[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8466 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8466

  To amend division N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 to 
  improve the Affordable Connectivity Program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 17, 2024

   Mr. Williams of New York introduced the following bill; which was 
 referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to 
       the Committees on Financial Services, Transportation and 
  Infrastructure, Science, Space, and Technology, Natural Resources, 
Oversight and Accountability, Foreign Affairs, and the Judiciary, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend division N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 to 
  improve the Affordable Connectivity 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 ``Affordable Connectivity Program 
Improvement and Extension Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVING THE AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM.

    (a) Improving Verification of Eligibility.--
            (1) Required use of national verifier to determine 
        eligibility.--Section 904 of division N of the Consolidated 
        Appropriations Act, 2021 (47 U.S.C. 1752) is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (a)(6)(C), by striking ``or the 
                participating provider verifies eligibility under 
                subsection (a)(2)(B)''; and
                    (B) in subsection (b)(2), by striking ``shall'' and 
                all that follows and inserting the following: ``shall 
                use the National Verifier or National Lifeline 
                Accountability Database.''.
            (2) Repeal of eligibility through a provider's existing 
        low-income program.--Section 904(a)(6) of division N of the 
        Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (47 U.S.C. 1752(a)(6)) is 
        amended--
                    (A) in subparagraph (C), by adding ``or'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) by striking subparagraph (D); and
                    (C) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as 
                subparagraph (D).
            (3) Limitation on eligibility through the community 
        eligibility provision of the free lunch program and the free 
        school breakfast program.--Section 904(a)(6) of division N of 
        the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (47 U.S.C. 
        1752(a)(6)) is amended by striking subparagraph (B) and 
        inserting the following:
                    ``(B) at least 1 member of the household--
                            ``(i) is eligible for and receives--
                                    ``(I) free or reduced price lunch 
                                under the school lunch program 
                                established under the Richard B. 
                                Russell National School Lunch Act (42 
                                U.S.C. 1751 et seq.); or
                                    ``(II) free or reduced price 
                                breakfast under the school breakfast 
                                program established under section 4 of 
                                the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 
                                U.S.C. 1773); and
                            ``(ii) attends a school the local 
                        educational agency of which does not elect to 
                        receive special assistance payments under 
                        section 11(a)(1)(F) of the Richard B. Russell 
                        National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 
                        1759a(a)(1)(F)).''.
            (4) Reduction of eligible households.--Section 904(a)(6)(A) 
        of division N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (47 
        U.S.C. 1752(a)(6)(A)) is amended by striking ``except that'' 
        and all that follows and inserting a semicolon.
            (5) Informational requirement.--Section 904(b)(6) of 
        division N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (47 
        U.S.C. 1752(b)(6)) is amended by adding at the end the 
        following:
                    ``(D) That the participating provider has obtained 
                the last 4 digits of the social security number of at 
                least 1 member from each eligible household for which 
                the participating provider is seeking reimbursement.''.
            (6) Effective date; rules.--
                    (A) Definitions.--In this paragraph--
                            (i) the terms ``affordable connectivity 
                        benefit'', ``Commission'', ``eligible 
                        household'', and ``participating provider'' 
                        have the meanings given those terms in section 
                        904(a) of division N of the Consolidated 
                        Appropriations Act, 2021 (47 U.S.C. 1752(a)), 
                        as amended by this subsection; and
                            (ii) the term ``Affordable Connectivity 
                        Program'' means the program established under 
                        section 904(b)(1) of division N of the 
                        Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (47 
                        U.S.C. 1752(b)(1)).
                    (B) Effective date.--Except as provided in 
                subparagraph (C), the amendments made by this 
                subsection shall take effect on the date of enactment 
                of this Act.
                    (C) Enrolled households.--A household that received 
                the affordable connectivity benefit as of April 30, 
                2024, but is no longer an eligible household by reason 
                of the amendments made by this subsection shall 
                nonetheless be treated as an eligible household until 
                the date that is 180 days after the date of enactment 
                of this Act.
                    (D) Updating rules.--Not later than 180 days after 
                the date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall 
                update the rules of the Commission relating to the 
                Affordable Connectivity Program to implement the 
                amendments made by this subsection.
                    (E) Re-certification.--During the period beginning 
                on the date on which the Commission updates the rules 
                under subparagraph (D) and ending on the date that is 
                240 days after the date of enactment of this Act, a 
                participating provider or the Administrator of the 
                Universal Service Administrative Company, as 
                applicable, shall re-certify the eligibility of a 
                household for the Affordable Connectivity Program in 
                accordance with section 54.1806(f) of title 47, Code of 
                Federal Regulations, or any successor regulation, based 
                on the amendments made by this subsection.
    (b) Limitation With Respect to Changing Providers.--Section 
904(a)(6) of division N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 
(47 U.S.C. 1752(a)(6)), as amended by subsection (a), is further 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and (D) 
        as clauses (i), (ii), (iii), and (iv), respectively, and 
        conforming the margins accordingly;
            (2) by striking ``The term'' and inserting the following:
                    ``(A) In general.--The term''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) Limitation with respect to changing 
                providers.--Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), in the 
                case of a household that receives an affordable 
                connectivity benefit pursuant to the Affordable 
                Connectivity Program and is seeking to change broadband 
                providers, the term `eligible household' does not apply 
                to such household for purposes of a new broadband 
                provider unless such household has been receiving 
                broadband internet access service from the current 
                broadband provider of such household for at least 180 
                days.''.
    (c) Antifraud Controls, Performance Goals, and Measures.--Section 
904 of division N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (47 
U.S.C. 1752) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(k) Antifraud Controls, Performance Goals, and Measures.--Not 
later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this subsection, the 
Commission shall develop and implement antifraud controls, performance 
goals, and performance measures for the Affordable Connectivity 
Program, and in doing so, shall consider the recommendations submitted 
by the Comptroller General of the United States to the Commission in 
the report entitled `Affordable Broadband: FCC Could Improve 
Performance Goals and Measures, Consumer Outreach, and Fraud Risk 
Management', publicly released January 25, 2023 (GAO-23-105399).''.
    (d) Report on Effectiveness.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Inspector General of the Federal 
Communications Commission shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Energy 
and Commerce of the House of Representatives a report analyzing the 
effects of this section, including the amendments made by this section, 
with respect to improving the efficiency and quality of the Affordable 
Connectivity Program established under section 904 of division N of the 
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (47 U.S.C. 1752).
    (e) Appropriation of Funds.--Section 904(i)(2) of division N of the 
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (47 U.S.C. 1752(i)(2)) is 
amended--
            (1) in the paragraph heading, by striking ``Appropriation'' 
        and inserting ``Appropriations'';
            (2) by striking ``There is'' and inserting the following:
                    ``(A) Fiscal year 2021.--There is''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) Fiscal year 2024.--There is appropriated to 
                the Affordable Connectivity Fund, out of any money in 
                the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $6,000,000,000 
                for fiscal year 2024, to remain available until 
                expended.''.
    (f) Rescission.--Section 521(a)(4) of the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2024 is amended by striking ``$12,440,000,000,'' 
and inserting ``$18,440,000,000,''.
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