,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #aeae  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,may #af1      
#bjai,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 #bjai4  #b4   
,availability of mobile broadband       
service in underserved rural areas  7a7 
,definitions  7#a7 ,in general ,in this 
section3 7,a7 ,commission ,the term     
,commission means the ,federal          
,communications ,commission4  7,b7      
,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,c7 ,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  7#b7 ,mobile      
broadband service ,the ,commission shall
 define the term mobile broadband       
service for purposes of this section4   
7b7 ,establishment of standard  7#a7    
,commencement of rulemaking ,not later  
than #ahj days after the date of        
enactment of this ,act1 the ,commission 
shall commence a rulemaking to 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 mobile 
broadband service available in rural    
areas is reasonably comparable to mobile
 broadband service provided in urban    

areas4  7#b7 ,progress reports ,not less
 frequently than once every #ahj days   
after commencing the rulemaking under   
paragraph 7#a71 the ,commission shall   
submit to ,congress a report on the     
progress of the ,commission in          
establishing the standard under that    
paragraph4  7c7 ,considerations ,in     
establishing a standard under subsection
 7b71 the ,commission shall consider--  
7#a7 defining a rural area as any area--
 7,a7 in which a school or library      
designated as rural under section       
#ed4eje7;b77#c77;i7 of title #dg1 ,code 
of ,federal ,regulations1 as in effect  
on the date of enactment of this ,act1  
is located2 or  7,b7 that is a service  
area that is served by a rural telephone
 company2  7#b7 defining a rural area as
 underserved1 with respect to mobile    
broadband service1 if mobile broadband  
service that meets or exceeds the       
standard established under subsection   
7b7 is not available in the area2 and   
7#c7 providing that a rural area shall  

be considered underserved1 with respect 
to mobile broadband service1 if tests   
show that the average speed and signal  
strength of mobile broadband service    
available in the area do not meet or    
exceed the average speed and signal     
strength of mobile broadband service    
provided in the #bj most populous       
metropolitan statistical areas in the   
,united ,states4  7d7 ,data from urban  
areas ,to help inform the standard      
established under subsection 7b71 the   
,commission shall gather1 and           
periodically update1 data on mobile     
broadband service provided in the #bj   
most populous metropolitan statistical  
areas in the ,united ,states4