1. Short title This Act may be cited as the ReConnecting Rural America Act of 2023 . 2. Access to broadband telecommunications services in rural areas (a) In general Section 601 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 ( 7 U.S.C. 950bb ) is amended— (1) by striking subsections (a) through (f) and inserting the following: (a) Purpose The purpose of this section is to provide assistance in the form of grants, loans, and combinations of grants and loans for the costs of the construction, improvement, and acquisition of facilities and equipment for broadband service in rural areas. (b) Definitions In this section: (1) Broadband service The term broadband service means any technology identified by the Secretary as having the capacity to transmit data to enable a subscriber to the service to originate and receive high-quality voice, data, graphics, and video. (2) Rural area (A) In general The term rural area means any area other than— (i) an area described in clause (i) or (ii) of section 343(a)(13)(A) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act ( 7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A) )