[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2046 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2046

    To reauthorize the Next Generation Internet Act, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 9, 2000

 Mr. Frist (for himself, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Breaux, and 
 Mr. Hollings) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To reauthorize the Next Generation Internet Act, 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 ``Next Generation Internet 2000''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The United States investment in science and technology 
        has yielded a scientific and engineering enterprise without 
        peer. The Federal investment in research is critical to the 
        maintenance of our international leadership.
            (2) The Internet is at a pivotal point in its history. 
        While promising new applications in medicine, environmental 
        science, and other disciplines are becoming a reality, they are 
        still constrained by the Internet's capacity and capabilities. 
        The current Internet cannot support an emerging set of 
        activities, many of which are essential to mission-critical 
        applications in government, national laboratories, academia and 
        business.
            (3) Government-sponsored network research and development 
        is critical to the success of the Next Generation Internet. 
        Previous Federal investment in computer networking technology 
        and related fields has resulted in the creation of new 
        industries and new jobs in the United States.
            (4) Since its establishment in 1998, the Next Generation 
        Internet Program has successfully funded peer-reviewed research 
        to address the critical need for increased network performance 
        and management.

SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

    The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to authorize, through the Next Generation Internet 
        Program and Large Scale Networking Program, research programs 
        related to--
                    (A) high-end computing and computation;
                    (B) human-centered systems;
                    (C) high confidence systems; and
                    (D) education, training, and human resources; and
            (2) to provide, through the Next Generation Internet 
        Program and Large Scale Networking Program, for the development 
        and coordination of a comprehensive and integrated United 
        States research program which will--
                    (A) focus on research and development toward 
                advancing network technologies to create a network 
                infrastructure that can support greater speed, 
                robustness, and flexibility;
                    (B) promote connectivity and interoperability among 
                advanced computer networks of Federal agencies and 
                departments;
                    (C) conduct research on the tools and services that 
                hear future agency networking requirements demands, 
                including application specific multicast, quality of 
                service, and internet video conferencing;
                    (D) focus on research and development of the next 
                generation network fabric, particularly concerning the 
                expansion of affordable bandwidth for users that is 
                both economically viable and does not impose a 
                geographic penalty (as defined in section 7(a) of the 
                Next Generation Internet Research Act of 1998 (15 
                U.S.C. 5501 nt.); and
                    (E) encourage researchers to pursue approaches to 
                networking technology that lead to flexible and 
                extensible solutions wherever feasible.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 103(d) of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 
U.S.C. 5513(d)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            ``(1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
        for the purpose of carrying out the Next Generation Internet 
        program and Large Scale Networking program the following 
        amounts:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
             ``Agency              FY 2000       FY 2002       FY 2003
------------------------------------------------------------------------
``Department of Defense          $70,300,000   $74,200,000   $78,300,000
``Department of Energy           $32,000,000   $33,800,000   $35,700,000
``National Aeronautics and       $19,500,000   $20,600,000   $21,700,000
 Space Administration
``National Institutes of         $96,000,000  $101,300,000  $106,300,000
 Health
``National Institute of           $4,200,000    $4,400,000    $4,600,000
 Standards and Technology
``National Science Foundation   $111,200,000  $117,300,000  $123,800,000
``National Security Agency        $1,900,000    $2,000,000    $2,100,000
``Agency for Healthcare           $7,400,000    $7,800,000    $8,200,000
 Research and Quality
------------------------------------------------------------------------

        ``(2) Use of such funds.--Funds authorized by paragraph (1)--
                    ``(A) shall be used in a manner that contributes to 
                achieving the goals of the Next Generation Internet 
                Program and the Large Scale Networking program; and
                    ``(B) may be used only for research that is merit-
                based and peer-reviewed.''.

SEC. 5. RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE.

    Section 103 of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 
U.S.C. 5513) is amended by adding at the end thereof the following:
    ``(e) Rural Infrastructure.--Out of appropriated amounts authorized 
by subsection (d), not less than 10 percent of the total amounts made 
available to fund research shall be used to fund research grants into 
the reduction of the cost of Internet access services available to 
users in geographically-remote areas. The research shall include 
investigation of wireless, hybrid, and satellite technologies. In 
awarding grants under this subsection, the administering agency shall 
give priority to qualified, post-secondary educational institutions 
that participate in the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive 
Research.''.

SEC. 6. MINORITY AND SMALL COLLEGE INTERNET ACCESS.

    Section 103 of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 
U.S.C. 5513), as amended by section 6, is further amended by adding at 
the end thereof the following:
    ``(f) Minority and Small College Internet Access.--Not less than 5 
percent of the amounts made available for research under subsection (e) 
shall be used for grants to institutions of higher education that are 
Hispanic-serving, Native American, Historically Black, or small 
colleges and universities.''.

SEC. 7. DIGITAL DIVIDE STUDY.

    (a) In General.--The National Academy of Sciences shall conduct a 
study to determine the extent to which the Internet backbone and 
network infrastructure contribute to the uneven access to Internet-
related technologies and services by rural and low-income Americans. 
The study shall include--
            (1) an assessment of the existing geographical penalty (as 
        defined in section 7(a)(1) of the Next General Internet 
        Research Act of 1998 (15 U.S.C. 5501 nt.)) and its impact on 
        all users and their ability to obtain secure and reliable 
        Internet access;
            (2) a review of all current Federally-funded research to 
        decrease the inequity of Internet access to rural and low-
        income users; and
            (3) an estimate of the potential impact of Next Generation 
        Internet research institutions acting as aggregators and 
        mentors for nearby smaller or disadvantaged institutions.
    (b) Report.--The National Academy of Sciences shall transmit a 
report containing the results of the study and recommendations required 
by subsection (a) to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation and the House of Representatives Committee on Science 
within 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the National Academy of Sciences such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this section.

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