The LAST ACRE Act creates a new federal program to bring high-speed internet to farmland that currently lacks it. Here's what it does: The government will give grants and loans to internet providers who agree to install broadband service on agricultural land that's either completely unserved or underserved. To qualify, the land must be actively used for farming or ranching, and the internet service must be fast enough to support modern farming technology—at least 100 megabits per second download and 20 megabits per second upload speeds.

The program prioritizes helping small and struggling farmers first. If a farmer qualifies as a "limited resource farmer or rancher" (meaning they make less than $100,000 a year from farming and have low household income), the government will cover up to 90 percent of the project costs instead of the usual 80 percent. Internet providers can use this funding to install broadband cables, build wireless towers, or upgrade existing structures like grain elevators to support wireless networks. The law also recognizes that modern farming uses lots of connected devices—from drones and soil sensors to tractors and irrigation systems—and the broadband must support all of these.

To prevent waste and ensure accountability, the law sets up a competitive bidding process where multiple internet providers can propose solutions for the same farmland, and the government picks the one offering the best service at the lowest cost. Providers must complete their projects within four years and face penalties if they don't meet their deadlines. The program is funded through 2028, and the government will track how well it's working by collecting data on broadband usage on farms and reporting annually to Congress.