# 119-s-4438: Promoting Access to Broadband Act of 2026

119-s-4438, Promoting Access to Broadband Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] (D-IL); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4438
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4438
- Congress: 119
- Title: Promoting Access to Broadband Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-04-29
- Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] (D-IL)
- Cosponsors: 5
- Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Expand Lifeline access and strengthen verification**. This bill would create two Federal Communications Commission grant programs: one to fund state outreach so eligible low-income households learn about Lifeline and another to connect household-benefit databases to the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier. - Low-income and covered individuals would get more targeted outreach and hands-on help applying through state grants and nonprofit partnerships. - States and federally recognized Indian Tribes could receive competitive outreach and verifier grants. The FCC must award outreach grants to at least 25% of submitting States and outreach funding is authorized for the first five full fiscal years. - Nonprofit and community groups can partner with States to run outreach and assist with applications. Verifier grants would link benefits such as SNAP to the national verifier to help confirm eligibility and reduce duplicate Lifeline subsidies.

## Cosponsors (5)

- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-04-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2026-04-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA), 2026-04-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN), 2026-04-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL] (D-IL), 2026-04-29T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Faster Lifeline verification for SNAP: benefit, low. If enacted, the FCC would have to set up a grant program within 90 days so States can link household benefit records (including SNAP) to the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier. A State would be eligible if it applied within 30 days after enactment. The FCC would have to send each State its gran…
- More Lifeline outreach for low-income: benefit, low. If enacted, the FCC would run a competitive grant program to pay States to tell covered individuals that they may qualify for Lifeline and to help them apply. States would have to include how many covered individuals they can reach, which State agencies will help, and an estimate of the percent of…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-4438 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4438)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3869)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4438 (as of 2026-09-10).