Community Connect Grant Program Act of 2025
- Bill Number
- H.R. 6070
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-12-02: Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-04T08:08:41Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
This legislation, titled the "Community Connect Grant Program Act of 2025," aims to reauthorize and enhance the Community Connect Grant Program under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936. The program provides federal grants to expand broadband internet access in underserved rural areas, helping to bridge the digital divide by funding the construction of high-speed internet infrastructure where private providers are unlikely to invest.
Key Provisions
- Broadband Speed Standards: Updates the minimum broadband speeds required for grants. Eligible projects must provide at least 100 Mbps download speed and 20 Mbps upload speed in targeted rural areas. For areas already receiving some service, the threshold is raised to 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload.
- Eligibility Expansion: Broadens the definition of eligible rural areas to include those without current broadband but with enforceable commitments for future deployment under other federal broadband programs (e.g., promises from providers funded by separate initiatives).
- Reauthorization Period: Extends the program's authorization through fiscal year 2030, previously set to expire in 2023.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Increases broadband speed benchmarks from previous levels (e.g., from lower thresholds like 10 Mbps download in some cases) to align with modern high-speed internet needs, ensuring grants support more robust infrastructure.
- Refines the focus on "rural areas" explicitly, excluding non-rural zones more clearly.
- Adds flexibility by allowing grants in areas with planned broadband from other programs, reducing overlap with existing federal efforts and promoting efficient use of funds.
- Prolongs the program's life by seven years, providing long-term stability for rural broadband development.
Potential Impacts
- On Citizens: Improves access to reliable high-speed internet for rural residents, enabling better opportunities for education, telehealth, remote work, and online services, potentially reducing urban-rural disparities.
- On Government Agencies: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which administers the program through its Rural Utilities Service, will manage increased funding demands and coordinate with other broadband initiatives, possibly streamlining federal efforts.
- On International Relations: Minimal direct impact, though enhanced rural connectivity could indirectly support U.S. competitiveness in global digital economies.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Rural Communities and Residents: Primary beneficiaries, gaining improved internet access in unserved or underserved areas.
- Telecommunications Providers and Non-Profits: Eligible applicants (e.g., cooperatives, tribes, or nonprofits) that can apply for grants to build infrastructure.
- Federal Government: USDA and related agencies overseeing program implementation and funding allocation.
- Private Broadband Providers: Indirectly affected through coordination to avoid duplicative investments in areas with existing or planned services.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Strengthens the Rural Electrification Act by modernizing it for contemporary broadband needs without altering core grant mechanisms, ensuring compliance with existing federal funding rules (e.g., no new appropriations specified, relying on annual budgets).
- Constitutional: No apparent challenges; supports the Constitution's commerce clause by promoting interstate commerce through infrastructure, and upholds equal protection by targeting underserved rural populations.
- Political: Advances bipartisan goals of rural development and digital equity, potentially influencing future farm bills or infrastructure legislation. It emphasizes efficient federal spending by integrating with other programs, but could spark debates on funding priorities amid competing broadband initiatives like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1]
Cosponsors (1)
Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5]
Recent Actions
- 2025-12-02: Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development.
- 2025-11-17: Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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.
- 2025-11-17: Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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.
- 2025-11-17: Introduced in House
- 2025-11-17: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Community Connect Grant Program Act of 2025 — issued 2025-11-17 — PDF (3 pages)