[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 228 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 228

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 24, 2017

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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, 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 ``Small Business Broadband Deployment 
Act of 2017''.

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) Sunset.--Subsection (b) shall not have any force or effect 
after the date that is 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act.
    (d) 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 
whether--
            (1) the exception provided under subsection (b) should be 
        made permanent; and
            (2) the definition of the term ``small business'' for the 
        purposes of the exception provided under subsection (b) should 
        be modified from the definition in subsection (a)(4).
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