S. 2610: Streamlining Rural Broadband Act of 2025

The Streamlining Rural Broadband Act of 2025 is a bill that aims to improve broadband access in rural areas by making some changes to existing programs. Below are the key components of what this bill proposes to do:

Repeal of the Community Connect Grant Program

The bill proposes the repeal of the Community Connect Grant program, which is currently part of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936. This program provided funding specifically to help communities in rural areas connect to broadband services. With the repeal, this program and its associated funding will no longer exist.

Amendments to Relevant Sections of Law

In addition to repealing the Community Connect Grant program, the bill includes amendments to several sections of existing laws:

• The amendments will remove references to the Community Connect Grant program from related legislations.
• Changes will be made to sections in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, adjusting how broadband grants and connectivity measures are described and organized.
• This includes updating how these grants interact with other programs aimed at enhancing broadband connectivity.

Availability of Funds for ReConnect Program

The bill allows for any unused funds previously allocated to the Community Connect Grant program to be redirected to the ReConnect Program, which is another initiative aimed at improving broadband access in rural areas. The ReConnect Program focuses on providing loans and grants to facilitate broadband deployment.

Impact on the Secretary of Agriculture

Once the bill is enacted, the Secretary of Agriculture will have access to these funds without needing additional appropriations from Congress. This aims to streamline the process of funding broadband projects under the ReConnect Program, which could potentially accelerate the rollout of rural broadband services.

General Implications

The overarching goal of the Streamlining Rural Broadband Act is to simplify and enhance the deployment of broadband services in rural regions, focusing on redirecting resources to the ReConnect Program and eliminating the Community Connect Grant program.

Relevant Companies

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