,,ii #aadth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #cdjh ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #bh1 #bjaf ,mrs4 ,gillibrand 7for herself and ,mrs4 ,capito7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,rural ,electrification ,act of #aicf to provide grants for access to broadband telecommunications services in rural areas1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,broadband ,connections for ,rural ,opportunities ,program ,act of #bjaf or the ,b-,,crop ,act of #bjaf4 #b4 ,access to broadband telecommunications services in rural areas ,section #fja of the ,rural ,electrification ,act of #aicf 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #iej;bb7 is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 7a71 by striking loans and and inserting grants1 loans1 and2 7#b7 in subsection 7c7-- 7,a7 in the subsection heading1 by striking ,loans and and inserting ,grants1 loans1 and2 7,b7 in paragraph 7#a71 by inserting make grants and after ,secretary shall2 and 7,c7 by striking paragraph 7#b7 and inserting the following3 7#b7 ,priority 7,a7 ,in general ,in making grants1 loans1 or loan guarantees under paragraph 7#a71 the ,secretary shall-- 7i7 establish #a ongoing evaluation period for each fiscal year to compare grant1 loan1 and loan guarantee applications and to prioritize grants1 loans1 and loan guarantees to all or part of rural communities that do not have residential broadband service that meets the minimum acceptable level of broadband service established under subsection 7e72 7ii7 give the highest priority to applicants that offer to provide broadband service to the greatest proportion of unserved rural households or rural households that do not have residential broadband service that meets the minimum acceptable level of broadband service established under subsection 7e71 as-- 7,i7 certified by the affected community1 city1 county1 or designee2 or 7,,ii7 demonstrated on-- 7aa7 the broadband map of the affected ,state if the map contains address-level data2 or 7bb7 the ,national ,broadband ,map if address-level data is unavailable2 and 7iii7 provide equal consideration to all qualified applicants1 including those that have not previously received grants1 loans1 or loan guarantees under paragraph 7#a74 7,b7 ,other ,after giving priority to the applicants described in subparagraph 7,a71 the ,secretary shall then give priority to projects that serve rural communities-- 7i7 with a population of less than #aj1jjj permanent residents2 7ii7 experiencing out-migration2 7iii7 with a high percentage of low-income residents2 and 7iv7 that are isolated from other significant population centers4 7#c7 ,grant amounts 7,a7 ,eligibility ,to be eligible for a grant under this section1 the project that is the subject of the grant shall be carried out in a rural area4 7,b7 ,maximum ,except as provided in subparagraph 7,d71 the amount of any grant made under this section shall not exceed #ej percent of the development costs of the project for which the grant is provided4 7,c7 ,grant rate ,the ,secretary shall establish the grant rate for each project in accordance with regulations issued by the ,secretary that shall provide for a graduated scale of grant rates that establish higher rates for projects in communities that have-- 7i7 remote locations2 7ii7 low community populations2 7iii7 low income levels2 7iv7 developed the applications of the communities with the participation of1 and will receive a portion of the funding for the project from1 combinations of stakeholders1 including-- 7,i7 ,state1 local1 and tribal governments2 7,,ii7 nonprofit institutions2 7,,iii7 community anchor institutions1 such as-- 7aa7 public libraries2 7bb7 elementary schools and secondary schools 7as defined in section #haja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja772 7cc7 institutions of higher education2 and 7dd7 health care facilities2 7,,iv7 private entities2 and 7,v7 philanthropic organizations2 and 7v7 targeted funding to provide the minimum acceptable level of broadband service established under subsection 7e7 in all or part of an unserved community that is below that minimum acceptable level of broadband service4 7,d7 ,secretarial authority to adjust ,the ,secretary may make grants of up to #ge percent of the development costs of the project for which the grant is provided to an eligible entity if the ,secretary determines that the project serves a remote or low income area that does not have access to broadband service from any provider of broadband service 7including the applicant74 2 7#c7 in subsection 7d7-- 7,a7 in paragraph 7#a77;,a7-- 7i7 in the matter preceding clause 7i71 by striking loan or and inserting grant1 loan1 or2 7ii7 in clause 7ii71 by striking a loan application and inserting an application2 and 7iii7 in clause 7iii7-- 7,i7 by striking the loan application and inserting the application2 and 7,,ii7 by striking proceeds from the loan made or guaranteed under this section are and inserting assistance under this section is2 7,b7 in paragraph 7#b7-- 7i7 in subparagraph 7,a7-- 7,i7 in the matter preceding clause 7i7-- 7aa7 by striking the proceeds of a loan made or guaranteed and inserting assistance2 and 7bb7 by striking for the loan or loan guarantee and inserting of the eligible entity2 and 7,,ii7 in clause 7ii71 by striking #c and inserting #b2 and 7ii7 in subparagraph 7,c71 by striking clause 7ii7 and inserting the following3 7ii7 ,exceptions ,clause 7i7 shall not apply if the applicant is eligible for funding under another title of this ,act4 2 7,c7 in paragraph 7#c71 in subparagraph 7,a71 by striking loan or and inserting grant1 loan1 or2 7,d7 in paragraph 7#d71 by striking loan or and inserting grant1 loan1 or2 7,e7 in paragraph 7#e77;,a71 in the matter preceding clause 7i71 by striking loan or and inserting grant1 loan1 or2 7,f7 in paragraph 7#f71 by striking loan or and inserting grant1 loan1 or2 7,g7 in paragraph 7#g71 by striking a loan application and inserting an application2 and 7,h7 by adding at the end the following3 7#aa7 ,technical assistance and training 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall provide to eligible entities described in paragraph 7#a7 technical assistance and training-- 7i7 to prepare reports and surveys necessary to request grants1 loans1 and loan guarantees under this section for broadband deployment2 7ii7 to improve management1 including financial management1 relating to the proposed broadband deployment2 7iii7 to prepare applications for grants1 loans1 and loan guarantees under this section2 or 7iv7 to assist with other areas of need identified by the ,secretary4 7,b7 ,funding ,not less than #c percent and not more than #e percent of amounts appropriated to carry out this section for a fiscal year shall be used for technical assistance and training under this paragraph4 2 7#d7 in subsection 7f71 by striking make a loan or loan guarantee and inserting provide assistance2 7#e7 in subsection 7j7-- 7,a7 in the matter preceding paragraph 7#a71 by striking loan and loan guarantee2 7,b7 in paragraph 7#a71 by inserting grants and after number of2 7,c7 in paragraph 7#b7-- 7i7 in subparagraph 7,a71 by striking loan2 and 7ii7 in subparagraph 7,b71 by striking loans and and inserting grants1 loans1 and2 and 7,d7 in paragraph 7#c71 by striking loan2 7#f7 by redesignating subsections 7k7 and 7l7 as subsections 7l7 and 7m71 respectively2 7#g7 by inserting after subsection 7j7 the following3 7k7 ,broadband buildout data 7#a7 ,in general ,as a condition of receiving a grant1 loan1 or loan guarantee under this section1 a recipient of assistance shall provide to the ,secretary address-level broadband buildout data that indicates the location of new broadband service that is being provided or upgraded within the service territory supported by the grant1 loan1 or loan guarantee-- 7,a7 for purposes of inclusion in the semiannual updates to the ,national ,broadband ,map that is managed by the ,federal ,communications ,commission 7referred to in this subsection as the ,commission72 and 7,b7 not later than #cj days after the earlier of-- 7i7 the date of completion of any project milestone established by the ,secretary2 or 7ii7 the date of completion of the project4 7#b7 ,address-level data ,effective beginning on the date the ,commission receives data described in paragraph 7#a71 the ,commission shall use only address-level broadband buildout data for the ,national ,broadband ,map4 7#c7 ,corrections 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall submit to the ,commission any correction to the ,national ,broadband ,map that is based on the actual level of broadband coverage within the rural area1 including any requests for a correction from an elected or economic development official4 7,b7 ,incorporation ,not later than #cj days after the date on which the ,commission receives a correction submitted under subparagraph 7,a71 the ,commission shall incorporate the correction into the ,national ,broadband ,map4 7,c7 ,use ,if the ,secretary has submitted a correction to the ,commission under subparagraph 7,a71 but the ,national ,broadband ,map has not been updated to reflect the correction by the date on which the ,secretary is making a grant or loan award decision under this section1 the ,secretary may use the correction submitted under that subparagraph for purposes of make the grant or loan award decision4 2 7#h7 in subsection 7l7 7as redesignated by paragraph 7#f77-- 7,a7 in paragraph 7#a71 by striking #be1jjj1jjj and inserting #ej1jjj1jjj2 and 7,b7 in paragraph 7#b77;,a7-- 7i7 in clause 7i71 by striking and at the end2 7ii7 in clause 7ii71 by striking the period at the end and inserting 2 and2 and 7iii7 by adding at the end the following3 7iii7 set aside at least #a percent to be used for-- 7,i7 conducting oversight under this section2 and 7,,ii7 implementing accountability measures and related activities authorized under this section4 2 and 7#i7 in subsection 7m7 7as redesignated by paragraph 7#f771 by striking loan or and inserting grant1 loan1 or4