[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2283 Reported in Senate (RS)]

<DOC>





                                                       Calendar No. 698
114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2283

 To ensure that small business providers of broadband Internet access 
   service can devote resources to broadband deployment rather than 
          compliance with cumbersome regulatory requirements.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 16, 2015

   Mr. Daines (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mr. Gardner, Mr. Roberts, Mr. 
Sullivan, and Mr. Crapo) introduced the following bill; which was read 
     twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                             Transportation

                            December 6, 2016

                Reported by Mr. Thune, with an amendment
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To ensure that small business providers of broadband Internet access 
   service can devote resources to broadband deployment rather than 
          compliance with cumbersome regulatory requirements.

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

<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    This Act may be cited as the ``Small Business Broadband 
Deployment Act of 2015''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 2. EXCEPTION TO ENHANCEMENT TO TRANSPARENCY REQUIREMENTS 
              FOR SMALL BUSINESSES.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Definitions.--In this Act--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) the term ``broadband Internet access 
        service''--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) means a mass-market retail service by 
                wire or radio that provides the capability to transmit 
                data to and receive data from all or substantially all 
                Internet endpoints, including any capability that is 
                incidental to and enables the operation of the 
                communications service; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) does not include dial-up Internet 
                access service; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) the term ``small business'' means any provider 
        of broadband Internet access service that has not more than--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) 1,500 employees; or</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) 500,000 subscribers.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Exception for Small Businesses.--The enhancements to 
the transparency rule of the Federal Communications Commission under 
section 8.3 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, as described in 
paragraphs 162 through 184 of the Report and Order on Remand, 
Declaratory Ruling, and Order of the Federal Communications Commission 
with regard to protecting and promoting the open Internet (adopted 
February 26, 2015) (FCC 15-24), shall not apply to any small 
business.</DELETED>

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Small Business Broadband Deployment 
Act of 2016''.

SEC. 2. SMALL BUSINESS EXEMPTION.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
        means--
                    (A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                Transportation of the Senate; and
                    (B) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the 
                House of Representatives;
            (2) the term ``broadband Internet access service'' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 8.2 of title 47, Code of 
        Federal Regulations;
            (3) the term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
        Communications Commission; and
            (4) the term ``small business'' means any provider of 
        broadband Internet access service that has not more than 
        250,000 subscribers.
    (b) Exception for Small Businesses.--The enhancements to the 
transparency rule of the Commission under section 8.3 of title 47, Code 
of Federal Regulations, as described in paragraphs 162 through 184 of 
the Report and Order on Remand, Declaratory Ruling, and Order of the 
Commission with regard to protecting and promoting the open Internet 
(adopted by the Commission on February 26, 2015) (FCC 15-24), shall not 
apply to any small business.
    (c) Report by FCC.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Commission shall submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a report that contains the recommendations of 
the Commission, and data supporting those recommendations, regarding--
            (1) whether the exception provided by subsection (b) should 
        be made permanent; and
            (2) whether the definition of the term ``small business'' 
        for the purposes of that exception should be modified from the 
        definition in subsection (a)(4).
    (d) Rulemaking.--Not later than 180 days after the date on which 
Commission submits the report under subsection (c), the Commission 
shall commence a rulemaking proceeding to implement the recommendations 
in that report.
    (e) Sunset.--Subsection (b) shall have no force or effect after the 
later of the date--
            (1) that is 3 years after the date of enactment of this 
        Act; or
            (2) on which the Commission adopts rules in the proceeding 
        required under subsection (d).
                                                       Calendar No. 698

114th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                S. 2283

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To ensure that small business providers of broadband Internet access 
   service can devote resources to broadband deployment rather than 
          compliance with cumbersome regulatory requirements.

_______________________________________________________________________

                            December 6, 2016

                       Reported with an amendment