[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 181 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 181

To improve coordination in the formulation of telecommunications policy 
          within the executive branch, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 4, 1995

   Mrs. Collins of Illinois introduced the following bill; which was 
                 referred to the Committee on Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To improve coordination in the formulation of telecommunications policy 
          within the executive branch, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Telecommunications Policy 
Coordination Act of 1995''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act:
            (1) The term ``Committee'' means the Advisory Committee on 
        Telecommunications Policy established under section 10.
            (2) The term ``Office'' means the Office of 
        Telecommunications Policy established in section 3.
            (3) The term ``Deputy Director'' means the Deputy Director 
        of the Office appointed under section 5(b).
            (4) The term ``Director'' means the Director of the Office 
        appointed under section 5(a).

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT.

    There is hereby established in the Executive Office of the 
President the Office of Telecommunications Policy.

SEC. 4. FUNCTIONS.

    (a) In General.--The Office, acting through the Director, shall--
            (1) take such action as may be necessary to provide for the 
        preparation of national telecommunications policy options;
            (2) serve as the principal advisor to the President in 
        matters relating to telecommunications issues and policies;
            (3) act as the arbiter of disputes and differences which 
        may arise between or among Government agencies in connection 
        with the development and implementation of national 
        telecommunications policies;
            (4) communicate the views of Government agencies, as well 
        as the views of the President, with respect to 
        telecommunications matters to the Federal Communications 
        Commission, and communicate the views of the President and 
        Government agencies (other than the Commission) to the 
        Congress;
            (5) monitor the development of new telecommunications 
        technologies, study the effects of new telecommunications 
        facilities, services, and systems, and make recommendations to 
        the President and to the Congress with respect to the 
        introduction of new technologies into the national economy; and
            (6) perform such other functions vested in the President 
        relating to telecommunications as the President may delegate to 
        the Office.
    (b) Effect on FCC Authority.--The authority of the Office under 
this Act shall not affect the authority of the Federal Communications 
Commission under the Communications Act of 1934 or the Satellite 
Communications Act of 1962.
    (c) Presidential Regulations.--The functions of the Office under 
subsection (a) (3) and (4), and the corresponding obligations of other 
agencies affected thereunder, shall be in accordance with regulations 
which the President shall prescribe.

SEC. 5. DIRECTOR AND STAFF; ORGANIZATION OF OFFICE.

    (a) Director.--The head of the Office shall be the Director, who 
shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent 
of the Senate. The Director shall be paid at a rate equal to the rate 
of basic pay which is payable from time to time for level II of the 
Executive Schedule under section 5313 of title 5, United States Code.
    (b) Deputy Director.--The Office shall have a Deputy Director, who 
shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent 
of the Senate. The Deputy Director shall be paid at a rate equal to the 
rate of basic pay which is payable from time to time for level IV of 
the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States 
Code. The Deputy Director shall perform such duties and exercise such 
powers as the Director may prescribe. The Deputy Director shall act 
for, and exercise the powers of, the Director during any absence or 
disability of the Director or during any vacancy in the office of 
Director.
    (c) Staff.--(1)(A) The Director may appoint not more than two full-
time professional staff members who shall perform such duties as the 
Director may direct. The Deputy Director may appoint not more than one 
such staff member who shall perform such duties as the Deputy Director 
may direct.
    (B) The appointments specified in subparagraph (A) may be made 
without regard to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, 
governing appointments in the competitive service. Such staff member 
may be paid without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and 
subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code, relating 
to classification and General Schedule pay rates. The Director may fix 
the compensation of not more than one such staff member at a rate not 
in excess of the maximum rate payable from time to time for grade GS-18 
of the General Schedule under section 5332 of title 5, United States 
Code. The remaining staff members appointed under subparagraph (A) may 
be compensated at a rate fixed by the Director or the Deputy Director, 
as the case may be, not in excess of the maximum rate payable from time 
to time for grade GS-16 of the General Schedule under section 5332 of 
title 5, United States Code.
    (2) The Director may appoint and fix the pay of such clerical and 
other support personnel as the Director considers desirable. Such 
personnel shall be appointed subject to the provisions of title 5, 
United States Code, governing appointments in the competitive service, 
and shall be paid in accordance with the provisions of chapter 51 and 
subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title relating to classification 
and General Schedule pay rates.
    (d) Organization.--The Director may organize the personnel of the 
Office into such bureaus, divisions, or offices as the Director may 
consider necessary.

SEC. 6. AUTHORITY AND FUNCTIONS OF DIRECTOR.

    (a) In General.--The Director shall exercise all the executive and 
administrative functions of the Office.
    (b) Additional Authority.--The Director--
            (1) may obtain services as authorized in section 3109 of 
        title 5, United States Code, at rates not to exceed the daily 
        rate prescribed for GS-18 of the General Schedule under section 
        5332 of title 5, United States Code, for persons employed 
        intermittently in Federal Government service;
            (2) may delegate to the Deputy Director, or to any other 
        employee of the Office, any authority of the Director 
        established in this Act;
            (3) shall prescribe such rules as may be necessary to carry 
        out the provisions of this Act;
            (4) shall distribute business among any personnel appointed 
        under section 5(c)(2), and among any bureaus, divisions, or 
        offices established under section 5(d);
            (5) shall administer the use and expenditure of funds 
        available to the Office;
            (6) shall coordinate and organize the work of the Office in 
        order to promote prompt and efficient disposition of all 
        matters within the jurisdiction of the Office; and
            (7) shall assure appropriate consumer representation in 
        connection with the development of policy by the Office.

SEC. 7. ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

    (a) Establishment.--The Director shall establish an advisory 
committee to be known as the Advisory Committee on Telecommunications 
Policy.
    (b) Membership.--The Committee shall consist of members appointed 
by the Director from the general public, including representatives of--
            (1) various segments of the telecommunications industry,
            (2) labor organizations involved in such industry, and
            (3) public interest and consumer organizations.
    (c) Functions.--The Committee shall provide advice and 
recommendations to the Director on matters referred to it by the 
Director and on such other matters relating to the functions of the 
Director as it considers appropriate. Consistent with otherwise 
applicable law, the Committee may make public any advice or 
recommendations it has provided to the Director under this subsection.

SEC. 8. ANNUAL REPORTS; FCC REPORTS.

    (a) Duty To Submit.--The Director shall, not later than the 15th 
day of February following the end of each fiscal year, commencing with 
the first complete fiscal year following the effective date provided 
for in section 9, make a report to the President for submission to the 
Congress relating to the activities of the Office during the preceding 
fiscal year.
    (b) Contents.--Each report made by the Director under subsection 
(a) shall--
            (1) describe actions taken by the Office in connection with 
        the preparation of national telecommunications policies in 
        accordance with section 4(1);
            (2) identify and analyze emerging trends in 
        telecommunications; and
            (3) include such other information as the Director 
        considers appropriate.
    (c) Commission Response to Office Views.--In any case in which the 
Office submits views to the Federal Communications Commission under 
section 4(a)(4) and the Commission takes any final action after such 
submittal which is inconsistent with such views, the Commission shall, 
within twenty days of such final action is taken, submit a report to 
the President and to the Congress setting forth the reasons therefor.

SEC. 9. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The provisions of this Act shall take effect ninety days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act.
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