---
kind: "section"
citation: "7 U.S.C. § 950bb–4"
title: "7"
title_heading: "Agriculture"
number: "950bb–4"
heading: "Outdated broadband systems"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/7/950bb-4"
units:
  - "Chapter 31 — Rural Electrification and Telephone Service"
  - "Subchapter VI — Rural Broadband Access"
---

# §950bb–4. Outdated broadband systems

- (a) **In general—** Except as provided in [subsection (b)](#b), the [Secretary](/usc/7/913.md?p=5) shall consider any portion of a service [territory](/usc/7/913.md?p=4) that is subject to an outstanding grant agreement between the [Secretary](/usc/7/913.md?p=5) and a broadband provider to be unserved for the purposes of all broadband assistance programs under this chapter, if the broadband service in that portion of a service [territory](/usc/7/913.md?p=4) is less than 10 Mbps downstream transmission capacity or less than 1 Mbps upstream transmission capacity.
- (b) **Exception—** The [Secretary](/usc/7/913.md?p=5) shall not consider a portion of a service [territory](/usc/7/913.md?p=4) described in [subsection (a)](#a) to be unserved if the broadband service provider has constructed or begun to construct broadband facilities that meet the minimum acceptable level of service established under [section 950bb(e) of this title](/usc/7/950bb.md?p=e), in that portion of the service [territory](/usc/7/913.md?p=4).

## Source credit

(May 20, 1936, ch. 432, title VI, § 605, as added Pub. L. 115–334, title VI, § 6205(a), Dec. 20, 2018, 132 Stat. 4739.)

## Notes

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

Pub. L. 115–334, title VI, § 6205(b), Dec. 20, 2018, 132 Stat. 4739, provided that: “The amendment made by this section [enacting this section] shall not take effect until October 1, 2020.”