# Big Tech Accountability for Broadband Act

This bill would require the Federal Communications Commission to create new fees that large technology companies must pay to support broadband internet access across America. Specifically, it targets the biggest online platforms—companies like social media sites, search engines, and e-commerce platforms that have massive user bases and generate billions in revenue. To qualify as a "covered business," a company needs to have either more than 30 million U.S. users or 300 million worldwide users in any recent month, plus at least $10 billion in annual global revenue. These companies would be required to contribute money to the federal universal service fund, which is an existing program that helps pay for broadband infrastructure in rural and underserved areas.

The bill gives the FCC 180 days to write the specific rules about how much these tech companies would have to pay and how the fee structure would work. The idea behind this is that large tech platforms benefit enormously from broadband infrastructure—people use their services over the internet—so they should help fund the system that makes that possible. The bill also includes a provision suggesting that the FCC should consider protecting low-income customers in areas with poor broadband access from being charged extra fees by their internet providers to cover these new tech company contributions.

In practical terms, this would likely affect only a handful of the largest tech companies in the world. Smaller tech businesses and nonprofits would be exempt. The money collected would go toward expanding and improving broadband access in areas that currently lack adequate internet service, which could benefit rural communities and lower-income neighborhoods. However, the bill doesn't specify exactly how much these companies would pay, leaving those details for the FCC to determine later.

Big Tech Accountability for Broadband Act

Rep. Bergman, Jack [R-MI-1]

Big Tech Accountability for Broadband Act This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to promulgate regulations requiring covered businesses to contribute to the federal universal service support mechanism. A covered business is a business offering an online platform (e.g., a social media platform) that has (1) more than 30 million U.S. users or 300 million worldwide users, and (2) more than $10 billion in global revenue. The federal universal service support mechanism collects money from telecommunications companies and uses it to expand broadband access and infrastructure, especially in unserved and underserved areas. In promulgating such regulations, the FCC must consider including a mechanism that prohibits a telecommunications carrier from requiring a customer to pay charges related to universal service support contributions if the customer is considered unserved or underserved with respect to broadband internet access.