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Prioritizing Rural Broadband Affordability Act
To require service affordability to be considered in awarding grants under rural broadband programs administered by the Department of Agriculture.
Summary
This bill amends the Rural Electrification Act to require the Department of Agriculture to consider service affordability when determining which rural households and service territories are unserved for broadband. The bill adds affordability as a factor in deciding which rural areas qualify for federal broadband grants under the Department's rural broadband programs. The amendments take effect one year after enactment. This change means that areas with technically available but unaffordable broadband service would be considered eligible for grant funding to improve service affordability.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
3 cosponsors
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to April Mcclain Delaney’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- FORBRIGHT BANK $17,665
- GALLATIN POINT CAPITAL $13,200
- GOLDENTREE ASSET MANAGEMENT $13,200
- MONUMENTAL SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT $13,200
- GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY $10,100
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for April Mcclain Delaney → · Outside spending →
Actions (2)
- Mar 27, 2026 Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. · house
- Mar 27, 2026 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 27, 2026
Mrs. McClain Delaney (for herself and Mr. Bresnahan) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To require service affordability to be considered in awarding grants under rural broadband programs administered by the Department of Agriculture.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Prioritizing Rural Broadband Affordability Act”.
SEC. 2. AFFORDABILITY.
Section 601 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb) is amended—
(1) in subsection (c)(2), by adding at the end the following:
“(C) Affordability.—In determining whether a household is unserved for purposes of this section, the Secretary shall consider the affordability of broadband service.”; and
(2) in subsection (d)(2), by striking subparagraph (C) and inserting the following:
“(C) Affordability.—In determining whether a proposed service territory is unserved for purposes of subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall consider the affordability of broadband service in the service territory.”.
SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.
The amendments made by this Act shall take effect on the date that is 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act. <all>
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