Bill > HR1685

This bill, titled the Broadband Adoption Act of 2013, aims to modernize and reform the Universal Service Fund Lifeline Assistance Program, which currently helps low-income households afford basic telephone service. The key provision is the establishment of a Broadband Lifeline Assistance Program, which will provide support to qualifying low-income households to help them afford broadband internet service. This program, to be established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) within 270 days of the bill's enactment, will be similar in structure to the existing Lifeline program for phone service and will allow eligible individuals to use their Lifeline support for basic phone, voice telephony, or broadband service, whether purchased separately or as part of a bundle. The FCC will consider factors like the price and speed of broadband service when determining the amount of support and may also give preference to providers offering digital literacy programs. The bill also includes provisions to prevent duplicate subsidies, waste, fraud, and abuse, and mandates the creation of a national database to verify consumer eligibility for these subsidies, ensuring that the program is technology-neutral and promotes competition among service providers.