Closing the Digital Divide for Students Act of 2024

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7948 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7948

  To include reasonable costs for high-speed internet service in the 
  utility allowances for families residing in public housing, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 11, 2024

  Mr. Foster (for himself, Ms. Norton, Ms. Dean of Pennsylvania, Mr. 
   Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. McGovern, and Mrs. Beatty) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To include reasonable costs for high-speed internet service in the 
  utility allowances for families residing in public housing, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Closing the Digital Divide for 
Students Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. INCLUSION OF HIGH-SPEED INTERNET SERVICE IN PUBLIC HOUSING 
              UTILITY ALLOWANCES FOR CERTAIN FAMILIES.

    Subsection (b) of section 3 of the United States Housing Act of 
1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following 
new paragraph:
    ``(14) Utility Allowance.--A utility allowance under this Act for 
public housing shall include costs for high-speed internet service, 
including the cost of renting or purchasing equipment necessary to 
access such service and a one-time installation fee, subject to the 
following limitations:
            ``(A) Cost.--The cost included in a utility allowance for a 
        public housing dwelling unit pursuant to this paragraph for 
        monthly internet service shall not--
                    ``(i) exceed the lowest cost available in the area 
                of such housing for such monthly high-speed internet 
                service; and
                    ``(ii) include any costs for cable or satellite 
                television service or telephone service.
            ``(B) Family choice.--Subparagraph (A) may not be construed 
        to prohibit a household in public housing from subscribing to--
                    ``(i) a high-speed internet service the cost of 
                which exceeds the cost described in subparagraph 
                (A)(i); or
                    ``(ii) any joint package for internet service 
                together with cable or satellite television service or 
                telephone service, or both.
            ``(C) Qualified families.--Costs for high-speed internet 
        service may be included in a utility allowance only for a 
        household that incurs such costs and includes children who 
        qualify for free and reduced price lunch pursuant to section 9 
        of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 
        1758).
            ``(D) Protection of minors.--Costs for high-speed internet 
        service may be included in a utility allowance for a household 
        only if the internet service provider, upon initial provision 
        of such service for a household, provides the household with a 
        specific technology capable of blocking or filtering internet 
        access to visual depictions described in section 
        254(h)(5)(B)(i) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
        254(h)(5)(B)(i)) that provides a level of protection against 
        access by minors to such depictions through the internet that 
        is at least as great as the level of protection provided by a 
        technology protection measure (as such term is defined in 
        paragraph (7) of such section 254(h)) that meets the 
        requirements for certification under such paragraph, as 
        determined by the Secretary.''.
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