H.R. 9493: Home Internet Accessibility Act

This bill would require the federal government to study and plan for broadband access in federally assisted housing—housing that receives help through programs run by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) or the Department of Agriculture.

What the bill requires

• A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report within 1 year. The Comptroller General would have to report to Congress on whether federally assisted housing can support broadband internet service.

• Detailed mapping of access. The report would identify which federally assisted housing units do and do not currently have broadband service, broken down by state, congressional district, ZIP code, and census tract, and it would include demographic information and the responsible federal agency.

• Assessment of retrofit needs. The report would also identify which housing lacks the physical capacity to support broadband deployment and would need retrofitting, again broken down by geography and with demographic and agency information.

• Cost and timeline estimates. GAO would estimate how much it would cost, and how long it would take, for all federally assisted housing to be able to support broadband service.

• Barriers to deployment. The report would describe challenges to expanding broadband, including differences between rural areas and low-income urban/suburban areas, and the difficulties involved in retrofitting housing.

• Lessons from past efforts. The report would summarize lessons learned from previous retrofit projects.

• Review of HUD’s ConnectHome pilot. The report would evaluate the ConnectHome pilot program.

• Recommendations for Congress. The report would include recommendations on how Congress could ensure all federally assisted housing has the capacity to support broadband, under different possible timelines.

HUD planning requirement

The bill would also direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, working with GAO and other relevant federal agencies, to develop a plan for retrofitting federally assisted housing where needed so it can support broadband service. That plan would have to be submitted to Congress within 18 months after enactment.

Definitions

The bill defines broadband service by reference to federal communications regulations. It defines federally assisted housing broadly to include housing units assisted under HUD or USDA programs. It also includes U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and several territories in its definition of State.

Relevant Companies

None found