Bill > S4126

This bill, the Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2022, requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to establish a vetting process for prospective applicants seeking high-cost universal service program funding. The bill defines "covered funding" as high-cost universal service program funding provided through a competitive award process for the deployment of a broadband-capable network and the provision of supported services over the network. The bill mandates that the FCC's vetting process ensure applicants have the technical capability and a reasonable plan to deploy the proposed network and deliver services with the relevant performance characteristics. The FCC must evaluate applicant proposals against reasonable and well-established technical standards, including those related to reporting broadband availability coverage.