Sponsors (2)
The bill expands and targets broadband buildout and data collection to help rural farmers adopt precision agriculture and improve accountability, at the cost of new federal spending, added administrative burdens, potential exclusion where maps are inaccurate, and risks that lowest‑cost contracting could disadvantage smaller local providers.
Rural farmers and producers will gain expanded high-speed internet access that enables precision agriculture and improved farm management.
Limited-resource farmers will be able to receive much larger federal cost-shares (up to 90%), lowering out-of-pocket costs for connectivity projects.
Covered projects will face buildout milestones (maximum ~4 years) and penalties for noncompliance, promoting timelier deployment and contractor accountability.
Farms and rural residents may be left without assistance because locations shown as serviceable on broadband maps are excluded, so inaccurate maps can block help.
Smaller local providers and some rural customers could be disadvantaged if contracts are awarded primarily to lowest-cost bidders, potentially reducing competition or service quality.
Taxpayers will face increased federal spending (about $20 million per year from FY2026–2030) to fund the program.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Creates a statutory "Last Acre" broadband program to support precision agriculture and requires USDA surveys to collect farm broadband subscription, speeds, and usage data.
Introduced May 6, 2025 by Brad Finstad · Last progress May 6, 2025
Creates a new federal "last-mile" broadband program focused on bringing high‑speed internet onto farm sites to support precision agriculture and requires USDA surveys to collect farm-level broadband subscription, speed, and usage information. The legislation adds a new program authority into the Rural Electrification Act with statutory definitions and performance thresholds but does not provide funding levels, program rules, or implementation timelines.