Reps Curtis (R-UT) and Kuster (D-NH) Introduce Bill to Connect Rural America

Reps John Curtis (R-UT) and Annie Kuster (D-NH) introduced the Rural Broadband Protection Act to combat waste fraud and abuse in federal broadband programs. The Senate version of this bill was introduced in the Senate by Sens Shelley Capito (R-WV) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in 2023. The Federal Communications Commission's high-cost programs funds telecommunications carriers who provide service in rural areas where the market alone cannot support the substantial cost of deploying network infrastructure and providing connectivity. This modernized program is called the Connect America Fund, and it consists of a series of new funds that rely on incentive-based models and competitive bidding to award carriers a set amount of support to build out broadband to a defined number of locations in unserved and underserved areas. The bill would provide essential safeguards to the FCC’s high-cost programs by ensuring that funding goes to companies with both a proven track record of success and have demonstrated sound judgment in deploying in hard-to-serve areas.