Sponsors (2)
The bill would significantly expand broadband access and data-driven targeting for rural farms—boosting productivity and affordability for many producers—while increasing federal spending and imposing provider and reporting requirements that could discourage participation and shift costs or administrative burdens.
Rural farmers and ranchers in unserved or underserved areas will gain access to reliable 100/20 Mbps broadband—supported by grant and loan funding that accelerates last‑mile wireless and multipoint buildouts—enabling connected devices and farm operations to go online.
Low‑income or limited‑resource farmers can receive very high federal cost‑share support (up to 90%), making broadband projects substantially more affordable for the smallest and most resource‑constrained producers.
Mandatory data collection, annual reporting, and data sharing with the FCC will improve broadband mapping and provide policymakers and researchers with farm‑level information to better target federal programs, grants, and technical assistance.
The bill authorizes open‑ended federal spending (“such sums as necessary”) for FY2025–FY2029, increasing taxpayer exposure and fiscal cost for broadband subsidies and programs.
A general federal cost‑share cap (80% for standard projects) may still leave many producers facing substantial remaining costs for higher‑cost builds, deterring participation or leaving small farms to cover unaffordable shares.
Provider compliance burdens—strict 4‑year buildout deadlines with penalties, cybersecurity requirements, and mandated provider registration/publication—could increase project complexity and costs and discourage some providers from bidding, reducing competition and slowing deployments in the hardest‑to‑serve areas.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Introduced May 6, 2025 by Debra Fischer · Last progress May 6, 2025
Creates a competitive grant-and-loan program called the Last Acre Program to bring high-speed broadband (at least 100 Mbps down / 20 Mbps up) to unserved and underserved agricultural land. The Department of Agriculture must set up the program within one year, can fund up to 80% of project costs (90% for limited-resource producers), impose buildout milestones and penalties, require cybersecurity measures for providers, and report annually to Congress and the FCC. The bill also requires USDA surveys (NASS and the Census of Agriculture) to add questions about farm-site broadband subscription, speeds, and uses including precision agriculture.