H.R. 2399 — Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025

This section establishes a vetting process for applicants seeking new high-cost universal service fund awards (i.e., funding after rulemaking for broadband network deployment in rural, insular, and high-cost areas). The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must initiate rulemaking within 180 days of enactment to require applicants to submit detailed proposals demonstrating technical, financial, and operational capabilities and a reasonable business plan, evaluated against FCC broadband data collection standards and the applicant's compliance history in government broadband programs. The rules must also impose penalties for pre-authorization defaults of at least $9,000 per violation, with base forfeitures of no less than 30% of the applicant's total support unless justified otherwise. (As background, high-cost universal service programs under 47 U.S.C. 254 subsidize telecommunications and broadband deployment to ensure service quality and rates comparable to urban areas.)