1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Broadband Connections for Rural Opportunities Program Act or the B-CROP Act . 2. Access to broadband telecommunications services in rural areas Section 601 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 ( 7 U.S.C. 950bb ) is amended— (1) in subsection (a), by striking loans and and inserting grants, loans, and ; (2) in subsection (c)— (A) in the subsection heading, by striking Loans and and inserting Grants, loans, and ; (B) in paragraph (1), by inserting make grants and after Secretary shall ; and (C) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following: (2) Priority (A) In general In making grants, loans, or loan guarantees under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— (i) give priority to grants, loans, and loan guarantees to all or part of rural communities that do not have residential broadband service that meets the minimum acceptable level of broadband service established under subsection (e); (ii) give the highest priority to applications for projects to provide broadband service to the greatest proportion of rural households that are within unserved communities, as identified by the Secretary in accordance with subparagraph (C); (iii) provide equal consideration to all eligible entities, including those that have not previously received grants, loans, or loan guarantees under paragraph (1); and (iv) with respect to 2 or more applications that are given the same priority under clause (ii), give priority to an application that requests less grant funding than loan funding. (B) Other After giving priority to the applications described in subparagraph (A)(ii), the Secretary shall then give priority to applications— (i) for projects to provide broadband service to rural communities— (I) with a population of less than 10,000 permanent residents; (II) that are experiencing outmigration; (III) with a high percentage of low income families or persons (as defined in section 501(b) of the Housing Act of 1949 ( 42 U.S.C. 1471(b) ))