Sponsors (2)
Introduced December 18, 2025 by Roger F. Wicker · Last progress December 18, 2025
The bill accelerates broadband and NG9‑1‑1 modernization and directs funds to underserved areas by allowing leftover IIJA/BEAD-type money to shore up existing projects and set interoperability standards, but it also raises participation barriers, administrative costs, and privacy/domestic‑sourcing trade‑offs that may limit benefits for cash‑strained localities and create new compliance burdens.
State and local governments, rural communities, households, and businesses can use leftover IIJA/BEAD-type grant funds to finish, enhance, and sustain approved broadband projects (including high-capacity fiber and AI‑supportive links), improving network reliability and speed.
Local governments, emergency responders, and hospitals get clearer legal definitions and interoperability standards for NG9‑1‑1 upgrades, which should speed deployments and make emergency communications more reliable and compatible across jurisdictions.
Rural, unserved/underserved areas and Tribal lands will be prioritized for funding, directing resources toward disadvantaged communities that lack modern broadband.
Cash‑strapped local governments, rural providers, and emergency communications centers may be deterred from applying because the bill requires a 25% local matching contribution and adds upgrade, certification, coordination, and reporting requirements that raise upfront and ongoing costs.
State and local governments and taxpayers could see reduced availability of funds for new broadband proposals or other IIJA priorities if unspent IIJA/BEAD-type funds are redirected toward completing existing projects.
New certification, coordination, and reporting requirements increase administrative burdens on eligible entities and emergency communications centers, raising transaction costs and delay risks for deployments.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Revises the federal broadband statute to repurpose unspent IIJA broadband funds toward approved projects and to add/revise definitions for 9-1-1 data, AI, interoperability, emergency communications centers, and standards.
Makes targeted changes to the federal broadband statute to clarify priorities and technical definitions for broadband deployment, emergency communications, and artificial intelligence (AI). It directs that unspent broadband grant funds be used to support and sustain approved deployment projects, adds or revises multiple statutory definitions (including 9-1-1 emergency communications, AI, interoperability, and emergency communications centers), and sets expectations for use of recognized technical standards.