[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7461 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7461

   To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit providers of 
broadband internet access service from charging consumers above certain 
                     amounts for certain equipment.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 26, 2024

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit providers of 
broadband internet access service from charging consumers above certain 
                     amounts for certain equipment.

    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 ``Broadband Equipment Rental Reform 
Act''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON CHARGING CONSUMERS ABOVE CERTAIN AMOUNTS FOR 
              CERTAIN RENTED EQUIPMENT.

    Section 642 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 562) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (e); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the following:
    ``(d) Prohibition on Charging Consumers Above Certain Amounts for 
Certain Equipment.--A provider of fixed broadband internet access 
service that enters into a contract with a consumer after the date of 
the enactment of this paragraph for the provision of such service may 
not charge the consumer for renting, leasing, or otherwise providing to 
the consumer equipment (such as a router or modem) employed on the 
premises of the consumer for the provision of such service, if the 
consumer has paid to the provider through monthly rental fees the price 
offered to the consumer by the provider (at the time the contract was 
entered into) for purchasing the equipment from the provider.''.
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