,,ii  #aaeth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #bdah  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,february #ac1 
#bjah,ms4 ,hassan 7for herself and ,mrs4
 ,capito7 introduced the following bill2
 which was read twice and referred to   
the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1  
and ,transportation  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
direct the ,federal ,communications     
,commission to promulgate regulations   
that establish a national standard for  
determining whether mobile and broadband
 services available in rural areas are  
reasonably comparable to those services 
provided in urban areas4  #a4 ,short    
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,rural ,reasonable and ,comparable      
,wireless ,access ,act of #bjah4  #b4   
,availability of mobile and broadband   
services in underserved rural areas  7a7
 ,definitions ,in this section3  7#a7   
,broadband ,internet access service ,the
 term broadband ,internet access        
service-- 7,a7 means a mass-market      
retail service by wire or radio that    

provides the capability to transmit data
 to1 and receive data from1 all or      
substantially all ,internet endpoints1  
including any capabilities that are     
incidental to1 and enable the operation 
of1 the communications service2  7,b7   
includes any service that the           
,commission finds to provide a          
functional equivalent of the service    
described in subparagraph 7,a72 and     
7,c7 does not include dial-up ,internet 
access service4  7#b7 ,commercial mobile
 data service ,the term commercial      
mobile data service has the meaning     
given the term in section #fjja of the  
,middle ,class ,tax ,relief and ,job    
,creation ,act of #bjab 7#dg ,u4,s4,c4  
#adja74  7#c7 ,commercial mobile service
 ,the term commercial mobile service has
 the meaning given the term in section  
#ccb7;d7 of the ,communications ,act of 
#aicd 7#dg ,u4,s4,c4 #ccb7;d774  7#d7   
,commission ,the term ,commission means 
the ,federal ,communications            
,commission4  7#e7 ,rural telephone     

company ,the term rural telephone       
company has the meaning given the term  
in section #c of the ,communications    
,act of #aicd 7#dg ,u4,s4,c4 #aec74     
7#f7 ,service area ,the term service    
area has the meaning given the term in  
section #bad7;e7 of the ,communications 
,act of #aicd 7#dg ,u4,s4,c4 #bad7;e774 
7b7 ,establishment of standard ,not     
later than #ahj days after the date of  
enactment of this ,act1 the ,commission 
shall promulgate regulations that       
establish a national standard to        
determine1 with respect to access to    
universal service in rural1 insular1 and
 high-cost areas under section          
#bed7;b77#c7 of the ,communications ,act
 of #aicd 7#dg ,u4,s4,c4 #bed7;b77#c771 
whether commercial mobile services1     
commercial mobile data services1 and    
broadband ,internet access services     
available in rural areas are reasonably 
comparable to those services provided in
 urban areas4  7c7 ,underserved rural   
areas ,the standard established under   

subsection 7b7 shall-- 7#a7 define a    
rural area as any area that is--  7,a7 a
 rural area1 as defined in section      
#ed4fjj7;b77#a7 of title #dg1 ,code of  
,federal ,regulations1 as in effect on  
the date of enactment of this ,act2 or  
7,b7 a service area that is served by a 
rural telephone company2  7#b7 define a 
rural area as underserved1 with respect 
to a service described in subsection    
7b71 if service that meets or exceeds   
the standard established under that     
subsection is not available in the area2
 and  7#c7 provide that a rural area    
shall be considered underserved1 with   
respect to a service described in       
subsection 7b71 if tests show that the  
service available in the area does not  
meet or exceed the applicable average   
determined under subsection 7d77#a7 with
 respect to that service4  7d7 ,data    
from urban areas ,the ,commission       
shall-- 7#a7 gather data on the average 
signal strength and average speed of    
commercial mobile service and commercial

 mobile data service1 and on the average
 speed of broadband ,internet access    
service1 provided in the #bj most       
populous metropolitan statistical areas 
in the ,united ,states2 and  7#b7       
specify in the standard established     
under subsection 7b7 that-- 7,a7        
commercial mobile service or commercial 
mobile data service available in a rural
 area is reasonably comparable to that  
service provided in an urban area only  
if the average signal strength and      
average speed with respect to the       
service in the rural area meets or      
exceeds the average determined under    
paragraph 7#a7 with respect to that     
service2 and  7,b7 broadband ,internet  
access service available in a rural area
 is reasonably comparable to that       
service provided in an urban area only  
if the average speed with respect to the
 service in the rural area meets or     
exceeds the average determined under    
paragraph 7#a7 with respect to that     
service4  7e7 ,periodic updating of data

 ,the ,commission shall periodically    
update the data gathered under          
subsection 7d77#a74