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119th Congress

S. 98 · 119th Congress (2025–2027)

Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025

This act requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to vet the qualifications of applicants for certain funding programs that support affordable broadband deployment in high-cost areas (e.g., rural communities).

Specifically, the FCC must develop a vetting process for applicants seeking funding under high-cost universal service programs for the deployment of a broadband-capable network and the provision of supported services over the network. The FCC must require applicants to submit a proposal that contains sufficient detail and documentation for the FCC to ascertain that the applicant possesses the technical, financial, and operational capabilities related to the proposed deployment and has a reasonable business plan. The FCC must evaluate applications against reasonable and well-established standards and must consider each applicant’s history of compliance with the requirements of other government broadband funding programs.

The FCC must establish this vetting process through a rulemaking proceeding. After the rule is finalized, funds may only be awarded to applicants that satisfy the standards established therein.

Finally, the FCC must set financial penalties for applicants that default in some manner during the evaluation process before they are authorized to begin receiving support.

Show official title

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

Enacted

Public law number: P.L. 119-89

This bill’s path

481 days after it was introduced

This is S. 98’s recorded path, not a universal congressional workflow.

How bills become lawAll actions

  1. Introduced5 months

  2. Passed Senate10 months

  3. Passed House

  4. Resolving differences

    Not neededsame bill text

  5. Sent to President

  6. Signed into law

Sponsor
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)
Cosponsors
4 cosponsors

2 original · 2 later

  1. Sen. John R. Curtis (R-UT)· Original · Jan 15, 2025
  2. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)· Original · Jan 15, 2025
  3. Sen. Gary C. Peters (D-MI)· Later · Mar 11, 2025
  4. Sen. Raphael G. Warnock (D-GA)· Later · Dec 16, 2025
Policy area
Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects
  • Internet, web applications, social media
  • Rural conditions and development
  • Telephone and wireless communication

On this page

Spending

The enacted law text (Public Law 119–89) is not available locally.

Timeline

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In chronological order. Major procedural acts are shown in full. Committee work and ordinary amendments fold in place where they happened, so they do not jump the sequence or stretch the timeline.

Jump to latest

  1. Introduced in Senate

    Document: Introduced in Senate

    Sources
  2. ▸ 3 committee actions · Jan 15, 2025 – Apr 28, 2025

    1. Referred to committee

      Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

      Sources

    2. Ordered reported

      Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.

      Sources

    3. Reported by committee

      Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz without amendment. With written report No. 119-14.

      Sources

  3. Passed Senate

    Congressional Record S3570; text: CR S3570

    Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.

    The Senate passed the bill.

    Document: Engrossed in Senate

    Sources

  4. Passed House

    Congressional Record H2977

    On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.

    The House passed the bill.

    Sources

  5. Enrolled Bill

    Congress published an enrolled text of the bill.

    Document: Enrolled Bill

    Sources

  6. Presented to the President

    Presented to President.

    Sources
  7. Latest

    Law

    Signed by President

    Became Public Law 119–89.

    Document: Public Law

    Sources

Committees

  1. SenateCommerce, Science, and TransportationReferred Jan 15, 2025 · Markup Feb 5, 2025 · Reported Apr 28, 2025S. Rept. 119-14

    1. Feb 5, 2025 · Meeting

      Business meeting to consider S.93, to amend the Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 to address harmful algal blooms, S.98, to require the Federal Communications Commission to establish a vetting process for prospective applicants for high-cost universal service program funding, S.99, to require the Secretary of Commerce to produce a report that provides recommendations to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of Department of Commerce programs related to supply chain resilience and manufacturing and industrial innovation, S.161, to require the Secretary of Transportation to issue rules relating to the testing procedures used under the New Car Assessment Program of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, S.195, to amend the Visit America Act to promote music tourism, S.216, to amend the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act to improve the administration of the Marine Debris Foundation, to amend the Marine Debris Act to improve the administration of the Marine Debris Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, S.245, to require the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to establish a working group on cyber insurance, to require dissemination of informative resources for issuers and customers of cyber insurance, S.246, to protect the right of law-abiding citizens to transport knives interstate, notwithstanding a patchwork of local and State prohibitions, S.257, to improve the resilience of critical supply chains, S.258, to improve forecasting and understanding of tornadoes and other hazardous weather, S.260, to amend the Bottles and Breastfeeding Equipment Screening Act to require hygienic handling of breast milk and baby formula by security screening personnel of the Transportation Security Administration and personnel of private security companies providing security screening, S.278, to prohibit users who are under age 13 from accessing social media platforms, to prohibit the use of personalized recommendation systems on individuals under age 17, and limit the use of social media in schools, S.281, to require sellers of event tickets to disclose comprehensive information to consumers about ticket prices and related fees, to prohibit speculative ticketing, S.283, to require the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and the Administrator of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to develop a standard methodology for identifying the country of origin of seafood to support enforcement against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, S.306, to establish and maintain a coordinated program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that improves wildfire, fire weather, fire risk, and wildfire smoke related forecasting, detection, modeling, observations, and service delivery, S.314, to prohibit unfair and deceptive advertising of prices for hotel rooms and other places of short-term lodging, S.315, to require the Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule requiring access to AM broadcast stations in passenger motor vehicles, and the nomination of Howard Lutnick, of New York, to be Secretary of Commerce.

    1. S. Rept. 119-14 · Apr 28, 2025 · Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025

Floor record

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Explicit consideration evidence: the measure’s bill-status citation matched a GovInfo title, headline, or first paragraph. Incidental mentions are not listed.

  1. Jun 26, 2025 · Senate · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice VoteCongressional Record S3570

    Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025

  2. Apr 20, 2026 · House · Considered under suspension of the rulesCongressional Record H2976–H2978

    Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025

Text & titles

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Each distinct name Congress.gov recorded, once. Official, short, display, and popular titles stay distinct when the wording differs. The same wording is not repeated for every text version.

Text versions
VersionDateLinks
Introduced in Senate
Reported to Senate
Engrossed in Senate
Public Law
Enrolled Bill—
Titles (2)

  1. Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025

    Display title, Short title · Enrolled Bill, Engrossed in Senate, Reported to Senate, Introduced in Senate

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

    Official title · Introduced in Senate