The LAST ACRE Act would amend the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to create the Last Acre Program, a federal grants-and-loans mechanism designed to bring qualifying broadband connectivity to land that is unserved or underserved. The program targets agricultural land and farm sites through entities described as covered providers and producers, with a focus on enabling precision agriculture and advanced farm operations.
It also repeals two existing provisions in the Rural Electrification Act and requires data collection on broadband adoption on farm sites. The bill sets high-speed thresholds, a competitive bid process, and cybersecurity requirements to ensure effective deployment and safe operation of new networks.
At a Glance
What It Does
Creates the Last Acre Program to award grants and loans to covered providers for qualifying connectivity to eligible land, with a 100 Mbps down / 20 Mbps up minimum and a set of on-farm connectivity activities. It defines terms, outlines an auction-like bidding process, and imposes buildout milestones.
Who It Affects
Covered providers (broadband ISPs and wireless providers), covered producers (farmers and agricultural researchers on eligible land), ARS research centers, and rural landowners with unserved/underserved land.
Why It Matters
Bridges the last-mile gap for farm operations, enabling precision agriculture and data-driven farming while embedding cybersecurity and accountability into federal support and tying data collection to federal broadband maps.
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What This Bill Actually Does
The bill adds a new LAST ACRE program to the Rural Electrification Act of 1936. This program gives grants and loans to qualified providers to deliver high-speed broadband to eligible agricultural land that is currently unserved or underserved.
A central concept is the ‘covered producer,’ which includes farmers and certain agricultural research centers that directly earn most of their income from producing crops or livestock on eligible land. The program requires service that meets defined speeds and supports on-farm connectivity activities, including equipment and farm office networks, with options to upgrade existing towers or install new wireless infrastructure.
The effort prioritizes remote and unserved areas and uses a competitive bidding process to select providers who will build and operate the networks. The Secretary can increase federal cost-share to 90 percent for limited resource farmers or ranchers, and project milestones include a four-year maximum buildout with penalties for noncompliance.
The bill also mandates cybersecurity requirements, data sharing with the FCC for broadband maps, and annual reporting to Congress on bid outcomes and program results. Finally, it repeals two sections of the Rural Electrification Act and expands the data collection on broadband adoption through the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
The Five Things You Need to Know
The Last Acre Program will be established within one year to fund connectivity on unserved/underserved eligible land.
Qualifying connectivity requires 100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up, covering on-farm devices and infrastructure.
Federal cost-sharing caps at 80% of project cost, rising to 90% for limited resource farmers or ranchers.
A competitive bidding process with challenges and a 4-year buildout milestone framework governs project delivery.
NASS will collect farm-site broadband adoption data, and data will be shared with the FCC for maps.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
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Last Acre Program—Purposes
Section 607 creates the Last Acre Program to advance precision agriculture connectivity nationwide and to augment last-mile broadband deployment across eligible land. The program is designed to bring high-speed connectivity to farming operations and to support data-driven farming practices.
Definitions
Key terms are defined to operationalize the program: covered producer, covered provider, eligible land, farm site, unserved, underserved, qualifying connectivity (min speeds and eligible on-farm activities), and precision agriculture. The definitions link program eligibility to farm production and to the performance of on-farm digital technologies.
Establishment of the Program
The Secretary must establish the Last Acre Program within one year of enactment to award grants and loans on a competitive basis to cover providers for connecting unserved or underserved land, subject to funding limits and eligibility restrictions.
Use of Funds
Funds may be used for cybersecurity and other necessary protections. The bill restricts funding for service to inhabited residences identified as serviceable and for surrounding commercial areas. It sets a federal share limit and includes rules for additional cost sharing for limited-resource producers.
Bid Applications
The program requires providers to submit application information about connectivity plans, buildout scope, and compliance with laws. A registration portal for providers is established, and there is a rigorous process for competing bid applications and challenge adjudication.
Priority and Accountability
Priority is given to unserved remote land, followed by other unserved land, then underserved remote land and finally other underserved land. Milestones, certifications, and penalties are established to enforce timely buildout and compliance.
Cybersecurity and Compliance
Providers must implement layered cybersecurity defenses and maintain a current configuration management plan, with certification requirements tied to funding and ongoing compliance.
Reports and Data Sharing
The Secretary must report annually to Congress on bid results, land parcels, challenges, and awards, and must share program data with the FCC for broadband mapping. Data governance provisions protect sensitive information.
Repeal of Prior Provisions
Sections 602 and 603 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 are repealed as part of the modification to establish the Last Acre Program.
NASS Data Collection on Broadband Adoption
The bill directs the National Agricultural Statistics Service to add questions about farm-site broadband adoption, speeds, and purposes (especially precision agriculture) to its surveys and census to improve measurement of program impact.
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Explore Infrastructure in Codify Search →Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- Unserved and underserved producers on eligible land gain access to reliable, high-speed connectivity that supports on-farm data collection, automation, and precision agriculture.
- Agricultural research centers within the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) can participate as covered producers, increasing research deployment and technology uptake on farms.
- Rural broadband providers that participate in the Last Acre bid process and compete for grants/loans to deploy networks in agricultural areas.
- Farmers and farm-related businesses that rely on connected devices (sensors, drones, irrigation systems) to improve efficiency and yields.
Who Bears the Cost
- Federal taxpayers fund the program through appropriations (through 2025–2029) to subsidize network buildout and operations.
- Covered providers bear costs of constructing, operating, and maintaining the networks, and must meet cybersecurity, buildout milestones, and reporting requirements.
- Limited resource farmers/ranchers may receive higher federal cost sharing (up to 90%), transferring more of the project cost burden from the producer but still absorbing some non-federal share.
- Local governments and communities may incur transitional coordination costs and regulatory compliance responsibilities during deployment.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
Should the federal Last Acre Program push aggressive, nationwide precision-agriculture connectivity quickly, or should it emphasize careful stewardship and cost controls that could slow deployment but reduce risk of misallocation of subsidies?
The LAST ACRE Act couples a large-scale funding mechanism with detailed governance requirements for bid administration, security, and reporting. The combination of strict speed thresholds, cybersecurity certifications, and a competitive bidding regime creates a careful balance between rapid rural connectivity and prudent stewardship of public funds.
It also relies on existing broadband maps and creates new data-generation obligations that will feed back into federal mapping efforts. Potential tensions include whether the 80% federal share (90% for limited-resource producers) adequately incentivizes private investment in sparsely populated rural areas and how delays from the challenge and adjudication process might affect project timelines.
The interplay with map-based eligibility and enforceable deployment commitments could also shape which lands become connected and when. Finally, repealing prior sections of the REA 1936 removes older authorities that previously guided rural electrification projects, which may require transitional planning for ongoing programs and recipients.
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