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Title 7, AgricultureRelease 119-73not60

§950bb–2 Innovative Broadband Advancement Program

Title 7 › Chapter 31— RURAL ELECTRIFICATION AND TELEPHONE SERVICE › Subchapter VI— RURAL BROADBAND ACCESS › § 950bb–2

Last updated Apr 3, 2026|Official source

Summary

Creates the Innovative Broadband Advancement Program to let the Secretary give grants, loans, or both to eligible groups to test new broadband technologies or new ways to build networks that cut costs and deliver much faster service in rural areas. To get money, an applicant must describe a project that lowers deployment cost and raises speeds to at least the buildout requirements in section 950bb(e)(4), show it can do the work, and finish building within 5 years of first getting funds. The Secretary will favor projects that are partnerships, serve the most rural places at or above the required speeds, and can be copied elsewhere. Rural area — meaning given in section 950bb(b)(3). Funding authorized: $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023.

Full Legal Text

Title 7, §950bb–2

Agriculture, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary shall establish a program to be known as the “Innovative Broadband Advancement Program”, under which the Secretary may provide a grant, a loan, or both to an eligible entity for the purpose of demonstrating innovative broadband technologies or methods of broadband deployment that significantly decrease the cost of broadband deployment, and provide substantially faster broadband speeds than are available, in a rural area.
(b)In this section, the term “rural area” has the meaning provided in section 950bb(b)(3) of this title.
(c)To be eligible to obtain assistance under this section for a project, an entity shall—
(1)submit to the Secretary an application—
(A)that describes a project designed to decrease the cost of broadband deployment, and substantially increase broadband speed to not less than the maximum 11 So in original. Probably should be “minimum”. broadband buildout requirements established under section 950bb(e)(4) of this title, in a rural area to be served by the project; and
(B)at such time, in such manner, and containing such other information as the Secretary may require;
(2)demonstrate that the entity is able to carry out the project; and
(3)agree to complete the project build-out within 5 years after the date the assistance is first provided for the project.
(d)In awarding assistance under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to proposals for projects that—
(1)involve partnerships between or among multiple entities;
(2)would provide broadband service to the greatest number of rural entities at or above the broadband requirements referred to in subsection (c)(1)(A); and
(3)the Secretary determines could be replicated in rural areas described in paragraph (2).
(e)There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2018—Pub. L. 115–334, § 6203(1), substituted “Innovative Broadband Advancement” for “Rural Gigabit Network Pilot” in section catchline. Subsecs. (a) to (d). Pub. L. 115–334, § 6203(4), added subsecs. (a) to (d) and struck out former subsecs. (a) to (c) which defined “ultra-high speed service”, established the Rural Gigabit Network Pilot Program, and set out eligibility requirements for participation in Program, respectively. Former subsec. (d) redesignated (e). Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 115–334, § 6203(2), (3), redesignated subsec. (d) as (e) and substituted “2019 through 2023” for “2014 through 2018”.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

7 U.S.C. § 950bb–2

Title 7, Agriculture

Last Updated

Apr 3, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60