Sections 86-1401 to 86-1406 shall be known and may be cited as the Precision Agriculture Infrastructure Grant Act.

For purposes of the Precision Agriculture Infrastructure Grant Act:

(1) Adequate precision agriculture connectivity means a download speed of at least one hundred megabits per second and an upload speed of at least twenty megabits per second;

(2) Commission means the Public Service Commission;

(3) Program means the Precision Agriculture Infrastructure Grant Program created in section 86-1403; and

(4) Provider means a wireless network provider that provides adequate precision agriculture connectivity.

(1) The Precision Agriculture Infrastructure Grant Program is created. The commission shall administer the program. The purposes of the program are to:

(a) Propel Nebraska agricultural producers to lead the nation in precision agriculture connectivity, sustainability, traceability, and autonomy to accelerate rural economic development; and

(b) Provide high-speed Internet service to farm sites as defined in section 77-1359 in unserved areas of the state as defined in section 86-1302.

(2) For the purpose of carrying out the program, the commission may utilize funds provided to the state through the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, not to exceed two million dollars per year.

(1) A provider, an agricultural cooperative, an agronomist, or an agricultural producer may apply to the commission for a grant under the program. The application shall be made on forms prescribed by the commission.

(2) Grants shall only be used to provide:

(a) Adequate precision agriculture connectivity to on-farm structures and devices, including, but not limited to, tractors, combines, irrigation systems, livestock facilities, and farm offices;

(b) On-farm traceability solutions that satisfy food supply stakeholder demand, including blockchain;

(c) Products that improve soil health, water management tools and sensors that facilitate judicious use of water resources, and products that promote the use of water efficiency seed technologies that lower agriculture's water, carbon, and nitrate footprint; and

(d) Products that use autonomous solutions in agricultural machinery, including, but not limited to, grain carts, spreaders, precision drone scouting, and scouting robots.

(3) The commission shall award up to one-half of the available grant funds for the purpose described in subdivision (2)(a) of this section and up to one-half of the available grant funds for the purposes described in subdivisions (2)(b), (c), and (d) of this section.

If the grant application is to provide adequate precision agriculture connectivity as described in subdivision (2)(a) of section 86-1404, the applicant shall agree to:

(1) Complete the project within twelve months after the date on which the grant is awarded. The commission may permit one extension of up to six months upon request and for good cause shown; and

(2) Submit the connectivity to speed tests. If the speed tests show that the connectivity is not adequate precision agriculture connectivity, the applicant shall be allowed a reasonable time to correct the deficiencies. If the applicant fails to provide adequate precision agriculture connectivity after the second set of speed tests, the applicant shall repay the grant.

The commission may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to carry out the Precision Agriculture Infrastructure Grant Act.