[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2654 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2654

    To amend the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to establish the 
        Community Connect Grant Program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 12, 2018

   Ms. Smith introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to establish the 
        Community Connect Grant Program, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Community Connect Grant Program Act 
of 2018''.

SEC. 2. COMMUNITY CONNECT GRANT PROGRAM.

    Title VI of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 604. COMMUNITY CONNECT GRANT PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Eligible broadband service.--The term `eligible 
        broadband service' means broadband service, as defined in 
        section 601, that operates at or above the applicable minimum 
        download and upload speeds established by the Federal 
        Communications Commission in defining the term `advanced 
        telecommunications capability' for purposes of section 706 of 
        the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (47 U.S.C. 1302).
            ``(2) Eligible entity.--
                    ``(A) In general.--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) Exclusions.--The term `eligible entity' does 
                not include--
                            ``(i) an individual; or
                            ``(ii) a partnership.
            ``(3) Program.--The term `Program' means the Community 
        Connect Grant Program established under subsection (b).
            ``(4) Rural area.--The term `rural area' has the meaning 
        given the term in section 601(b)(3)(A).
    ``(b) Establishment.--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) Eligible Projects.--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 broadband service area described in the 
        application submitted by the eligible entity--
                    ``(A) each essential community facility funded 
                under section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
                Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)); and
                    ``(B) any required facilities necessary to offer 
                that eligible broadband service to each residential and 
                business customer; and
            ``(2) for not less than 2 years--
                    ``(A) furnishes free wireless 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 wireless eligible broadband 
                service; and
                    ``(C) covers the cost of bandwidth to provide free 
                eligible broadband service to each essential community 
                facility funded under section 306(a) of the 
                Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 
                1926(a)) within the proposed eligible broadband service 
                area described in the application submitted by the 
                eligible entity.
    ``(d) Uses of Grant Funds.--
            ``(1) In general.--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 broadband service area described in the 
                application submitted by the eligible entity.
            ``(2) Ineligible uses.--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; or
                    ``(B) operating expenses, except as provided in--
                            ``(i) subsection (c)(2)(C) with respect to 
                        free wireless eligible broadband service; and
                            ``(ii) paragraph (1)(A) with respect to 
                        spectrum.
            ``(3) Free access for community centers.--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) Matching Funds.--
            ``(1) In general.--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) Requirements.--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) Applications.--
            ``(1) In general.--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) Requirement.--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) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $50,000,000 for each fiscal 
year.''.
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