Congress·In Committee·H.R. 1873

House Committee Reviews Bill to Make Federal Broadband Grants Tax-Free for Recipients

Broadband Grant Tax Treatment Act

about 1 year ago·View on Congress.gov

⏸

Stalled

No legislative action in over 90 days.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Key Points

Makes certain broadband buildout grants not count as taxable income for the recipient.
Covers several federal broadband and digital equity grant programs, plus some state, local, and Tribal broadband grants that use certain federal funds.
Aims to stretch grant dollars further for building internet infrastructure, since recipients would not owe federal income tax just for receiving the grant.
Limits “double-dipping”: if you exclude the grant from income, you generally can’t also claim tax deductions or credits for the same spending, and the tax basis of property bought with the grant is reduced.
Applies retroactively to amounts received in tax years ending after March 11, 2023, which could affect past tax filings for some recipients.

TaxesInfrastructureTelecommunications

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

How this policy affects specific groups of people

Mixed Impacts(1)

Tribal Member

Neutral

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Mar 5, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Mar 5, 2025

Introduced in House

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

Within months after the law takes effect

If enacted, the IRS issues rules and guidance explaining how to claim the exclusion and how the no-double-benefit limits work.

Grant recipients would get clearer instructions on paperwork, reporting, and how asset write-offs change when equipment is bought with tax-free grant money.

During the next tax filing season after enactment

Grant recipients adjust tax filings to reflect the exclusion and the required basis reductions.

Some recipients may owe less tax on grants but will have smaller write-offs later when they depreciate equipment or sell assets bought with grant funds.

Related News

5 articles

Fierce Network·about 1 year ago

Senate pushes for tax free BEAD grants: Why it matters

U.S. senators reintroduced the Broadband Grant Tax Treatment Act to ensure federal broadband deployment funding is not considered taxable income. Currently, grants are subject to a 21% corporate tax rate, which industry experts warn could significantly reduce the reach of infrastructure projects.

Thomson Reuters·about 3 years ago

Bipartisan Bill Exempting Broadband Grants Reintroduced

The Broadband Grant Tax Treatment Act (BGTTA) was introduced to the 118th Congress to amend the Internal Revenue Code. The bill seeks to exclude qualified broadband grants from taxable income, addressing changes made by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that rendered such grants taxable.

Light Reading·over 3 years ago

Broadband industry pushes Congress for tax exemption on grants

Industry groups are urging lawmakers to pass the Broadband Grant Tax Treatment Act, warning that a 2017 tax law risks forcing grant recipients to return up to 21 percent of their funding to the federal government, undermining goals for ubiquitous high-speed internet deployment.