Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025

This bill aims to protect rural broadband dollars by making the FCC screen companies before giving them money to build networks in high-cost areas, including rural communities. Applicants must show, up front, that they have the technical skills, the money, the staff, and a solid business plan to actually deliver the internet service they promise. The FCC must check applications against clear, well-known standards and look at each company’s track record in other government broadband programs. After the rules are set, only applicants that meet these standards can get funding.

The FCC has to start writing these rules within 180 days. The bill also adds teeth: if a company backs out before funding is finalized, the FCC must impose fines of at least $9,000 per violation, and generally no less than 30% of the total support the company would have received, unless the FCC shows a reason to set a lower amount.

• Who is affected: Internet providers seeking federal high-cost universal service funding; rural and other high-cost communities relying on new broadband builds; the FCC.
• What changes: A formal vetting process, proof of capability and a business plan, checks against established standards and past compliance, and minimum penalties for backing out before authorization.
• When: The FCC must begin the rulemaking within 180 days of the bill becoming law; funding after that must follow the new standards.