S-4201 : Still Just a Bill

This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to take specified actions to expedite the provision of broadband internet access service in unserved rural areas.

Specifically, the FCC must modify the framework for the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction, which aims to facilitate the provision of broadband service to areas that are wholly unserved. Among other requirements, the FCC (1) must accept long-form applications prior to such auction from applicants that are willing to commit to a specified schedule for deploying broadband internet access service, and (2) shall not require applicants to be designated as eligible telecommunications carriers in order to receive Rural Digital Opportunity Fund support.

In addition, the bill establishes a deadline of October 1, 2020, for the FCC to create broadband maps that depict the extent of availability of broadband service in the United States and the areas that remain unserved.