H.R. 5082: Gigabit Opportunity Act

116th Congress · introduced 2019-11-14 · Taxation · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2019-11-14 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Collins, Doug [R-GA-9] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. 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

Gigabit Opportunity Act

Plain summary

Gigabit Opportunity Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize the designation of qualified gigabit opportunity zones in low-income communities and to provide tax incentives for investments in the zones. Governors may submit nominations for a limited number of qualified gigabit opportunity zones in low-income communities to the Department of the Treasury for certification and designation. Governors must give particular consideration to areas that are facing obstacles to economic development due to a lack of geographic broadband coverage or speed; are the focus of mutually reinforcing state, local, or private economic development initiatives; are poised for economic growth that requires access to high speed broadband for commercial purposes; and represent the areas of a state where such service would result in the highest return on investment. For eligible taxpayers who sell certain broadband services, the bill allows (1) deferrals, reductions, or exemptions from taxes on capital gains invested in certain property used to provide broadband services in a zone (depending on how long the property is held); and (2) immediate expensing of the costs of the property. The bill also allows tax-exempt private activity bonds to be used for certain broadband projects in the zones. Within one year of enactment of this bill, the Federal Communications Commission must publish a Uniform Model Broadband Deployment Act containing laws for the state regulation of the deployment of broadband services. Qualified zones must either adopt the Act or laws comparable to the Act.

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

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

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

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Gigabit Opportunity Act

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. Collins, Doug [R-GA-9] · 10 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), Robert J. Wittman (R-VA), Ben Cline (R-VA), Thomas P. Tiffany (R-WI)

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 (7)

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).
Bond: A way to borrow money. A government sells bonds to raise money now and promises to pay it back with interest over time. Bonds repaid from taxes often need voter approval.
Capital gains: The profit from selling something you own, such as stock or real estate, for more than you paid. A capital gains tax is a tax on that profit.
Exemption: A rule that removes certain people, property or activities from a tax or requirement.
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

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-116hr5082.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/hr>

Record fed-us-cong116-hr5082 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116