,i  #aaeth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #dhcb  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,january #ah1        
#bjah,mr4 ,cramer introduced the        
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce 
,a ,,bill  ,to amend the ,communications
 ,act of #aicd to clarify that an       
eligible telecommunications carrier may 
use high cost universal service support 
to aid in the restoration of            
telecommunications capabilities in an   
area in which the ,president has        
declared a major disaster or emergency  
and may elect to receive an advance     
payment of such support4  #a4 ,short    
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,restoring ,economic ,strength and      
,telecommunications ,operations by      
,releasing ,expected ,dollars ,act of   
#bjah or the ,,restored ,act of #bjah4  
#b4 ,use of high cost universal service 
support following presidentially        
declared major disasters or emergencies 
,section #bed of the ,communications    

,act of #aicd 7#dg ,u4,s4,c4 #bed7 is   
amended by adding at the end the        
following3  7m7 ,use of high cost       
universal service support following     
presidentially declared major disasters 
or emergencies  7#a7 ,use of support ,a 
covered telecommunications carrier may  
use high cost support received with     
respect to a covered area to aid in the 
restoration of telecommunications       
capabilities in such area if such       
carrier--  7,a7 repairs its network as  
rapidly and widely as possible to       
restore service2 and  7,b7 uses such    
support for such restoration only in a  
covered area that is substantially      
unserved by facilities-based providers  
of residential fixed voice and broadband
 service that do not receive high cost  
support4  7#b7 ,advance payments  7,a7  
,in general ,if a covered               
telecommunications carrier makes an     
election described in subparagraph 7,b7 
with respect to a covered area1 the     
,commission shall provide to such       

carrier in the form of a single advance 
payment the high cost support that1 in  
the absence of such election1 such      
carrier would have received with respect
 to such area over the number of months 
specified in such election4  7,b7       
,election ,the election described in    
this subparagraph is an election-- 7i7  
by a covered telecommunications carrier 
to receive high cost support with       
respect to a covered area for a number  
of months specified in the election 7not
 to exceed #g months7 in the form of a  
single advance payment2 and  7ii7 that  
is made not later than #cj days after   
the ,president has declared a major     
disaster or emergency under the ,robert 
,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and     
,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db        
,u4,s4,c4 #eaba et seq47 with respect to
 such area4  7#c7 ,definitions  7,a7    
,covered area ,the term covered area    
means an area with respect to which the 
,president has declared a major disaster
 or emergency under the ,robert ,t4     

,stafford ,disaster ,relief and         
,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db        
,u4,s4,c4 #eaba et seq474  7,b7 ,covered
 telecommunications carrier ,the term   
covered telecommunications carrier means
 an eligible telecommunications carrier 
designated under section #bad7;e7 that  
receives high cost support with respect 
to a covered area4  7,c7 ,high cost     
support ,the term high cost support     
means universal service support for high
 cost areas under subpart ,d of part #ed
 of title #dg1 ,code of ,federal        
,regulations4  4