Sponsors (2)
Official title: Amend the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to establish the ReConnect program under that Act, and for other purposes.
Introduced October 30, 2025 by Roger Wayne Marshall · Last progress October 30, 2025
The bill directs substantial, targeted funding and set technical standards to bring high-quality broadband to the most underserved rural and vulnerable communities, but tight timelines, funding caps, eligibility restrictions, and a 2030 sunset create risks of slowed deployments, incomplete projects, and post-buildout uncertainty.
Rural and other underserved households gain access to future-proof 100/100 Mbps broadband through dedicated annual funding (grants + direct loans) together with minimum service and buildout standards, increasing high-speed availability and quality.
Tribal nations, colonias, persistent-poverty areas, and socially vulnerable communities are eligible for grant-only support, lowering financial barriers and improving prospects for deployment in highest-need places.
The program prioritizes locations with ≥90% of households lacking 100/20 Mbps, directing resources to the most underserved places and promoting equity in broadband access.
The program authority sunsets on Sept 30, 2030, creating uncertainty for long-term maintenance, upgrades, and continuity of support after initial construction.
A required 5-year buildout deadline risks project failure or unmet obligations in very remote or logistically difficult areas, leaving some planned deployments incomplete.
Caps that limit any single large provider to 15% of annual funds may exclude experienced incumbents from competing at scale, potentially slowing deployments where incumbents are most efficient.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Revises and reauthorizes USDA rural broadband program; funds $650M/yr in grants and $350M/yr in loans for FY2026–FY2030 with updated eligibility and standards.
Revises and reauthorizes the USDA rural broadband program under the Rural Electrification Act to prioritize grant-funded deployment in high-need rural areas, update eligibility and technical standards, and provide new funding through FY2026–FY2030. It establishes $650 million per year for grants and $350 million per year for loans (FY2026–FY2030), limits USDA administrative use to 5% of those amounts, rescinds certain unobligated balances and immediately reappropriates them, and ends the authority to make grants or loans under this program after September 30, 2030. The bill updates program purposes, definitions, project priorities, equity and technical assistance provisions, and broadband performance standards; it also removes or replaces earlier statutory provisions tied to the 2018 Consolidated Appropriations Act and sets a 120-day deadline to nullify that earlier statutory provision after enactment.