1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2024 . 2. Vetting process for prospective high-cost universal service fund applicants Section 254 of the Communications Act of 1934 ( 47 U.S.C. 254 ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (m) Vetting of high-Cost fund recipients (1) Definitions In this subsection— (A) the term covered funding means any new offer of high-cost universal service program funding, including funding provided through a reverse competitive bidding mechanism provided under this section, for the deployment of a broadband-capable network and the provision of supported services over the network