Appalachian Regional Development Amendments Act of 2015

“(a) In general—In addition to amounts made available by section 14501 and any other amounts made available for the Appalachian development highway system program under any other provision of law, there are authorized to be appropriated to the Appalachian Regional Commission to carry out this subtitle $100,000,000 for fiscal years 2016 through 2020.”

“(c) High-Speed broadband deployment initiative—Of the amounts made available under subsection (a), $10,000,000 shall be used to carry out section 14509.”

“14509. High-speed broadband deployment initiative

“(a) In general—The Appalachian Regional Commission may provide technical assistance, make grants, enter into contracts, or otherwise provide amounts to persons or entities in the Appalachian region for projects and activities—

“(1) to increase affordable access to broadband networks throughout the Appalachian region;

“(2) to conduct research, analysis, and training to increase broadband adoption efforts in the Appalachian region;

“(3) to provide technology assets, including computers, smartboards, and video projectors to educational systems throughout the Appalachian region;

“(4) to increase distance learning opportunities throughout the Appalachian region;

“(5) to increase the use of telehealth technologies in the Appalachian region; and

“(6) to promote e-commerce applications in the Appalachian region.

“(b) Limitation on available amounts—Of the cost of any activity eligible for a grant under this section, not more than—

“(1) 50 percent may be provided from amounts appropriated to carry out this section;

“(2) in the case of a project to be carried out in a county for which a distressed county designation is in effect under section 14526, 80 percent may be provided from amounts appropriated to carry out this section; or

“(3) in the case of a project to be carried out in a county for which an at-risk designation is in effect under section 14526, 70 percent may be provided from amounts appropriated to carry out this section.

“(c) Sources of assistance—Subject to subsection (b), grants provided under this section may be provided from amounts made available to carry out this section in combination with amounts made available under other Federal programs or from any other source.

“(d) Federal share—Notwithstanding any provision of law limiting the Federal share under any other Federal program, amounts made available to carry out this section may be used to increase that Federal share, as the Appalachian Regional Commission determines is appropriate.”