[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 645 Reported in Senate (RS)]

<DOC>





                                                       Calendar No. 613
115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                 S. 645

                          [Report No. 115-341]

   To require the Secretary of Commerce to conduct an assessment and 
  analysis of the effects of broadband deployment and adoption on the 
         economy of the United States, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 15, 2017

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

            October 2 (legislative day, September 28), 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 require the Secretary of Commerce to conduct an assessment and 
  analysis of the effects of broadband deployment and adoption on the 
         economy of the United States, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Measuring the Economic 
Impact of Broadband Act of 2017''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 2. ASSESSMENT AND ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECT OF BROADBAND 
              DEPLOYMENT ON ECONOMY OF THE UNITED STATES.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Broadband Defined.--In this section, the term 
``broadband'' means an Internet Protocol-based transmission service 
that enables users to send and receive voice, video, data, or graphics, 
or a combination of those items.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Assessment and Analysis Required.--The Secretary of 
Commerce shall, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Economic 
Analysis, conduct an assessment and analysis of the effects of 
broadband deployment and adoption on the economy of the United 
States.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (c) Considerations.--In conducting the assessment and 
analysis required by subsection (b), the Secretary shall consider 
matters relating to employment, including job creation, business 
headcount, online commerce, income, education and distance learning, 
telehealth, telework, agriculture, population growth, population 
density, broadband speed, and geography.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (d) Consultation.--In conducting the assessment and 
analysis required by subsection (b), the Secretary shall consult with--
</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) the heads of such agencies and offices of the 
        Federal Government as the Secretary considers appropriate, 
        including the Secretary of Agriculture, the Director of the 
        Bureau of the Census, the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor 
        Statistics, the Small Business Administration, and the Federal 
        Communications Commission;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) representatives of business, including rural 
        and urban Internet service providers and telecommunications 
        infrastructure providers;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) representatives from State, local, and tribal 
        government agencies; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) representatives from consumer and community 
        organizations.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (e) Report.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce 
        shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 
        on the findings of the Secretary with respect to the assessment 
        and analysis conducted under subsection (b).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Appropriate committees of congress.--In this 
        subsection, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' 
        means--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
                and Transportation of the Senate;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) the Committee on Environment and 
                Public Works of the Senate;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) the Committee on Small Business and 
                Entrepreneurship of the Senate;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (D) the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
                of the House of Representatives;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (E) the Committee on Transportation and 
                Infrastructure of the House of Representatives; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (F) the Committee on Small Business of the 
                House of Representatives.</DELETED>

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Measuring the Economic Impact of 
Broadband Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. ASSESSMENT AND ANALYSIS REGARDING THE EFFECT OF THE DIGITAL 
              ECONOMY ON THE ECONOMY OF THE UNITED STATES.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
        ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                Transportation of the Senate;
                    (B) the Committee on Environment and Public Works 
                of the Senate;
                    (C) the Committee on Small Business and 
                Entrepreneurship of the Senate;
                    (D) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the 
                House of Representatives;
                    (E) the Committee on Transportation and 
                Infrastructure of the House of Representatives; and
                    (F) the Committee on Small Business of the House of 
                Representatives.
            (2) Assistant secretary.--The term ``Assistant Secretary'' 
        means the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications 
        and Information.
            (3) Broadband.--The term ``broadband'' means an Internet 
        Protocol-based transmission service that enables users to send 
        and receive voice, video, data, or graphics, or a combination 
        of those items.
            (4) Digital economy.--
                    (A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), the 
                term ``digital economy'' has the meaning given the term 
                by the Secretary in carrying out this section.
                    (B) Considerations.--In establishing a definition 
                for the term ``digital economy'' under subparagraph 
                (A), the Secretary shall consider--
                            (i) the digital-enabling infrastructure 
                        that a computer network needs to exist and 
                        operate; and
                            (ii) the roles of e-commerce and digital 
                        media.
            (5) Digital media.--The term ``digital media'' means the 
        content that participants in e-commerce create and access.
            (6) E-commerce.--The term ``e-commerce'' means the digital 
        transactions that take place using the infrastructure described 
        in paragraph (4)(B)(i).
            (7) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Commerce.
    (b) Biennial Assessment and Analysis Required.--Not later than 2 
years after the date of enactment of this Act, and biennially 
thereafter, the Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the 
Bureau of Economic Analysis of the Department of Commerce and the 
Assistant Secretary, shall conduct an assessment and analysis regarding 
the contribution of the digital economy to the economy of the United 
States.
    (c) Considerations and Consultation.--In conducting each assessment 
and analysis required under subsection (b), the Secretary shall--
            (1) consider the impact of--
                    (A) the deployment and adoption of--
                            (i) digital-enabling infrastructure; and
                            (ii) broadband;
                    (B) e-commerce and platform-enabled peer-to-peer 
                commerce; and
                    (C) the production and consumption of digital 
                media, including free media; and
            (2) consult with--
                    (A) the heads of any agencies and offices of the 
                Federal Government as the Secretary considers 
                appropriate, including the Secretary of Agriculture, 
                the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 
                Administrator of the Small Business Administration, and 
                the Federal Communications Commission;
                    (B) representatives of the business community, 
                including rural and urban Internet service providers 
                and telecommunications infrastructure providers;
                    (C) representatives from State, local, and tribal 
                government agencies; and
                    (D) representatives from consumer and community 
                organizations.
    (d) Report.--The Secretary shall submit to the appropriate 
committees of Congress a report regarding the findings of the Secretary 
with respect to each assessment and analysis conducted under subsection 
(b).
                                                       Calendar No. 613

115th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                 S. 645

                          [Report No. 115-341]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

   To require the Secretary of Commerce to conduct an assessment and 
  analysis of the effects of broadband deployment and adoption on the 
         economy of the United States, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

            October 2 (legislative day, September 28), 2018

                       Reported with an amendment