[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1294 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1294

  To authorize grants for community telecommunications infrastructure 
        planning and market development, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 19, 2003

 Mrs. Murray (for herself, Mrs. Boxer, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. 
  Leahy, and Mr. Pryor) introduced the following bill; which was read 
     twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                             Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize grants for community telecommunications infrastructure 
        planning and market development, 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 ``Community Telecommunications 
Planning Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. COMMUNITY TELECOMMUNICATIONS PLANNING GRANTS.

    (a) Authority To Make Grants.--Each Secretary concerned may, using 
amounts authorized to be appropriated by the applicable paragraph of 
subsection (g), make grants to eligible entities described in 
subsection (b) for the community telecommunications infrastructure 
planning and market development purposes described in subsection (c).
    (b) Eligible Entities.--An entity eligible for a grant under this 
section is any local or tribal government, local non-profit entity, 
cooperative, public utility, or other public entity that proposes to 
use the amount of the grant for the community telecommunications 
infrastructure planning and market development purposes described in 
subsection (c).
    (c) Community Telecommunications Infrastructure Planning and Market 
Development.--Amounts from a grant made under this section shall be 
used for purposes of facilitating the development of a 
telecommunications infrastructure and market development plan for a 
locality by various means, including--
            (1) by encouraging the involvement in the development of 
        the plan of interested elements of the community concerned, 
        including the business community, governments, 
        telecommunications providers, and secondary and, where 
        applicable, post-secondary educational institutions and their 
        students;
            (2) by enhancing the focus of the development of the plan 
        on a wide range of telecommunications needs in the community 
        concerned, including needs relating to local business, 
        education, health care, and government;
            (3) by enhancing the identification of a wide range of 
        potential solutions for such needs through advanced 
        telecommunications infrastructure; and
            (4) by any other means that the Secretary concerned 
        considers appropriate.
    (d) Grant Priority for Planning for Rural and Underserved Areas.--
In making grants under this section, each Secretary concerned shall 
give priority to eligible entities that propose to use the grants for 
community telecommunications infrastructure planning and market 
development for rural areas or underserved areas.
    (e) Administration.--Each Secretary concerned shall establish such 
administrative requirements for grants under this section, including 
requirements for applications for such grants, as such Secretary 
considers appropriate.
    (f) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Rural area.--The term ``rural area'' means any county 
        having a population density of less than 300 people per square 
        mile as determined in the 2000 decennial census.
            (2) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary concerned'' 
        means each of the following:
                    (A) The Secretary of Commerce.
                    (B) The Secretary of Agriculture.
                    (C) The Secretary of Education.
            (3) Underserved area.--The term ``underserved area'' means 
        any census tract as determined in the 2000 decennial census 
        which is located in--
                    (A) an empowerment zone or enterprise community 
                designated under section 1391 of the Internal Revenue 
                Code of 1986;
                    (B) the District of Columbia Enterprise Zone 
                established under section 1400 of the Internal Revenue 
                Code of 1986;
                    (C) a renewal community designated under section 
                1400E of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; or
                    (D) a low-income community designated under section 
                45D of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
    (g) Authorizations of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated for purposes of making grants under this section--
            (1) for the Department of Commerce--
                    (A) $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2004; and
                    (B) such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 
                2005 and each subsequent fiscal year;
            (2) for the Department of Agriculture--
                    (A) $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2004; and
                    (B) such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 
                2005 and each subsequent fiscal year; and
            (3) for the Department of Education--
                    (A) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2004; and
                    (B) such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 
                2005 and each subsequent fiscal year.
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