42 USC § 19174 - NIST engagement with rural communities

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t42/s19174"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_prima_facie"
title: "42 USC § 19174 - NIST engagement with rural communities"
title_number: 42
title_name: "THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE"
section_number: "19174"
section_name: "NIST engagement with rural communities"
chapter_number: 163
chapter_name: "RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, COMPETITION, AND INNOVATION"
subchapter_number: "V"
subchapter_name: "BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN SCIENCE"
part_number: "B"
part_name: "Rural STEM Education Research"
positive_law: false
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title V, § 10516, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1619.)"
---


# § 19174. NIST engagement with rural communities

**(a)** **Prize competition** section 3719 of title 15

Pursuant to , the Secretary of Commerce shall carry out a program to award prizes competitively to stimulate research and development of creative technologies to support the deployment of affordable and reliable broadband connectivity in rural communities, including unserved rural communities.

**(b)** **Plan for deployment in rural communities** Each proposal submitted pursuant to subsection (a) shall include a proposed plan for deployment of the technology that is the subject of such proposal.

**(c)** **Prize amount** In carrying out the program under subsection (a), the Secretary may award not more than a total of $5,000,000 to one or more winners of the prize competition.

**(d)** **Report** Not later than 60 days after the date on which a prize is awarded under the prize competition, the Secretary shall submit to the relevant committees of Congress a report that describes the winning proposal of the prize competition.

**(e)** **Consultation** In carrying out the program under this section, the Secretary shall consult with the Federal Communications Commission and the heads of relevant departments and agencies of the Federal Government.

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**Source Credit**: (Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title V, § 10516, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1619.)