Rep Dave Taylor Introduces Bill to Curb Bureaucratic Delays and Enhance Affordability of Rural Broadband

Rep Dave Taylor (R-OH-2) introduced the Bridging the Broadband Gap Act, which will prioritize the affordability and expansion of broadband to rural communities through satellite and fixed-wireless broadband. This bill will allow states to use funds from the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment Program to pay for 50 percent of the initial cost of a satellite or fixed wireless receiver and $30 of each monthly bill for the first year of service. It will additionally give service priority to counties in the bottom 50 percent of a state’s per capita income. Specifically, this bill would amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to authorize recipients of funds under the BEAD Program to provide broadband vouchers to households in specific locations. Since BEAD has already allocated federal funds to states, the Bridging the Broadband Gap Act would allow current funding to be used for vouchers.