# Plain Language Summary: Emergency Broadband Connectivity Fund Bill

This bill provides additional federal funding to expand internet access for low-income Americans and strengthens the systems used to verify who qualifies for government broadband assistance programs. Specifically, it adds more money to an existing emergency program that helps people afford broadband service, and it improves the technology and coordination between different government agencies that determine eligibility for these programs.

The bill focuses on two main areas. First, it gives states and tribal governments grants to improve something called the "National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier," which is essentially a database that checks whether someone qualifies for reduced-cost internet service. Think of it like the verification system used for food stamps or Medicaid—it confirms that people meet income requirements before they get help paying for broadband. Second, the bill requires better coordination between this eligibility verifier and another system called the "National Accuracy Clearinghouse," which helps prevent fraud and duplicate benefits. By connecting these systems better, the government can process applications faster and more accurately.

Who this affects: Primarily low-income households struggling to afford internet service, people living on tribal lands, and anyone who might qualify for the Lifeline program (which typically serves households at or below 135% of the federal poverty line). States and tribal governments also benefit because they receive funding to upgrade their verification systems. For most middle and upper-income Americans, this bill has little direct impact, though it does use federal tax dollars to fund the program.

The practical result is that eligible people should have an easier time applying for and receiving broadband assistance, with fewer delays and less paperwork confusion, while the government reduces the risk of people fraudulently claiming benefits they don't qualify for.

A bill to amend the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 to authorize additional funds for the Emergency Broadband Connectivity Fund, to provide grants to States and Tribal Entities to strengthen the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier, to provide for Federal coordination between the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier and the National Accuracy Clearinghouse, and for other purposes.

Wyden, Ron

This bill makes changes to facilitate data sharing between the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and programs that subsidize communication services to verify eligibility for applicable programs. Specifically, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must award grants to states and tribes for establishing or modifying connections between databases with information regarding benefit programs (e.g., SNAP) and the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier to verify eligibility for the Lifeline program (which subsidizes telephone and internet services for low-income individuals) and the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (which subsidizes broadband services for those who suffered income loss during the COVID-19 pandemic and other eligible households). The bill also reauthorizes through FY2026 the fund that supports the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. In addition, the FCC must establish an automated connection to share data between the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier and the National Accuracy Clearinghouse for SNAP. The FCC must coordinate with the Department of Agriculture to establish the connection.