[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2418 Reported in Senate (RS)]

<DOC>





                                                       Calendar No. 626
115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2418

                          [Report No. 115-345]

     To direct the Federal Communications Commission to promulgate 
regulations that establish a national standard for determining whether 
 mobile and broadband services available in rural areas are reasonably 
         comparable to those services provided in urban areas.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 13, 2018

Ms. Hassan (for herself, Mrs. Capito, Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. Cortez Masto, 
 and Mr. King) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

                            October 9, 2018

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To direct the Federal Communications Commission to promulgate 
regulations that establish a national standard for determining whether 
 mobile and broadband services available in rural areas are reasonably 
         comparable to those services provided in urban areas.

    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 ``Rural Reasonable and 
Comparable Wireless Access Act of 2018''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 2. AVAILABILITY OF MOBILE AND BROADBAND SERVICES IN 
              UNDERSERVED RURAL AREAS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Definitions.--In this section:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) Broadband internet access service.--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 capabilities that 
                are incidental to, and enable the operation of, the 
                communications service;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) includes any service that the 
                Commission finds to provide a functional equivalent of 
                the service described in subparagraph (A); 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) does not include dial-up Internet 
                access service.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Commercial mobile data service.--The term 
        ``commercial mobile data service'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 6001 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job 
        Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1401).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Commercial mobile service.--The term 
        ``commercial mobile service'' has the meaning given the term in 
        section 332(d) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
        332(d)).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the 
        Federal Communications Commission.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) Rural telephone company.--The term ``rural 
        telephone company'' has the meaning given the term in section 3 
        of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 153).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (6) Service area.--The term ``service area'' has 
        the meaning given the term in section 214(e) of the 
        Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 214(e)).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Establishment of Standard.--Not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall 
promulgate regulations that establish a national standard to determine, 
with respect to access to universal service in rural, insular, and 
high-cost areas under section 254(b)(3) of the Communications Act of 
1934 (47 U.S.C. 254(b)(3)), whether commercial mobile services, 
commercial mobile data services, and broadband Internet access services 
available in rural areas are reasonably comparable to those services 
provided in urban areas.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (c) Underserved Rural Areas.--The standard established 
under subsection (b) shall--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) define a rural area as any area that is--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) a rural area, as defined in section 
                54.600(b)(1) of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, 
                as in effect on the date of enactment of this Act; 
                or</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) a service area that is served by a 
                rural telephone company;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) define a rural area as underserved, with 
        respect to a service described in subsection (b), if service 
        that meets or exceeds the standard established under that 
        subsection is not available in the area; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) provide that a rural area shall be considered 
        underserved, with respect to a service described in subsection 
        (b), if tests show that the service available in the area does 
        not meet or exceed the applicable average determined under 
        subsection (d)(1) with respect to that service.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (d) Data From Urban Areas.--The Commission shall--
</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) gather data on the average signal strength and 
        average speed of commercial mobile service and commercial 
        mobile data service, and on the average speed of broadband 
        Internet access service, provided in the 20 most populous 
        metropolitan statistical areas in the United States; 
        and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) specify in the standard established under 
        subsection (b) that--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) commercial mobile service or 
                commercial mobile data service available in a rural 
                area is reasonably comparable to that service provided 
                in an urban area only if the average signal strength 
                and average speed with respect to the service in the 
                rural area meets or exceeds the average determined 
                under paragraph (1) with respect to that service; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) broadband Internet access service 
                available in a rural area is reasonably comparable to 
                that service provided in an urban area only if the 
                average speed with respect to the service in the rural 
                area meets or exceeds the average determined under 
                paragraph (1) with respect to that service.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (e) Periodic Updating of Data.--The Commission shall 
periodically update the data gathered under subsection 
(d)(1).</DELETED>

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Rural Reasonable and Comparable 
Wireless Access Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. AVAILABILITY OF MOBILE BROADBAND SERVICE IN UNDERSERVED RURAL 
              AREAS.

    (a) Definitions.--
            (1) In general.--In this section:
                    (A) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the 
                Federal Communications Commission.
                    (B) Rural telephone company.--The term ``rural 
                telephone company'' has the meaning given the term in 
                section 3 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
                153).
                    (C) Service area.--The term ``service area'' has 
                the meaning given the term in section 214(e) of the 
                Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 214(e)).
            (2) Mobile broadband service.--The Commission shall define 
        the term ``mobile broadband service'' for purposes of this 
        section.
    (b) Establishment of Standard.--
            (1) Commencement of rulemaking.--Not later than 180 days 
        after the date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall 
        commence a rulemaking to establish a national standard to 
        determine, with respect to access to universal service in 
        rural, insular, and high cost areas under section 254(b)(3) of 
        the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254(b)(3)), whether 
        mobile broadband service available in rural areas is reasonably 
        comparable to mobile broadband service provided in urban areas.
            (2) Progress reports.--Not less frequently than once every 
        180 days after commencing the rulemaking under paragraph (1), 
        the Commission shall submit to Congress a report on the 
        progress of the Commission in establishing the standard under 
        that paragraph.
    (c) Considerations.--In establishing a standard under subsection 
(b), the Commission shall consider--
            (1) defining a rural area as any area--
                    (A) in which a school or library designated as 
                ``rural'' under section 54.505(b)(3)(i) of title 47, 
                Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on the date 
                of enactment of this Act, is located; or
                    (B) that is a service area that is served by a 
                rural telephone company;
            (2) defining a rural area as underserved, with respect to 
        mobile broadband service, if mobile broadband service that 
        meets or exceeds the standard established under subsection (b) 
        is not available in the area; and
            (3) providing that a rural area shall be considered 
        underserved, with respect to mobile broadband service, if tests 
        show that the average speed and signal strength of mobile 
        broadband service available in the area do not meet or exceed 
        the average speed and signal strength of mobile broadband 
        service provided in the 20 most populous metropolitan 
        statistical areas in the United States.
    (d) Data From Urban Areas.--To help inform the standard established 
under subsection (b), the Commission shall gather, and periodically 
update, data on mobile broadband service provided in the 20 most 
populous metropolitan statistical areas in the United States.
                                                       Calendar No. 626

115th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                S. 2418

                          [Report No. 115-345]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

     To direct the Federal Communications Commission to promulgate 
regulations that establish a national standard for determining whether 
 mobile and broadband services available in rural areas are reasonably 
         comparable to those services provided in urban areas.

_______________________________________________________________________

                            October 9, 2018

                       Reported with an amendment