Sen. Tommy Tuberville is part of a bipartisan and bicameral group of legislators working to provide rural areas with reliable access to broadband.

The group has drafted legislation that will that ensure that grants to provide the rural broadband service are not taxable. The Broadband Grant Tax Treatment Act would change the Internal Revenue Code so that federal grant funding for broadband deployment will not be registered as taxable income, Tuberville (R-Auburn) said.

“Rural communities are the backbone of our nation, and we want to ensure that Americans living in these communities have access to high-speed internet,” he said. “Taxing broadband grants would undermine federal efforts to prioritize rural broadband expansion.

“I am proud to support this legislation so that those living in rural America have internet needed to run their businesses, access health care, and pursue educational opportunities.”

The legislation was introduced last Congress in the Senate and House with support from both parties. The full text of the legislation can be found here.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.