[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 774 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 774

  To require the Comptroller General of the United States to submit a 
 report to Congress on the effectiveness of the Federal Communications 
                Commission's universal service reforms.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 22, 2013

  Mr. Begich (for himself and Mrs. Fischer) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the Comptroller General of the United States to submit a 
 report to Congress on the effectiveness of the Federal Communications 
                Commission's universal service reforms.

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

SECTION 1. GAO REPORT ON UNIVERSAL SERVICE REFORMS.

    (a) Purpose.--The purpose of the report required under subsection 
(b) is to aid Congress in monitoring and measuring the effects of a 
series of reforms by the Federal Communications Commission (in this Act 
referred to as the ``FCC'') intended to promote the availability and 
affordability of broadband service throughout the United States.
    (b) Report.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall 
prepare a report providing detailed measurements, statistics, and 
metrics with respect to--
            (1) the progress of implementation of the reforms adopted 
        in the FCC's Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed 
        Rulemaking adopted on October 27, 2011 (FCC 11-161) (in this 
        Act referred to as the ``Order'');
            (2) the effects, if any, of such reforms on retail end user 
        rates during the applicable calendar year for--
                    (A) local voice telephony services (including any 
                subscriber line charges and access recovery charges 
                assessed by carriers upon purchasers of such services);
                    (B) interconnected VoIP services;
                    (C) long distance voice services;
                    (D) mobile wireless voice services;
                    (E) bundles of voice telephony or VoIP services 
                (such as local and long distance voice packages);
                    (F) fixed broadband Internet access services; and
                    (G) mobile broadband Internet access services;
            (3) any disparities or trends detectable during the 
        applicable calendar year with respect to the relative average 
        (such as per-consumer) retail rates charged for each of the 
        services listed in paragraph (2) to consumers (including both 
        residential and business users) located in rural areas and 
        urban areas;
            (4) any disparities or trends detectable during the 
        applicable calendar year with respect to the relative average 
        (such as per-consumer) retail rates charged for each of the 
        services listed in paragraph (2) as between incumbent local 
        exchange carriers subject to price cap regulation and those 
        subject to rate-of-return regulation;
            (5) the effects, if any, of those reforms adopted in the 
        Order on average fixed and mobile broadband Internet access 
        speeds, respectively, available to residential and business 
        consumers, respectively, during the applicable calendar year;
            (6) any disparities or trends detectable during the 
        applicable calendar year with respect to the relative average 
        fixed and mobile broadband Internet access speeds, 
        respectively, available to residential and business consumers, 
        respectively, in rural areas and urban areas;
            (7) the effects, if any, of those reforms adopted in the 
        Order on the magnitude and pace of investments in broadband-
        capable networks in rural areas, including such investments 
        financed by the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities 
        Service under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 
        901 et seq.);
            (8) any disparities or trends detectable during the 
        applicable calendar year with respect to the relative magnitude 
        and pace of investments in broadband-capable networks in rural 
        areas and urban areas;
            (9) any disparities or trends detectable during the 
        applicable calendar year with respect to the magnitude and pace 
        of investments in broadband-capable networks in areas served by 
        carriers subject to price cap regulation and areas served by 
        carriers subject to rate-of-return regulation;
            (10) the effects, if any, of those reforms adopted in the 
        Order on adoption of broadband Internet access services by end 
        users; and
            (11) the effects, if any, of such reforms on State 
        universal service funds or other State universal service 
        initiatives, including carrier-of-last-resort requirements that 
        may be enforced by any State.
    (c) Timing.--On or before December 31, 2013, and annually 
thereafter for the following 5 calendar years, the Comptroller General 
shall submit the report required under subsection (b) to the following:
            (1) The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
        of the Senate.
            (2) The Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 
        of the Senate.
            (3) The Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
        Representatives.
            (4) The Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
        Representatives.
    (d) Data Inclusion.--The report required under subsection (b) shall 
include all data that the Comptroller General deems relevant to and 
supportive of any conclusions drawn with respect to the effects of the 
FCC's reforms and any disparities or trends detected in the items 
subject to the report.
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