Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 98, the Rural Broadband Protection Act, a bill I authored and passed out of the House as H.R. 2399 and an issue I have long championed.

In April, we passed the House version of this bill. In June, the Senate passed the identical text, sponsored by my friend Senator Capito also by voice vote. Today, we have a chance to finish the job and send this legislation to the President's desk.

Across Indiana and rural America, families, farmers, students, and small business owners still struggle with slow and unreliable internet access, and it is more than an inconvenience. It is a barrier to opportunity, to education, to healthcare, and to economic growth.

When Congress invests in rural broadband, we have an obligation to make sure those dollars reach the communities they are meant to serve and that the providers that are receiving them are capable of getting the job done.

That is exactly what the Rural Broadband Protection Act does.

It directs the Federal Communications Commission to vet applicants for broadband funding based on their experience, their technical capability, and their demonstrated ability to deploy. It brings accountability and transparency to the grant review process, ensuring taxpayer dollars go to real, shovel-ready projects, not phantom providers or empty promises.

This is smart, bipartisan, commonsense legislation. It passed the Energy and Commerce Committee 51-1. It passed the House by a voice vote last April. It passed the Senate by voice in June.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Senator Capito for her leadership on the Senate side

and my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee for moving this bill with overwhelming bipartisan support. Today, we have a chance to deliver a long-overdue win for rural America.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on S. 98. Let's get this bill to the President's desk where it can finally become law.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S.

98) to require the Federal Communications Commission to establish a vetting process for prospective applicants for high-cost universal service program funding.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the Record on the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 98, the Rural Broadband Protection Act. The House version of this bill, led by Representative Houchin, passed the House by voice vote last year.

The Federal Communications Commission's Universal Service Fund provides funding to support the deployment and operation of broadband networks in our rural communities. Although most recipients of this support fulfill their deployment obligations, there have been cases in the past where commitments were unmet.

The Rural Broadband Protection Act requires the FCC to establish a process for upfront vetting of broadband providers seeking USF funds to ensure they are qualified to uphold their obligations. It also directs the FCC to set penalties for those providers that do not build out where they promised.

These new steps will ensure that USF support only goes to qualified providers and that those providers follow through on their commitments to serve rural Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Houchin for her leadership on this bill and encourage my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Houchin).

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their support. In closing, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 98, the Senate companion to H.R. 2399, or the Rural Broadband Protection Act, which passed the House in 2025.

This legislation would direct the Federal Communications Commission to establish a process to more thoroughly vet internet service providers participating in the Universal Service Fund's High Cost program.

For years, it has been clear that Congress must step in to enact reforms to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in the High Cost program. Following an investigation by Energy and Commerce Democrats in 2017, the Government Accountability Office opened its own inquiry into reports of abuse of High Cost support.

In a scathing report, the GAO identified a remarkable lack of oversight by the FCC and recommended greater accountability to ensure precious USF dollars are spent on the mission of deploying high-speed broadband to unserved and underserved communities.

Since then, we have seen modest progress to curb waste, fraud, and abuse in the High Cost program, but more accountability is needed.

I commend Representatives Kelly and Houchin for their work on this legislation to bring greater oversight and accountability to the High Cost program and protect the integrity of USF funds, every dime of which must go to help unserved and underserved communities still lacking high-speed internet.

I believe this legislation will help address critical gaps in the vetting process for High Cost recipients and curb waste, fraud, and abuse in the program, so I urge my colleagues to support S. 98.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of S. 98, the Rural Broadband Protection Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 48, S. 98.

The clerk will report the bill by title.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time.

I know of no further debate on the bill.

I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.