[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 66 (Tuesday, April 24, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S4920]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Obama):
  S. 1190. A bill to promote the deployment and adoption of 
telecommunications services and information technologies, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of 
the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 1190

       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 ``Connect The Nation Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) The deployment and adoption of broadband services and 
     information technology has resulted in enhanced economic 
     development and public safety for communities across the 
     Nation, improved health care and educational opportunities, 
     and a better quality of life for all Americans.
       (2) Continued progress in the deployment and adoption of 
     broadband and other advanced information services is vital to 
     ensuring that our Nation remains competitive and continues to 
     create business and job growth.
       (3) The Federal Government should also recognize and 
     encourage complementary state efforts to improve the quality 
     and usefulness of broadband data and should encourage and 
     support the partnership of the public and private sectors in 
     the continued growth of broadband services and information 
     technology for the residents and businesses of the Nation.

     SEC. 3. ENCOURAGING STATE INITIATIVES TO IMPROVE BROADBAND.

       (a) Purposes.--The purposes of any grant under subsection 
     (b) are--
       (1) to ensure that all citizens and businesses in a State 
     have access to affordable and reliable broadband service;
       (2) to achieve improved technology literacy, increased 
     computer ownership, and home broadband use among such 
     citizens and businesses;
       (3) to establish and empower local grassroots technology 
     teams in each State to plan for improved technology use 
     across multiple community sectors; and
       (4) to establish and sustain an environment ripe for 
     broadband services and information technology investment.
       (b) Establishment of State Broadband Data and Development 
     Grant Program.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of Commerce shall award 
     grants, taking into account the results of the peer review 
     process under subsection (d), to eligible entities for the 
     development and implementation of statewide initiatives to 
     identify and track the availability and adoption of broadband 
     services within each State.
       (2) Competitive basis.--Any grant under subsection (b) 
     shall be awarded on a competitive basis.
       (c) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
     subsection (b), an eligible entity shall--
       (1) submit an application to the Secretary of Commerce, at 
     such time, in such manner, and containing such information as 
     the Secretary may require; and
       (2) contribute matching non-Federal funds in an amount 
     equal to not less than 20 percent of the total amount of the 
     grant.
       (d) Peer Review.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary shall by regulation require 
     appropriate technical and scientific peer review of 
     applications made for grants under this section.
       (2) Review procedures.--The regulations required under 
     paragraph (1) shall require that any technical and scientific 
     peer review group--
       (A) be provided a written description of the grant to be 
     reviewed;
       (B) provide the results of any review by such group to the 
     Secretary of Commerce; and
       (C) certify that such group will enter into voluntary 
     nondisclosure agreements as necessary to prevent the 
     unauthorized disclosure of confidential and propriety 
     information provided by broadband service providers in 
     connection with projects funded by any such grant.
       (e) Use of Funds.--A grant awarded to an eligible entity 
     under subsection (b) shall be used--
       (1) to provide a baseline assessment of broadband service 
     deployment in each State;
       (2) to identify and track--
       (A) areas in each State that have low levels of broadband 
     service deployment;
       (B) the rate at which residential and business adopt 
     broadband service and other related information technology 
     services; and
       (C) possible suppliers of such services;
       (3) to identify barriers to the adoption by individuals and 
     businesses of broadband service and related information 
     technology services, including whether or not--
       (A) the demand for such services is absent; and
       (B) the supply for such services is capable of meeting the 
     demand for such services;
       (4) to create and facilitate in each county or designated 
     region in a State a local technology planning team--
       (A) with members representing a cross section of the 
     community, including representatives of business, 
     telecommunications labor organizations, K-12 education, 
     health care, libraries, higher education, community-based 
     organizations, local government, tourism, parks and 
     recreation, and agriculture; and
       (B) which shall--
       (i) benchmark technology use across relevant community 
     sectors;
       (ii) set goals for improved technology use within each 
     sector; and
       (iii) develop a tactical business plan for achieving its 
     goals, with specific recommendations for online application 
     development and demand creation;
       (5) to work collaboratively with broadband service 
     providers and information technology companies to encourage 
     deployment and use, especially in unserved and underserved 
     areas, through the use of local demand aggregation, mapping 
     analysis, and the creation of market intelligence to improve 
     the business case for providers to deploy;
       (6) to establish programs to improve computer ownership and 
     Internet access for unserved and underserved populations;
       (7) to collect and analyze detailed market data concerning 
     the use and demand for broadband service and related 
     information technology services;
       (8) to facilitate information exchange regarding the use 
     and demand for broadband services between public and private 
     sectors; and
       (9) to create within each State a geographic inventory map 
     of broadband service, which shall--
       (A) identify gaps in such service through a method of 
     geographic information system mapping of service availability 
     at the census block level; and
       (B) provide a baseline assessment of statewide broadband 
     deployment in terms of households with high-speed 
     availability.
       (f) Participation Limit.--For each State, an eligible 
     entity may not receive a new grant under this section to fund 
     the activities described in subsection (d) within such State 
     if such organization obtained prior grant awards under this 
     section to fund the same activities in that State in each of 
     the previous 4 consecutive years.
       (g) Report.--Each recipient of a grant under subsection (b) 
     shall submit an report on the use of the funds provided by 
     the grant to the Secretary of Commerce.
       (h) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means a 
     non-profit organization that is selected by a State to work 
     in partnership with State agencies and private sector 
     partners in identifying and tracking the availability and 
     adoption of broadband services within each State.
       (2) Nonprofit organization.--The term ``nonprofit 
     organization'' means an organization--
       (A) described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 
     Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under section 501(a) of such 
     Code;
       (B) no part of the net earnings of which inures to the 
     benefit of any member, founder, contributor, or individual;
       (C) that has an established competency and proven record of 
     working with public and private sectors to accomplish 
     widescale deployment and adoption of broadband services and 
     information technology; and
       (D) the board of directors of which is not composed of a 
     majority of individuals who are also employed by, or 
     otherwise associated with, any Federal, State, or local 
     government or any Federal, State, or local agency.
       (3) Broadband service.--The term ``broadband service'' 
     means any service that connects to the public Internet that 
     provides a data transmission-rate equivalent to at least 200 
     kilobits per second, or 200,000 bits per second, or any 
     successor transmission-rate established by the Federal 
     Communications Commission, in at least 1 direction.
       (i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this section $40,000,000 for 
     each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012.
       (j) No Regulatory Authority.--Nothing in this Act shall be 
     construed as giving any public or private entity established 
     or affected by this Act any regulatory jurisdiction or 
     oversight authority over providers of broadband services or 
     information technology.
                                 ______