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Congress·In Committee·S. 4459

Expanding Appalachia’s Broadband Access Act

Broadband: Study on Satellite Internet for Appalachia

This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process after being sent to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works for review. It is actively moving forward, but no future votes or hearings have been scheduled yet. There is no companion bill listed for this legislation at this time.

Legislative Progress

Senate
House
President
Law
Could go either way

This bill has support from both parties and asks for information rather than a large amount of money, which usually makes it easier to pass.

Key Points

  • This bill asks the government to look into using satellites to bring high-speed internet to the Appalachian region. It focuses on whether satellite technology is a good way to help local businesses grow.
  • Government investigators will check if satellite internet is reliable enough for work and if it actually helps the local economy. They will also look at whether this is a cheaper or better option than other types of internet.
  • The Appalachian Regional Commission, which helps 13 states from Mississippi to New York, would use the results to decide if they should fund more satellite projects.
  • A report with the findings would be due to Congress one year after the bill becomes law. This is a first step toward potentially changing how the government funds internet in rural mountain areas.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Apr 30, 2026Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

Apr 30, 2026

Introduced in Senate

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

Votes

No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.

News

No related news coverage found for this legislation yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Expanding Appalachia’s Broadband Access Act

Bill NumberS 4459
Congress119th Congress
ChamberSenate
Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(1)
D: 1

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.