Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025

The Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025 would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to create and implement a formal vetting process for new recipients of high-cost universal service funding used to deploy broadband in rural areas. The act defines a specific category of "covered funding" and directs the FCC to establish rules within 180 days after enactment to assess applicants’ technical, financial, and operational capabilities, as well as their business plans and prior compliance history with FCC and other government broadband programs. It also introduces a penalties framework for failures or defaults that occur before funding is authorized, including substantial forfeitures. The overall aim is to ensure that only capable and responsible entities receive high-cost program funds, with technology-neutral expectations and data-informed evaluation. In short, if enacted, the bill would add a vetting gate to high-cost broadband funding to improve accountability and reduce the risk of misused or poorly executed projects, potentially affecting how quickly rural broadband projects move forward and how applicants structure their plans and past performance.