[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 43 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 H. R. 43

   To direct the Federal Communications Commission to prioritize the 
   timely processing of certain long-form applications in the Rural 
               Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 9, 2023

 Mr. Bergman introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

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                                 A BILL


 
   To direct the Federal Communications Commission to prioritize the 
   timely processing of certain long-form applications in the Rural 
               Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction.

    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 ``Rural Broadband Window of 
Opportunity Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to level the playing field for service 
providers participating in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund that are 
disadvantaged by short construction seasons.

SEC. 3. APPLICATION PROCESSING PRIORITIZATION.

    With respect to the long-form applicants of the Rural Digital 
Opportunity Fund Phase I auction provided for in the Report and Order 
in the matter of Rural Digital Opportunity Fund and Connect America 
Fund adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (in this section 
referred to as the ``Commission'') on December 7, 2020 (FCC 20-5), the 
Commission shall prioritize the timely processing of long-form 
applications and any subsequent paperwork (in this section referred to 
as the ``applications'') submitted by the long-form applicants as 
follows: The Commission shall prioritize the timely processing of 
applications which are proposing to provide service in geographic areas 
which the Commission determines to have the shortest construction 
seasons (such as in areas characterized by long winters with heavy 
snowfall).
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