H.R. 800: New Deal Rural Broadband Act of 2017

115th Congress · introduced 2017-02-01 · Science, Technology, Communications · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2017-02-01 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

New Deal Rural Broadband Act of 2017

Plain summary

New Deal Rural Broadband Act of 2017 This bill amends the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to establish a rural broadband office within the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and authorize new grants and loans for developing broadband in rural, underserved, and tribal areas. The bill establishes the Office of Rural Broadband Initiatives and the position of Under Secretary for Rural Broadband Initiatives to: administer all rural broadband-related grant and loan programs currently administered by the Rural Utilities Service, conduct specified outreach and coordination activities, and conduct and release to the public an inventory of federal and state property on which a broadband facility could be constructed. The bill establishes the Breaking Ground on Rural Broadband Program and the Tribal Broadband Assistance Program to provide grants, loans, or loan guarantees for the development of broadband in rural, underserved, and tribal areas. The bill modifies existing programs to authorize USDA to: (1) provide grants, in addition to loans and loan guarantees permitted under current law, for the construction, improvement, and acquisition of facilities and equipment for broadband service in rural areas; and (2) give priority to multijurisdictional projects for the development of broadband or telecommunications services through the collaboration and participation of multiple stakeholders in the service area. The bill authorizes federal land management agencies to retain and use certain rental fees for communications activities on federal lands. The agencies may use the fees for specified activities related to administering and managing communications sites.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

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PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

New Deal Rural Broadband Act of 2017

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2] · 20 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Mark Pocan (D-WI), Mike Thompson (D-CA), James P. McGovern (D-MA), John Garamendi (D-CA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Darren Soto (D-FL)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2] reported raising $1.2 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Ballot initiative: A proposed law or constitutional amendment that citizens place on the ballot by gathering enough voter signatures, so voters decide it directly. About half the states allow some form of it.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115hr800.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/hr>

Record fed-us-cong115-hr800 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115