Sponsors (20)
Ask me why this bill matters.
This is not an official government website.
Copyright © 2026 PLEJ LC. All rights reserved.
Adds a legal definition of "broadband internet access service" into 18 U.S.C. §1362. The definition treats broadband as a mass‑market retail service delivered by wire or radio that can both send and receive data to and from all or almost all internet endpoints (excluding dial‑up) and also covers services the Federal Communications Commission determines are functionally equivalent. The change is purely definitional in the excerpt provided; it clarifies what counts as "broadband" for purposes of that statutory section but does not create new programs, authorize spending, or specify an effective date in the text shown.
Amend Section 1362 of title 18, United States Code. The section shows multiple amendment actions (two insertions, one strike, and an addition at the end). The excerpt lists the amendment steps but does not show the full text of the first three edits; the excerpt then adds a defined term at the end.
(1) The excerpt includes an instruction “by inserting after ;” but the specific text to be inserted and the insertion point are not shown in this excerpt.
(2) The excerpt includes an instruction “by inserting after ;” but the specific text to be inserted and the insertion point are not shown in this excerpt.
(3) The excerpt includes an instruction “by striking ;” but the specific text to be struck and the location are not shown in this excerpt.
Adds a new definition of “broadband internet access service” to the end of 18 U.S.C. §1362: “broadband internet access service” means a mass‑market retail service by wire or radio that provides the capability to transmit data to and receive data from all or substantially all internet endpoints, including any capabilities incidental to and that enable operation of the communications service, but excluding dial‑up internet access service.
Primary effects are legal and interpretive rather than fiscal. Telecommunications and broadband providers will be directly affected because the definition clarifies which of their services could be treated as "broadband" under §1362. Consumers and end users are indirectly affected because the statutory coverage of services used by them may change the scope of protections or liabilities tied to §1362. The FCC gains an explicit role to designate functionally equivalent services, which matters for newer or hybrid technologies that do not fit classic categories. Prosecutors, defense attorneys, and courts will be the actors most immediately affected in applying the statute; the definitional change may reduce some disputes about applicability but could also prompt litigation over the FCC's functional‑equivalence determinations. The excerpt contains no funding or new administrative obligations for state or local governments and does not impose an unfunded mandate.
Expand sections to see detailed analysis
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced April 9, 2025 by Laurel Lee · Last progress April 9, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House