Sponsor
David Schweikert
Representative · R-AZ
Representative · R-AZ
The bill pushes to bring faster, 100/20 broadband and greater transparency to rural areas (benefiting households, students, and small businesses) but risks leaving the most remote locations unserved, raising per‑location costs, and adding administrative burdens.
Rural households, students, and small businesses will gain access to higher‑speed broadband (minimum 100 Mbps down / 20 Mbps up), improving ability to use online education, telework, and e‑commerce services.
Rural communities will have more technology options (terrestrial, non‑terrestrial, and LEO satellite) eligible for funding, increasing competition and faster deployment pathways.
Communities, state and local governments will get public reporting on awards and project completions so residents can see how many locations are promised and actually served, increasing transparency and accountability.
Very remote or high‑cost locations that cannot economically meet the 100/20 threshold may be excluded from funding and remain unserved.
Taxpayers and rural communities may see fewer total locations served per dollar because prioritizing higher speeds raises per‑location costs.
Students, small businesses, and rural users risk getting higher‑latency or capacity‑constrained solutions (e.g., some satellite services) that perform worse for interactive uses if all technologies are funded without performance safeguards.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires 100/20 Mbps minimum service, technology‑neutral eligibility, public award/completion reports, and final regulations within 180 days for the USDA ReConnect program.
Official title: To ensure that assistance is available under the ReConnect program without regard to the technology used to provide broadband service, and for other purposes.
Introduced September 3, 2026 by David Schweikert · Last progress September 3, 2026
Sets minimum speed requirements, technology-neutral eligibility, and transparency rules for USDA’s ReConnect loan and grant program to expand high-speed internet in rural areas. Requires the Agriculture Secretary to publish pre- and post-award reports on locations served and technologies used and to finalize implementing regulations within 180 days of enactment. Applies a specific statutory provision of the Rural Electrification Act to the ReConnect program, preserves all technology types (including terrestrial and non-terrestrial/LEO satellite) from application discrimination, and mandates publicly available reporting on award counts, locations, technologies, and disbursements.