Streamlining Program Efficiency and Expanding Deployment for BEAD Act or the SPEED for BEAD Act
This bill makes certain changes to the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, including by expanding the broadband technologies that may qualify for funding and prohibiting states from regulating broadband rates in connection with the program.
(The BEAD Program is administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and provides funding to eligible entities for broadband deployment, connectivity, mapping, and adoption projects. Eligible entities include U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia.)
Specifically, the bill establishes that projects using any broadband technology (e.g., satellite, fixed wireless, or fiber) may qualify for funding, provided the technology meets specified performance criteria. (Original BEAD rules established a preference for fiber projects.)
The bill also explicitly prohibits eligible entities from regulating, setting, or otherwise mandating pursuant to the BEAD Program (1) rates charged for broadband service, or (2) methodologies used to calculate such rates. The prohibition includes rate regulation carried out in conjunction with the existing requirement that subgrantees offer at least one low-cost broadband service option to certain subscribers.
Further, the bill prohibits the NTIA and eligible entities from establishing or enforcing conditions, preferences, or other requirements related to collective bargaining and labor agreements; climate change; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and other topics. The bill also modifies the purposes for which the funds may be used and the treatment of unused funds.
Finally, the bill replaces the term Equity in the program’s name with Expansion.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1870 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1870
To amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to improve the
Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 5, 2025
Mr. Hudson (for himself, Mr. Allen, Mr. Latta, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr.
Carter of Georgia, Mr. Dunn of Florida, Mr. Joyce of Pennsylvania, Mr.
Fulcher, Mr. Pfluger, Mrs. Cammack, Mr. Obernolte, Mrs. Houchin, Mr.
Fry, Mr. Goldman of Texas, and Mr. Crenshaw) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to improve the
Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, 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 ``Streamlining Program Efficiency and
Expanding Deployment for BEAD Act'' or the ``SPEED for BEAD Act''.
SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT.
(a) Eligible Community Anchor Institution.--Section 60102(a)(1)(E)
of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (47 U.S.C. 1702(a)(1)(E))
is amended--
(1) by striking ``The term'' and inserting the following:
``(i) In general.--The term''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(ii) Gigabit-level broadband service.--In
this subparagraph, the term `gigabit-level
broadband service' means reliable broadband
service offered with download speeds of not
less than 1,000 megabits per second.''.
(b) Program Name.--Section 60102 of the Infrastructure Investment
and Jobs Act (47 U.S.C. 1702) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(2)(J), by striking ``Equity'' and
inserting ``Expansion''; and
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) in the subsection heading, by striking
``Equity'' and inserting ``Expansion''; and
(B) in paragraph (1), by striking ``Equity'' and
inserting ``Expansion''.
(c) Funds Usage.--
(1) Failure to use full allocation.--Section
60102(c)(5)(C)(ii) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs
Act (47 U.S.C. 1702(c)(5)(C)(ii)) is amended by striking
``deadline, the Assistant Secretary'' and all that follows
through the end and inserting ``deadline, the Assistant
Secretary shall transfer the unused amounts to the general fund
of the Treasury.''.
(2) Use of funds.--Section 60102(f) of the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act (47 U.S.C. 1702(f)) is amended--
(A) in paragraph (4)(B), by striking the semicolon
and inserting ``; and''; and
(B) by striking paragraphs (5) and (6) and
inserting the following:
``(5) telecommunications workforce development programs.''.
(d) Project Size Reform.--Section 60102(g)(2) of the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act (47 U.S.C. 1702(g)(2)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period and
inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(D) if the eligible entity awards a subgrant on
the basis of a project area defined by the eligible
entity, incorporate a mechanism--
``(i) for a prospective subgrantee to
remove from such project area a location that
the prospective subgrantee determines would
unreasonably increase costs or is otherwise
necessary to remove; and
``(ii) to award a subgrant for any location
removed pursuant to clause (i).''.
(e) Prohibition on Certain Conditions.--Section 60102(g) of the
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (47 U.S.C. 1702(g)) is amended
by adding at the end the following:
``(4) Prohibition on certain conditions.--Neither the
Assistant Secretary nor an eligible entity may establish or
enforce, with respect to a process of bidding, a grant, or a
subgrant under this section, a condition or other requirement,
including a reporting requirement or bid scoring component or
preference, of such process of bidding, grant, or subgrant
(without regard to whether such condition or other requirement
was approved as part of the initial proposal, or any other
portion of the application process, of such eligible entity)
that relates to--
``(A) prevailing wages or compliance with
subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United States
Code;
``(B) project labor agreements;
``(C) union workforces;
``(D) collective bargaining;
``(E) local hiring;
``(F) commitment to union neutrality;
``(G) labor peace agreements;
``(H) workforce composition or reporting of
workforce composition;
``(I) climate change;
``(J) regulation of network management practices,
including data caps;
``(K) open access;
``(L) a letter of credit from a subgrantee that--
``(i) has commercially deployed or operated
a broadband network using technologies that are
the same or similar to the technologies
relevant to such process of bidding, grant, or
subgrant; and
``(ii) is seeking--
``(I) funding in an amount that is
less than 25 percent of the annual
revenues of the subgrantee, including
any entity that controls, is controlled
by, or that is under common control
with such subgrantee; or
``(II) to provide service to a
number of locations that is less than
25 percent of the total number of
locations served by the subgrantee,
including any entity that controls, is
controlled by, or that is under common
control with such subgrantee; or
``(M) diversity, equity, and inclusion.''.
(f) All Technologies Eligible.--Section 60102(g) of the
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (47 U.S.C. 1702(g)), as amended
by the preceding subsections of this section, is further amended by
adding at the end the following:
``(5) All technologies eligible.--An eligible entity, in
awarding subgrants for the deployment of a broadband network
using grant funds received under this section, shall treat as
satisfying the definition of the term `reliable broadband
service' any broadband service that meets the performance
criteria established under subsection (a)(2)(L) without regard
to the type of technology by which such service is provided.''.
(g) No Regulation of Rates Permitted.--Section 60102(h)(5)(D) of
the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (47 U.S.C. 1702(h)(5)(D)) is
amended to read as follows:
``(D) No regulation of rates permitted.--
``(i) Rule of construction.--Nothing in
this title may be construed to authorize the
Assistant Secretary, the National
Telecommunications and Information
Administration, or an eligible entity to
regulate, set, or otherwise mandate the rates
charged for broadband service or the
methodologies used to calculate such rates, for
consumers generally or for any subset of
consumers, including through the capping or
freezing of such rates, the encouragement of
another entity to regulate such rates, or the
use of rates as part of an application scoring
process.
``(ii) Prohibition.--An eligible entity may
not regulate, set, or otherwise mandate
pursuant to this section the rates charged for
broadband service or the methodologies used to
calculate such rates, including through the
capping or freezing of such rates, the
encouragement of another entity to regulate
such rates, or the use of rates as part of an
application scoring process, without regard to
whether the regulation, setting, or mandating--
``(I) was approved, prior to the
date of the enactment of this clause,
as part of the initial proposal, or any
other portion of the application
process, of such entity; or
``(II) is carried out in
conjunction with the requirement to
offer a low-cost broadband service
option under paragraph (4)(B).''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
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