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S. 98 119th Congress Senate

Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025

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.

Introduced: January 15, 2025 Introduced by: Shelley Moore Capito Republican · West Virginia See on congress.gov
Science, Technology, Communications Internet, web applications, social mediaRural conditions and developmentTelephone and wireless communication
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 Everywhere this bill has been 19 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
May 11, 2026
Became Public Law No: 119-89.
May 11, 2026
Signed by President.
Apr 30, 2026
Presented to President.
Apr 20, 2026 · 4:51 PM EDT
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H2976-2978)
Apr 20, 2026 · 4:51 PM EDT
Mr. Allen moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
Apr 20, 2026 · 4:58 PM EDT
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Apr 20, 2026 · 4:58 PM EDT
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2977)
Apr 20, 2026 · 4:51 PM EDT
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 98.
Apr 20, 2026 · 4:58 PM EDT
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2977)
Jul 3, 2025
Held at the desk.
Jul 3, 2025
Received in the House.
Jun 27, 2025
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Jun 26, 2025
Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote. (consideration: CR S3570; text: CR S3570)
Jun 26, 2025
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
Apr 28, 2025
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz without amendment. With written report No. 119-14.
Apr 28, 2025
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 48.
Feb 5, 2025
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
Jan 15, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Jan 15, 2025
Introduced in Senate
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 Latest action May 11, 2026

Became Public Law No: 119-89.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

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.

 Hearings & markups 1
 Related & companion bills 2
  • HR 2399 Identical bill Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025
  • HR 1768 Lower Costs for Everyday Americans Act
 Bill text 5 versions

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Lobbying activity 46

Registered lobbyists who named this bill in their disclosure filings. Source: federal Lobbying Disclosure Act filings.

Bodies those filers lobbied

A filing lists the bills it worked on and the parts of government it contacted in separate sections, so these are the bodies those filers named anywhere in the filing, not a per-bill breakdown.

See all 46 filings →
 Cosponsors 4
All 4 Democratic 3 Republican 1
D
Warnock, Raphael G.
Georgia · Dec 16, 2025
 D
Peters, Gary C.
Michigan · Mar 11, 2025
 R
Curtis, John R.
Utah · Jan 15, 2025
 D
Klobuchar, Amy
Minnesota · Jan 15, 2025
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 98: Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025. 119th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-98/
MLA
"S. 98: Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025." 119th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-98/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 98, 119th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-98/.
Markdown link
[S. 98: Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025](https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-98/)
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