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S 4201 116th Congress Senate Science, Technology, Communications

A bill to direct the Federal Communications Commission to take certain actions to accelerate the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction, and for other purposes.

Introduced: July 2, 2020 See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jul 2, 2020
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Jul 2, 2020
Introduced in Senate
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to take specified actions to expedite the provision of broadband internet access service in unserved rural areas.

Specifically, the FCC must modify the framework for the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction, which aims to facilitate the provision of broadband service to areas that are wholly unserved. Among other requirements, the FCC (1) must accept long-form applications prior to such auction from applicants that are willing to commit to a specified schedule for deploying broadband internet access service, and (2) shall not require applicants to be designated as eligible telecommunications carriers in order to receive Rural Digital Opportunity Fund support.

In addition, the bill establishes a deadline of October 1, 2020, for the FCC to create broadband maps that depict the extent of availability of broadband service in the United States and the areas that remain unserved.

What's happening now July 2, 2020

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

 Related & companion bills 2
  • HR 7447 Related bill To direct the Federal Communications Commission to take certain actions to accelerate the Rural Digital Opportunity Fun…
  • HR 7022 Related bill Rural Broadband Acceleration Act.
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Cosponsors 3
All 3 Democratic 2 Republican 1
R
Graham, Lindsey
South Carolina · Jul 27, 2020
 D
Smith, Tina
Minnesota · Jul 27, 2020
 D
Bennet, Michael F.
Colorado · Jul 2, 2020
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 4201: A bill to direct the Federal Communications Commission to take certain actions to accelerate the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction, and for other purposes.. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-4201/
MLA
"S. 4201: A bill to direct the Federal Communications Commission to take certain actions to accelerate the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction, and for other purposes.." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-4201/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 4201, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-4201/.
Markdown link
[S. 4201: A bill to direct the Federal Communications Commission to take certain actions to accelerate the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction, and for other purposes.](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-4201/)
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