Sec. 6502. Last acre projects
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In this section: The term broadband service has the meaning given the term in section 601(b) of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 ( 7 U.S.C. 950bb(b) ). The term configuration management plan , with respect to a covered provider, means a comprehensive description of the roles, responsibilities, policies, and procedures intended to improve the integrity of the systems and networks of the covered provider. The term covered producer means a person or entity that is directly engaged in the production of agricultural products, including crops or livestock, on eligible land that is unserved or underserved, such that a majority of the gross income of the person or entity is derived from those products.
The term covered producer includes agricultural research centers of the Agricultural Research Service. The term covered provider means— with respect to the provision of qualifying connectivity to eligible land, a provider of broadband service; or with respect to the provision of wireless solutions using or extending the range of network connectivity, a provider of wireless equipment or communications services, in association with an entity described in subparagraph (A). The term eligible land means cropland, grassland, rangeland, pastureland, farm sites, and other agricultural land used for the active production of agricultural commodities or livestock.
The term farm site means a portion of land contiguous to land actively devoted to agricultural production and that includes improvements that are agricultural or horticultural in nature. The term precision agriculture means managing, tracking, or reducing crop or livestock production inputs, including seed, feed, fertilizer, chemicals, water, and time, at a heightened level of spatial and temporal granularity to improve efficiencies, reduce waste, and maintain or improve environmental quality.
The term qualifying connectivity means the service offered by a covered provider as a result of assistance under this section that— is capable of a speed of not less than— a 100-Mbps downstream transmission capacity; and a 20-Mbps upstream transmission capacity; and carries out not less than 1 of the activities described in subparagraph (B). The activities referred to in subparagraph (A)(ii) are— providing broadband service by any technology to structures and devices on eligible land, including tractors, combines, irrigation systems, drones, under-soil sensors, livestock facilities, and farm offices; providing multipoint wireless network connectivity that facilitates data transmission between structures and devices on eligible land, including structures and devices described in clause (i); and supporting— the construction of wireless infrastructure, including poles, towers, base stations, or other structures, regardless of whether the structure has an existing antenna facility, that is used or will be used for the provision of wireless service; or the retrofitting of existing towers or vertical structures, such as water towers, grain elevators, or center pivots, to accommodate wireless infrastructure.
The term remote area means the frontier and remote ZIP Code areas published by the Economic Research Service. The term underserved means, with respect to eligible land, that the eligible land lacks access to broadband service that is capable of a speed of not less than— a 100-Mbps downstream transmission capacity; and a 20-Mbps upstream transmission capacity. The term unserved means, with respect to eligible land, eligible land that lacks access to broadband service that is capable of a speed of not less than— a 25-Mbps downstream transmission capacity; and a 3-Mbps upstream transmission capacity.
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall carry out, under terms and conditions as the Secretary considers to be appropriate, projects— to advance precision agriculture connectivity nationwide; and to augment last mile broadband service deployment for agricultural producers by expanding high-speed internet access across the last acre. In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall make grants and make loans to covered providers to provide qualifying connectivity to covered producers on unserved and underserved eligible land.
Of the amounts made available under subsection
(k)for a fiscal year for assistance under this section, the Secretary may award not more than 10 percent to provide qualifying connectivity to agricultural research centers described in subsection (a)(3)(B). The Secretary may allow a covered provider to use a portion of the assistance provided to the covered provider under this section, as necessary, to address the cybersecurity requirements under subsection (g). The Secretary shall not award any assistance under this section for broadband service to an inhabitable residence that is identified as serviceable or has to be served due to an enforceable commitment to deploy on the broadband maps (as determined by the Secretary). Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the Federal share of a project carried out using assistance under this section shall be not more than 80 percent of the total cost of the project. The Secretary may increase the Federal share described in subparagraph
(A)to 90 percent if the covered producer on the applicable eligible land is a limited resource farmer or rancher. To apply for assistance under this section, a covered provider shall submit to the Secretary an application in such manner and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including— the measures by which the covered producer has engaged with the covered provider to identify the appropriate qualifying connectivity plan to serve the eligible land of the covered producer; a description of how the assistance provided under this section would be used to establish qualifying connectivity on the unserved or underserved eligible land of a covered producer, including the entire acreage in need of qualifying connectivity; a description of how the assistance provided under this section could be used to provide broadband service to residents or essential community facilities (if any) in areas near or adjacent to unserved or underserved eligible land of a covered producer; the amount of the Federal share for the project and the amount of the non-Federal share for the project; information necessary for the covered provider to demonstrate to the Secretary that the covered provider— is capable of carrying out the specific activities for which assistance is provided under this section in compliance with all applicable Federal, State, and local laws; has the financial and managerial capacity to meet the specific commitments contained in the application, including buildout obligations; and has the technical and operational capability— to construct and operate broadband networks; and to meet the requirement described in paragraph
(1)of subsection
(g)and provide the cybersecurity certification required under paragraph
(2)of that subsection; whether the eligible land of the covered producer— is unserved or underserved; and is not subject to an enforceable commitment to deploy broadband by the applicant or another covered provider, as determined according to the broadband maps (as determined by the Secretary); a description of the means by which the covered provider will provide to the Secretary the information necessary for the Secretary to prepare the annual reports under subsection (i); and any additional information that the Secretary determines necessary to ensure the effective function of the program under this section. For each project for which assistance is provided under this section, the Secretary shall establish service buildout milestones and periodic certifications by recipients of the assistance for purposes of project compliance and implementation. The milestones required under paragraph
(1)shall establish a maximum buildout timeframe of not more than 4 years from the date on which the assistance is provided. The Secretary shall establish and enforce standardized penalties, fines, and sanctions for noncompliance with a milestone or certification established under paragraph (1). In selecting applicants for assistance under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to applicants that propose to carry out projects in the following order: Unserved eligible land in remote areas. Other unserved eligible land. Underserved eligible land in remote areas. Other underserved eligible land. The Secretary may give priority to applicants for assistance under this section that propose to carry out projects that would also provide broadband service at speeds higher than the speeds described in subclauses
(I)and
(II)of subsection (a)(8)(A)(i) to residents or essential community facilities (if any) in areas that— are near or adjacent to unserved or underserved eligible land; and lack access to broadband service that is capable of those higher speeds. Congress finds that there are unique connectivity needs to support the adoption of precision agriculture. In selecting applicants for assistance under this section, the Secretary may give priority to an applicant that proposes to carry out a project to provide broadband service speeds that are greater than the speeds described in subclauses
(I)and
(II)of subsection (a)(8)(A)(i), if the applicant demonstrates that the proposal to serve the eligible land of a covered producer that is unserved or underserved requires those greater speeds. As a condition on receipt of assistance under this section, a covered provider shall— ensure that any structure, device, or system provided or constructed using the assistance incorporates a layered defense strategy as a means of defensible security architecture; and certify to the Secretary that the covered provider maintains a regularly updated configuration management plan. Subsections
(a)and (b)(1) of section 701 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 ( 7 U.S.C. 950cc ) shall apply to assistance and applications for assistance under this section. For fiscal year 2026 and each fiscal year thereafter through the fiscal year that is 2 fiscal years after the fiscal year during which the last project funded under this section is completed, the Secretary shall— submit to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives a report that describes— applications for assistance under this section submitted during the previous fiscal year, including the number of parcels of eligible land for which applications were submitted during the previous fiscal year; the amount of assistance awarded for each project under this section during the previous fiscal year; the number of projects for which assistance is provided under this section, including the number of parcels of eligible land on which those projects were carried out, that were successfully completed during the previous fiscal year; and the number of covered producers subscribing to the broadband service provided under each project for which assistance is provided under this section; the download and upload speeds of the broadband service provided under each such project; and the purposes for which the broadband service under each such project is used, including the use of precision agriculture; and make the report required under paragraph
(1)publicly available on the website of the Secretary. The authority to make grants and to make loans under this section shall terminate on September 30, 2029. There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $160,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029, to remain available until expended.
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