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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Introduced May 6, 2025 by Debra Fischer · Last progress May 6, 2025
Creates a new Last Acre Program to extend high-speed internet to unserved and underserved agricultural land and farm sites, including rules for grants, loans, bidding, cybersecurity, reporting, and timelines for award and buildout. Requires USDA’s NASS to expand the Census of Agriculture and computer-usage survey questions to collect farm-level broadband subscription, speeds, and internet use (including precision agriculture). The Secretary must establish the program within one year of enactment and the bill authorizes funding for fiscal years 2025–2029.
Creates the "Last Acre Program" to make grants and loans to covered providers on a competitive basis to provide qualifying connectivity to unserved and underserved eligible land.
Secretary must establish the Last Acre Program not later than 1 year after the date of enactment.
Defines "qualifying connectivity" as service resulting from program assistance that is at least 100 Mbps downstream and 20 Mbps upstream and performs at least one listed activity (e.g., internet to farm devices, multipoint wireless, construction/retrofitting of wireless infrastructure).
Defines "eligible land" to include cropland, grassland, rangeland, pastureland, farm sites, and other agricultural land used for active production.
Defines "covered producer" as a person or entity directly engaged in agricultural production on eligible land that is unserved or underserved and derives a majority of gross income from those products; includes Agricultural Research Service research centers.
Who is affected and how:
Farmers, farm owners, and operators: Direct beneficiaries—will gain access to federal funding aimed at bringing qualifying high-speed internet to unserved or underserved farm sites. Improved connectivity can enable precision agriculture, remote monitoring, telehealth, online education, and e-commerce opportunities for farm businesses.
Owners and operators of commercial farms and agricultural communities: Improved infrastructure can raise productivity, reduce operational friction, and increase access to digital tools and markets for rural agricultural communities.
Broadband service providers and co-ops: Potential recipients of grants and loans to build out last-mile infrastructure. They must comply with competitive bidding rules, cybersecurity standards, reporting obligations, and buildout timelines.
USDA / NASS / federal data users: USDA must design and run the program, enforce technical and cybersecurity requirements, and expand NASS/Census questions. Improved farm-level data will help policymakers measure gaps and direct future funding.
Local governments and rural stakeholders: May see improved local connectivity and economic spillovers; they may participate in planning, coordination, or matching arrangements depending on program rules.
Possible benefits:
Possible challenges and risks:
Overall, the legislation directly targets rural and agricultural broadband gaps, aims to accelerate on‑farm connectivity, and improves federal data to guide future policy and funding decisions.
Expand sections to see detailed analysis
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Introduced in Senate
