To add a provision to clarify eligibility and establish an eligibility appeal mechanism under the rural broadband loan and grant pilot program.

SA 3578. Mrs. MURRAY (for herself and Ms. Cantwell) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 3399 proposed by Mr.
Shelby to the bill H.R. 6147, making appropriations for the Department
of the Interior, environment, and related agencies for the fiscal year
ending September 30, 2019, and for other purposes; which was ordered to
lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place in division C, insert the
following:
Sec. ___.  In administering the pilot program established
by section 779 of division A of the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2018 (Public Law 115-141), the Secretary
of Agriculture shall--
(1) ensure that applicants that are determined to be
ineligible for the pilot program have a means of appealing or
otherwise challenging that determination in a timely fashion;
and
(2) in determining whether an entity may overbuild or
duplicate broadband expansion efforts made by any entity that
has received a broadband loan from the Rural Utilities
Service, not consider loans that were rescinded or defaulted
on, or loans the terms and conditions of which were not met,
if the entity under consideration has not previously
defaulted on, or failed to meet the terms and conditions of,
a Rural Utilities Service loan or had a Rural Utilities
Service loan rescinded.
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