Title 7 — AgricultureRelease 119-73

§950bb–3 Community Connect Grant Program

Title 7 › Chapter CHAPTER 31— - RURAL ELECTRIFICATION AND TELEPHONE SERVICE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER VI— - RURAL BROADBAND ACCESS › § 950bb–3

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Creates the Community Connect Grant Program to give money to eligible groups so they can build broadband in rural places. The broadband must meet a speed the Secretary sets, and that speed cannot be lower than the FCC’s minimum called “advanced telecommunications capability.” An eligible service area is one with less than 10-Mbps download and less than 1-Mbps upload. Eligible groups include incorporated organizations, Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations, States, local governments, and other legal entities (like cooperatives, corporations, or LLCs). Individuals and partnerships cannot get these grants. Grant recipients must use the money to bring the required broadband to every essential community facility and to all homes and businesses in the proposed area. They must also, for at least 2 years, provide free broadband at a community center, give at least 2 public computer access points there, and pay the bandwidth cost for any essential community facility that asks. Grants can pay to build, buy, or lease facilities, spectrum, land, or buildings and to improve or build a community center. Grants cannot pay to duplicate existing service or for general operating costs, except for the free-service bandwidth and spectrum costs allowed. Up to the smaller of 10 percent of the grant or $150,000 may go to the community center. Recipients must contribute at least 15 percent of the grant in cash (not federal funds). Applicants must apply to the Secretary and show proof of their cash match. Congress authorized $50,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2019–2023.

Full Legal Text

Title 7, §950bb–3

Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In this section:

(1)The term “eligible broadband service” means broadband service that has the capability to transmit data at a speed specified by the Secretary, which may not be less than the applicable minimum download and upload speeds established by the Federal Communications Commission in defining the term “advanced telecommunications capability” for purposes of section 1302 of title 47.

(2)The term “eligible service area” means an area in which broadband service capacity is less than—

(A)a 10-Mbps downstream transmission capacity; and

(B)a 1-Mbps upstream transmission capacity.

(3)(A)The term “eligible entity” means a legally organized entity that—

(i)is—

(I)an incorporated organization;

(II)an Indian Tribe or Tribal organization;

(III)a State;

(IV)a unit of local government; or

(V)any other legal entity, including a cooperative, a private corporation, or a limited liability company, that is organized on a for-profit or a not-for-profit basis; and

(ii)has the legal capacity and authority to enter into a contract, to comply with applicable Federal laws, and to own and operate broadband facilities, as proposed in the application submitted by the entity for a grant under the Program.

(B)The term “eligible entity” does not include—

(i)an individual; or

(ii)a partnership.

(4)The term “rural area” has the meaning given the term in section 950bb(b)(3)(A) of this title.

(b)The Secretary shall establish a program, to be known as the “Community Connect Grant Program”, to provide grants to eligible entities to finance broadband transmission in rural areas.

(c)An eligible entity that receives a grant under the Program shall use the grant to carry out a project that—

(1)provides eligible broadband service to, within the proposed eligible service area described in the application submitted by the eligible entity—

(A)each essential community facility as defined pursuant to section 1926(a) of this title; and

(B)any required facilities necessary to offer that eligible broadband service to each residential and business customer within such proposed eligible service area; and

(2)for not less than 2 years—

(A)furnishes free eligible broadband service to a community center described in subsection (d)(1)(B);

(B)provides not fewer than 2 computer access points for that free eligible broadband service; and

(C)covers the cost of bandwidth to provide free eligible broadband service to each essential community facility that requests broadband services within the proposed eligible service area described in the application submitted by the eligible entity.

(d)(1)An eligible entity that receives a grant under the Program may use the grant for—

(A)the construction, acquisition, or leasing of facilities (including spectrum), land, or buildings to deploy eligible broadband service; and

(B)the improvement, expansion, construction, or acquisition of a community center within the proposed eligible service area described in the application submitted by the eligible entity.

(2)An eligible entity that receives a grant under the Program shall not use the grant for—

(A)the duplication of any existing eligible broadband service provided by another entity in the eligible service area; or

(B)operating expenses, except as provided in—

(i)subsection (c)(2)(C) with respect to free eligible broadband service; and

(ii)paragraph (1)(A) with respect to spectrum.

(3)Of the amounts provided to an eligible entity under a grant under the Program, the eligible entity shall use to carry out paragraph (1)(B) not greater than the lesser of—

(A)10 percent; and

(B)$150,000.

(e)(1)An eligible entity that receives a grant under the Program shall provide a cash contribution in an amount that is not less than 15 percent of the amount of the grant.

(2)A cash contribution described in paragraph (1)—

(A)shall be used solely for the project for which the eligible entity receives a grant under the Program; and

(B)shall not include any Federal funds, unless a Federal statute specifically provides that those Federal funds may be considered to be from a non-Federal source.

(f)(1)To be eligible to receive a grant under the Program, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.

(2)An application submitted by an eligible entity under paragraph (1) shall include documentation sufficient to demonstrate the availability of funds to satisfy the requirement of subsection (e).

(g)There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

7 U.S.C. § 950bb–3

Title 7 — Agriculture

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73