Lowering Broadband Costs for Consumers Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4032 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4032

 To require the Federal Communications Commission to ensure equitable
and nondiscriminatory contributions to the mechanisms that preserve and
advance universal service, to reduce the financial burden on consumers,
                        and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 17, 2025

Mr. Feenstra (for himself, Ms. Leger Fernandez, Mr. Mann, Mr. Rogers of
 Kentucky, and Ms. Stansbury) introduced the following bill; which was
            referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To require the Federal Communications Commission to ensure equitable
and nondiscriminatory contributions to the mechanisms that preserve and
advance universal service, to reduce the financial burden on consumers,
                        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 ``Lowering Broadband Costs for
Consumers Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. LOWERING BROADBAND COSTS FOR CONSUMERS.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Broadband internet access service.--The term
        ``broadband internet access service'' has the meaning given the
        term in section 8.1(b) of title 47, Code of Federal
        Regulations, or any successor regulation.
            (2) Broadband provider.--The term ``broadband provider''
        means a provider of broadband internet access service.
            (3) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal
        Communications Commission.
            (4) Edge provider.--The term ``edge provider'' means a
        provider of online content or services, including--
                    (A) a digital advertising service;
                    (B) a search engine;
                    (C) a social media platform;
                    (D) a streaming service;
                    (E) an app store;
                    (F) a cloud computing service;
                    (G) an over-the-top messaging service or any other
                service that enables texting;
                    (H) a videoconferencing service;
                    (I) a video gaming service; and
                    (J) an e-commerce platform.
            (5) Eligible telecommunications carrier.--The term
        ``eligible telecommunications carrier'' means a common carrier
        designated as an eligible telecommunications carrier under
        section 214(e) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C.
        214(e)).
    (b) Lowering Broadband Costs for Consumers.--Section 254(d) of the
Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254(d)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``Every'' and inserting the following:
            ``(1) In general.--Every''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Rulemaking.--
                    ``(A) Initial rulemaking.--Not later than 18 months
                after the date of enactment of the Lowering Broadband
                Costs for Consumers Act of 2025, the Commission shall
                complete a rulemaking to reform the Universal Service
                Fund by expanding the contribution base so that
                broadband providers and edge providers, except as
                provided in paragraph (3) of this subsection,
                contribute on an equitable and nondiscriminatory basis
                to the specific, predictable, and sufficient mechanisms
                established by the Commission to preserve and advance
                universal service.
                    ``(B) Revisions.--From time to time after the
                rulemaking described in subparagraph (A), the
                Commission may revise the rules adopted under that
                subparagraph, as necessary, to ensure that broadband
                providers and edge providers continue to contribute on
                an equitable and nondiscriminatory basis to the
                specific, predictable, and sufficient mechanisms
                established by the Commission to preserve and advance
                universal service.
            ``(3) Exempted edge providers and broadband providers.--The
        requirement to contribute described in paragraph (2) shall not
        apply to--
                    ``(A) an edge provider that--
                            ``(i) transmitted less than 3 percent of
                        the estimated quantity of broadband data that
                        was transmitted in the United States during the
                        most recent year, as determined by the
                        Commission; and
                            ``(ii) earned less than $5,000,000,000 in
                        revenue in the United States during the most
                        recent year; or
                    ``(B) an edge provider or broadband provider or
                class of edge providers or broadband providers if the
                revenue of the provider is such that the level of
                contribution of the provider to the preservation and
                advancement of universal service would be de minimis.
            ``(4) Broadband provider; edge provider defined.--In this
        subsection, the terms `broadband provider' and `edge provider'
        have the meanings given those terms in section 2 of the
        Lowering Broadband Costs for Consumers Act of 2025.''.
    (c) Supporting Broadband Providers.--
            (1) Adoption of mechanism.--Not later than 18 months after
        the date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall
        complete a rulemaking to adopt a new mechanism under the high-
        cost program of the Universal Service Fund that will provide
        specific, predictable, and sufficient support for expenses
        incurred by a broadband provider that is an eligible
        telecommunications carrier in providing supported services to
        the extent that such expenses are not otherwise recovered from
        revenues earned from the assessment of just, reasonable, and
        affordable rates on end users in high-cost areas or from other
        universal service support mechanisms.
            (2) Limit on eligible telecommunications carriers.--The
        Commission shall ensure that not more than 1 eligible
        telecommunications carrier for any area receives support from
        the mechanism adopted through the rulemaking conducted under
        paragraph (1).
    (d) Enforcement by the Federal Communications Commission.--
            (1) Powers of commission.--Except as otherwise provided,
        the Commission shall enforce this Act in the same manner, by
        the same means, and with the same jurisdiction, powers, and
        duties as though all applicable terms and provisions of the
        Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 151 et seq.) were
        incorporated into and made a part of this Act.
            (2) Penalties, privileges, and immunities.--Any person who
        violates this Act shall be subject to the penalties and
        entitled to the privileges and immunities provided in the
        Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 151 et seq.).
    (e) Purpose; Rule of Construction.--
            (1) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to direct the
        Commission to require contributions to the Universal Service
        Fund from edge providers and broadband providers and to modify
        the high cost program to promote affordable and available
        broadband.
            (2) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
        construed to provide the Commission with--
                    (A) any new authority over broadband providers; or
                    (B) any authority over edge providers other than as
                described in paragraph (1).
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