text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Rural Broadband Access Enhancement 
  Act''.
  
  SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE RURAL COMMUNITY.
  
      Section 601(b)(2) of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 
  U.S.C. 950bb(b)(2)) is amended to read as follows:
              ``(2) Eligible rural community.--The term `eligible rural 
          community' means any area of the United States--
                      ``(A) which is not included within the boundaries 
                  of any city, town, borough, or village, whether 
                  incorporated or unincorporated, with a population of 
                  more than 20,000 inhabitants;
                      ``(B) which is not in the urbanized area contiguous 
                  and adjacent to such a city, town, borough, or village; 
                  and
                      ``(C) the average median household income of which 
                  is not more than 80 percent of the national average 
                  median household income.''.
  
  SEC. 3. IMPROVEMENTS TO APPLICATION PROCESS.
  
      (a) Equity Requirements.--Section 601(c) of the Rural 
  Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb(c)) is amended by adding at 
  the end the following:
              ``(3) Equity requirements.--The Secretary shall not approve 
          an application submitted pursuant to this section to serve--
                      ``(A) an area in which at least 40 percent of the 
                  population does not have access to broadband service, 
                  unless the value of the assets of the applicant not 
                  pledged or hypothecated for any other purpose equals at 
                  least 10 percent of the principal amount of the loan 
                  which is the subject of the application; or
                      ``(B) any other area, unless value of the assets 
                  referred to in subparagraph (A) equals at least 15 
                  percent of the principal amount of the loan 
                  involved.''.
      (b) Reduction in Application Paperwork.--Section 601(c) of such Act 
  (7 U.S.C. 950bb(c)), as amended by subsection (a) of this section, is 
  amended by adding at the end the following:
              ``(4) Paperwork reduction.--The Secretary shall take such 
          steps as are necessary to reduce the paperwork required of 
          applicants under this section.''.
      (c) Outreach.--Section 601 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 950bb) is amended 
  by redesignating subsections (i) through (k) as subsection (j) through 
  (l), respectively, and inserting after subsection (h) the following:
      ``(i) Outreach.--The Secretary shall conduct outreach designed to 
  inform the population of areas in which there is no or limited 
  broadband service of the program carried out under this section.''.
  
  SEC. 4. BAN ON LOAN OR LOAN GUARANTEE FOR NEW BROADBAND SERVICE IN 
                COMMUNITY WITH SEVERAL SERVICE PROVIDERS.
  
      Section 601(c) of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 
  950bb(c)), as amended by section 3 of this Act, is amended by adding at 
  the end the following:
              ``(5) Ban on loan or loan guarantee for new broadband 
          service in community with 3 or more service providers.--The 
          Secreary shall not approve an application for a loan or loan 
          guarantee under this section for the provision of new broadband 
          service to an eligible rural community in which the service is 
          provided by 3 or more entities.''.
  
  SEC. 5. ELIMINATION OF LIMITATION ON ELIGIBILITY BASED ON NUMBER OF 
                SUBSCRIBER LINES.
  
      (a) In General.--Section 601(d) of the Rural Electrification Act of 
  1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb(d)) is amended by striking paragraph (3).
      (b) Limitations on Amounts Made Available for Entities With Various 
  Shares of Installed Telephone Suscriber Lines.--Section 601(k) of such 
  Act (7 U.S.C. 950bb(k)), as so redesignated by section 3(c) of this 
  Act, is amended by adding at the end the following:
              ``(5) Limitations on amounts made available for entities 
          with various shares of installed telephone suscriber lines.--
                      ``(A) Not more than 10 percent of the amounts made 
                  available for each fiscal year under this subsection 
                  may be used to provide loans or loan guarantees to 
                  entities with more than 10 percent of the telephone 
                  subscriber lines installed in the aggregate in the 
                  United States.
                      ``(B) Not more than 40 percent of the amounts made 
                  available for each fiscal year under this subsection 
                  may be used to provide loans or loan guarantees to 
                  entities with not less than 2 percent and not more than 
                  10 percent of the telephone subscriber lines installed 
                  in the aggregate in the United States.''.
  
  SEC. 6. LIMITATION ON TERM OF LOANS AND LOAN GUARANTEES.
  
      Section 601(g)(2) of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 
  U.S.C. 950bb(g)(2)) is amended by striking ``the useful life of the 
  assets constructed, improved, or acquired with the proceeds of the loan 
  or extension of credit'' and inserting ``35 years''.
  
  SEC. 7. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.
  
      Section 601 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 
  950bb), as amended by section 3(c) of this Act, is amended by 
  redesignating subsections (k) and (l) as subsection (l) and (m), 
  respectively, and inserting after subsection (j) the following:
      ``(k) Annual Reports.--Not later than October 1 of each year, the 
  Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
  Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
  Forestry of the Senate a report on the status of the program under this 
  section, which shall include, with respect to the period covered by the 
  report--
              ``(1) the number of applications submitted pursuant to this 
          section;
              ``(2) the number of the applications that were approved;
              ``(3) the identity of the communities served by the 
          applicants with approved applications;
              ``(4) the type of services offered by applicants for, and 
          recipients of, loans or loan guarantees under this section;
              ``(5) the speed of the broadband service offered by the 
          applicants and recipients;
              ``(6) how long it took to respond to the applicants; and
              ``(7) the outreach efforts conducted by the Secretary under 
          subsection (i).''.
target: Rural Broadband Access Enhancement Act - Amends the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to redefine "eligible rural community."
  
  Permits a loan or loan guarantee applicant in an area where 40% of the residents are without broadband access to qualify with a 10% loan equity position.
  
  Provides for: (1) paperwork reduction; and (2) program outreach to underserved areas.
  
  Prohibits loan or loan guarantees for new broadband service in communities with three or more service providers.
  
  Provides that for each fiscal year: (1) not more than 10% of program funds shall be available to providers with more than 10% of national subscriber lines; and (2) 40% of program funds shall be available to providers with between 2%-10% of national subscriber lines.
  
  Revises the amortization period from the life of the asset to 35 years.
  
  Requires an annual broadband program report to Congress.
feat_title: To amend the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to improve the application process for the rural broadband program of the Department of Agriculture.