote or low income area that does not have access to broadband service from any provider of broadband service (including the applicant).";

   Struck: (4) in subsection (d)--

   Struck: (A) in paragraph (1)(A)--

   Struck: (i) in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking "loan or" and inserting "grant, loan, or";

   Struck: (ii) in clause (ii), by striking "a loan application" and inserting "an application"; and

   Struck: (iii) in clause (iii)--

   Struck: (I) by striking "the loan application" and inserting "the application"; and

   Struck: (II) by striking "proceeds from the loan made or guaranteed under this section are" and inserting "assistance under this section is";

   Struck: (B) in paragraph (2)(A), in the matter preceding clause (i)--

   Struck: (i) by striking "the proceeds of a loan made or guaranteed" and inserting "assistance"; and

   Struck: (ii) by striking "for the loan or loan guarantee" and inserting "of the eligible entity";

   Struck: (C) by striking "loan or" each place it appears in paragraphs (2)(B), (3)(A), (4), (5), and (6) and inserting "grant, loan, or";

   Struck: (D) in paragraph (7), by striking "a loan application" and inserting "an application"; and

   Struck: (E) by adding at the end the following:

   Struck: "(8) Transparency and reporting.--The Secretary--

   Struck: "(A) shall require any entity receiving assistance under this section to submit quarterly, in a format specified by the Secretary, a report that describes--

   Struck: "(i) the use by the entity of the assistance; and

   Struck: "(ii) the progress towards fulfilling the objectives for which the assistance was granted;

   Struck: "(B) shall maintain a fully searchable database, accessible on the Internet at no cost to the public, that contains, at a minimum--

   Struck: "(i) a list of each entity that has applied for assistance under this section;

   Struck: "(ii) a description of each application, including the status of each application;

   Struck: "(iii) for each entity receiving assistance under this section--

   Struck: "(I) the name of the entity;

   Struck: "(II) the type of assistance being received;

   Struck: "(III) the purpose for which the entity is receiving the assistance; and

   Struck: "(IV) each quarterly report submitted under subparagraph (A); and

   Struck: "(iv) such other information as is sufficient to allow the public to understand and monitor assistance provided under this section;

   Struck: "(C) may, in addition to other authority under applicable law, deobligate awards to grantees that demonstrate an insufficient level of performance, or wasteful or fraudulent spending, as defined in advance by the Secretary, and award those funds competitively to new or existing applicants consistent with this section; and

   Struck: "(D) may establish additional reporting and information requirements for any recipient of any assistance under this section so as to ensure compliance with this section.";

   Struck: (5) in subsection (f), by striking "make a loan or loan guarantee" and inserting "provide assistance";

   Struck: (6) in subsection (j)--

   Struck: (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking "loan and loan guarantee";

   Struck: (B) in paragraph (1), by inserting "grants and" after "number of";

   Struck: (C) in paragraph (2)--

   Struck: (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking "loan"; and

   Struck: (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking "loans and" and inserting "grants, loans, and"; and

   Struck: (D) in paragraph (3), by striking "loan";

   Struck: (7) in subsection (k)(1)--

   Struck: (A) by striking "$25,000,000" and inserting "$50,000,000"; and

   Struck: (B) by striking "2012" and inserting "2017"; and

   Struck: (8) in subsection (l)--

   Struck: (A) by striking "loan or" and inserting "grant, loan, or"; and

   Struck: (B) by striking "2012" and inserting "2017".

   Original wording

   Strike section 6104.

Read automatically from the Congressional Record. Check the original before relying on it.

As printed