HR 5497
115th Congress
House
Science, Technology, Communications
Consumer affairs
Executive agency funding and structure
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Internet and video services
Internet, web applications, social media
Rural conditions and development
Telecommunication rates and fees
Telephone and wireless communication
Office of Rural Telecommunications Act
Everywhere this bill has been
2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Apr 12, 2018
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Apr 12, 2018
Introduced in House
Ask about this bill
Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.
Plain-English summary
Office of Rural Telecommunications Act
This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission to establish the Office of Rural Telecommunications, whose duties shall include:
- coordinating with the Rural Utilities Service and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to ensure the success of initiatives and programs,
- coordinating with the Universal Service Administrative Company to maintain information regarding Connect American Fund programs that deploy rural broadband,
- coordinating with agencies to remove barriers to rural broadband deployment, and
- measuring broadband adoption rates in rural areas.
What's happening now
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Related & companion bills
1
Bill text
1 version
- Introduced in House Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML
Committees of jurisdiction
1
Cosponsors
3
Cite this page
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 5497: Office of Rural Telecommunications Act. 115th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-5497/
"H.R. 5497: Office of Rural Telecommunications Act." 115th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-5497/.
H.R. 5497, 115th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-5497/.
[H.R. 5497: Office of Rural Telecommunications Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-5497/)