[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 175 (Tuesday, November 13, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H13557-H13561]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
BROADBAND CENSUS OF AMERICA ACT OF 2007
Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3919) to provide for a comprehensive nationwide inventory of
existing broadband service, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3919
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 ``Broadband Census of America
Act of 2007''.
SEC. 2. CENSUS OF BROADBAND SERVICE DEPLOYMENT.
(a) Duty to Collect and Report.--
(1) Annual assessment and report.--The Commission shall, on
an annual basis, conduct an assessment and publish a report
on the nature and deployment of, and subscription to,
broadband service capability throughout the States.
(2) Bandwidth service tiers.--The Commission shall
designate bandwidth service tiers by identifying tiers of
increasing data transmission speeds of broadband service
capability that will provide useful information about the
nature and extent of deployment of broadband service
capability. At a minimum, the tiers in the aggregate shall
encompass all data transmission speeds deployed, and shall
consist of multiple combinations of upstream and downstream
data transmission speeds. Each tier shall be designated, to
the extent possible, to correspond to the ability to support
qualitatively different applications and services, which the
Commission shall also identify.
(3) Information collection.--The Commission shall collect,
or provide for the collection of, information from all
commercial and public providers of broadband service
capability under its jurisdiction in each State. Such
information shall include--
(A) for each area encompassed by a United States postal zip
code of the 5 digit level--
(i) information concerning the types of technology used to
provide broadband service capability in such area;
(ii) the tiers designated under paragraph (2) used to
provide such capability in such area; and
(iii) the actual number of residential subscribers and the
actual number of business subscribers in such area; and
(B) for each State, the actual number of residential
subscribers and the actual number of business subscribers for
each tier of service designated under paragraph (2).
(4) Information reported.--In the annual report required by
paragraph (1), the Commission shall provide to the public--
(A) for each area encompassed by a United States postal zip
code of the 5 digit level--
(i) a list of the types of technology used to provide such
capability in such area; and
(ii) the actual number of residential subscribers and the
actual number of business subscribers to broadband service
capability in such area, each in the aggregate; and
(B) for each State, the actual number of residential
subscribers and the actual number of business subscribers for
each tier of service designated under paragraph (2), each in
the aggregate.
(b) Evolution of Assessment.--The Commission shall
periodically review both the bandwidth service tiers and the
types of technology utilized in its assessment under
subsection (a) to take into account changes in technology and
marketplace conditions.
(c) International Comparison.--
(1) International comparison.--As part of the assessment
and report required by this section, the Commission shall
include information comparing the extent of broadband service
capability (including data transmission speeds and price for
broadband service capability) in a total of 75 communities in
at least 25 countries abroad for each of the tiers designated
pursuant to subsection (a)(2).
(2) Contents.--The Commission shall choose communities for
the comparison under this subsection in a manner that will
offer, to the extent possible, communities of a population
size, population density, topography, and demographic profile
that are comparable to the population size, population
density, topography, and demographic profile of various
communities within the United States. The Commission shall
include in the comparison under this subsection--
(A) a geographically diverse selection of countries; and
(B) communities including the capital cities of such
countries.
(3) Similarities and differences.--The Commission shall
identify relevant similarities and differences in each
community, including their market structures, the number of
competitors, the number of facilities-based providers, the
types of technologies deployed by such providers, the
applications and services those technologies enable, and the
regulatory model under which broadband service capability is
provided.
(d) Protection of Information.--Except for the information
provided to the public by the Commission in its annual report
pursuant to subsection (a)(4), nothing in this section shall
reduce or remove any obligation the Commission has to protect
proprietary information, nor shall this section be construed
to compel the Commission to make publicly available any
proprietary information. Any information collected by the
Commission pursuant to subsection (a)(3) that reveals any
competitively sensitive information of an individual provider
of broadband service capability shall not be disclosed by the
Commission under subsection (a)(4) or otherwise.
(e) Regulations.--The Commission shall, within 180 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, promulgate
regulations to implement this section.
(f) Enforcement Authority.--The Commission shall enforce
this section as if such section was a part of the
Communications Act of 1934. For the purpose of this section,
any violations of this section, or any regulations
promulgated under this section, shall be considered to be a
violation of the Communications Act of 1934 or a regulation
promulgated under that Act, respectively.
SEC. 3. BROADBAND INVENTORY MAP.
(a) Establishment.--To provide a comprehensive nationwide
inventory of existing broadband service capability and
availability, the NTIA shall develop and maintain a broadband
inventory map of the United States that identifies and
depicts the geographic extent to which broadband service
capability is deployed and available from a commercial
provider or public provider throughout each State.
(b) Information Shown.--The broadband inventory map
developed and maintained pursuant to this section shall be
capable of identifying and depicting, nationwide, for each
State, and for each county or parish of each State--
(1) each area encompassed by a United States postal zip
code of 9 digit level, census tract level, or functional
equivalent in which broadband service capability is deployed
at that time, including--
(A) each commercial or public provider of broadband service
capability within such area; and
(B) subject to subsection (f)(5)--
(i) each type of technology used to provide broadband
service capability within such area; and
(ii) which bandwidth service tiers designated pursuant to
section 2(a)(2) are available within such area for each
provider of broadband service capability; and
(2) each area encompassed by a United States postal zip
code of 9 digit level, census tract level, or functional
equivalent in which broadband service capability is not
deployed at that time.
(c) Data Use Encouraged.--The NTIA shall--
(1) seek to overlay demographic data obtained from other
sources in the Department of Commerce and elsewhere for use
with such broadband inventory map; and
(2) make available such map, and the information on which
it is based, to such other sources in the Department for
demographic purposes, subject to section 7.
(d) Public Availability and Interactivity.--Not later than
2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the NTIA
shall make the broadband inventory map developed and
maintained pursuant to this section accessible by the public
on a World Wide Web site of the NTIA in a form that is
interactive and searchable.
[[Page H13558]]
(e) Updating.--The NTIA shall update the broadband
inventory map developed and maintained pursuant to this
section to ensure that the information provided by the
broadband inventory map is timely and accurate.
(f) Obtaining Information.--
(1) In general.--The NTIA shall request and obtain such
information as may be necessary to carry out this section
from the following:
(A) eligible entities under section 4;
(B) the Commission; and
(C) commercial and public providers of broadband service
capability.
(2) Priority of information requests.--If the NTIA has not
otherwise obtained such information pursuant to paragraph
(3), the NTIA shall--
(A) first request and try to obtain such information from
such eligible entities before requesting and obtaining such
information from the Commission; and
(B) only request such information from commercial and
public providers of broadband service capability if such
information cannot be obtained in a timely fashion from such
eligible entities or the Commission.
(3) Compatible format.--Such entities or such providers may
elect to provide the NTIA with the information necessary for
displaying a statewide map, provided that such map meets, at
a minimum, the requirements of subsection (b) for that State
and such information is in a format that NTIA is able to
incorporate into the broadband inventory map required under
this section. Nothing in this paragraph precludes such
providers or any such entity, with agreement of the providers
concerned, from providing to the NTIA, or using for its own
purposes, more geographically-specific information than
required by subsection (b).
(4) Additional information, including wifi hotspots.--The
NTIA shall also try to obtain accurate information from
reliable publicly available sources about broadband service
capability that is offered to the public but that is not
provided by either a commercial provider or a public provider
directly to the public.
(5) Opt-out by providers.--Notwithstanding subsection
(b)(1)(B), if a provider of broadband service capability
requests that the map developed and maintained pursuant to
this section shall not depict the information in clause (i)
or (ii), or both, of such subsection for a particular area or
areas, the NTIA shall comply with such request.
(g) Protection of Information.--Except for the information
provided to the public by the NTIA in subsection (d), nothing
in this section shall reduce or remove any obligation the
NTIA has to protect proprietary information, nor shall this
section be construed to compel the NTIA to make publicly
available any proprietary information. Notwithstanding any
other provision of this section, any information obtained by
NTIA pursuant to subsection (f) that reveals competitively
sensitive information of an individual provider of broadband
service capability shall not be disclosed by NTIA.
SEC. 4. GRANTS TO STATES FOR BROADBAND MAP DEVELOPMENT.
(a) In General.--The NTIA may, to the extent amounts are
made available pursuant to section 10(b) for use under this
section, make grants to an eligible entity to assist in
providing the NTIA with information to facilitate the
development of the broadband inventory map required under
section 3.
(b) State Entity Application and Designation.--An eligible
entity in any State that seeks to obtain a grant under this
section shall submit an application to the NTIA at such time,
in such form, and containing such information and assurances
as the NTIA may require.
(c) Use.--Amounts from a grant under this section may be
used only for costs involved in developing and obtaining
information for the broadband inventory map required under
section 3.
(d) Conditions.--
(1) Information sharing.--As a condition of receipt of a
grant under this section, the eligible entity shall agree to
provide to the NTIA the information developed or obtained
using such grant amounts and necessary for the broadband
inventory map required under section 3.
(2) Matching requirement.--An eligible entity may not
obtain a grant under this section to carry out the activities
under this section unless such entity agrees to provide, from
non-Federal funds, an amount equal to not less than 20
percent of the amount of the grant toward the costs of
carrying out such activities.
(e) Grant Criteria.--The NTIA shall select an eligible
entity to receive a grant under this section based upon
criteria that shall include--
(1) whether such entity requesting a grant is organized on
a statewide basis and prepared to develop information for use
by NTIA on a timely basis;
(2) the need of such entity for financial support, taking
into account the financial support from State or other
sources, to fulfill the objectives of this Act; and
(3) whether the denial of such entity's grant request
would--
(A) result in the inability of such entity to develop
information on a timely or comprehensive basis; and
(B) result in a gap in the information for that State or
otherwise thwart the objectives of this Act.
(f) Regulations.--The NTIA shall issue such regulations as
may be necessary to carry out the functions assigned under
this section.
(g) Eligible Entity.--For the purposes of this section, the
term ``eligible entity'' for any State means--
(1) an entity that is either--
(A) an agency or instrumentality of that State, or a
municipality or other subdivision (or agency or
instrumentality of a municipality or other subdivision) of
that State; or
(B) a nonprofit organization that is described in section
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and that is
exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of such Code; and
(2) the entity is the single eligible entity in such State
that has been designated by the State to receive a grant
under this section.
SEC. 5. GRANTS FOR DEMAND-SIDE BROADBAND SERVICE
IDENTIFICATION AND ASSESSMENTS.
(a) Grant Authority.--From the amounts appropriated under
section 10(c), the NTIA shall establish a grant program to
create and facilitate the work of local technology planning
entities that represent a broad cross-section of their
community, including representatives of business,
telecommunications labor organizations, consumer
organizations, elementary and secondary education, health
care providers, libraries, higher education, community-based
organizations, tribal organizations, and local government.
(b) State Entity Application and Designation.--Each
eligible planning entity in any State that seeks to obtain a
grant under this section shall submit an application to the
NTIA at such time, in such form, and containing such
information and assurances as the NTIA may require. Such
application shall contain a demonstration that--
(1) the entity is an eligible planning entity; and
(2) the eligible planning entity--
(A) is the single eligible planning entity in such State
that has been designated by the State for an exclusive
geographic area within the State to receive a grant under
this section; or
(B) is the single eligible planning entity that is
designated by the governing body of an Indian tribe to
receive a grant under this section.
(c) Use of Funds.--Amounts from a grant under this section
shall be used to assist an eligible planning entity to--
(1) assess the current use of broadband service capability
across relevant community sectors;
(2) set goals for improving or maximizing such use within
each sector;
(3) develop a plan for achieving the eligible planning
entity's goals, with specific recommendations for identifying
and spurring demand for such capability;
(4) collaborate with providers of broadband service
capability and other high technology companies to encourage
the deployment and use of broadband service capability in
unserved and underserved areas;
(5) identify local demand for broadband service capability
and aggregate such demand;
(6) establish programs, but not acquire equipment or
facilities, to improve computer ownership and Internet access
for unserved and underserved populations; and
(7) facilitate the exchange of information regarding the
use and demand for broadband service capability between the
public and private sectors.
(d) Prohibition.--Funds made available by a grant under
this section shall not be used for the provision of broadband
service capability or the acquisition of equipment or
facilities for such capability, except that this prohibition
shall not prohibit an eligible planning entity's use of such
funds to acquire broadband service capability or equipment or
facilities for such capability for use by such entity in its
own conduct of planning activities.
(e) Regulations.--The NTIA shall issue such regulations as
may be necessary to carry out the functions assigned under
this section.
(f) Eligible Planning Entity.--For the purposes of this
section, the term ``eligible planning entity'' for any State
means--
(1) an agency or instrumentality of that State, a
municipality or other subdivision (or agency or
instrumentality of a municipality or other subdivision) of
that State, or an Indian tribe; or
(2) a nonprofit organization that is described in section
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and that is
exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of such Code.
SEC. 6. CONSUMER SURVEY OF BROADBAND SERVICE CAPABILITY.
(a) Authority.--For the purpose of evaluating, on a
statistically significant basis, the national characteristics
of the use of broadband service capability, the Commission
shall conduct and make public periodic surveys of consumers
in urban, suburban, and rural areas in the large business,
small business, and residential consumer markets to determine
the following:
(1) The types of technology used to provide the broadband
service capability to which consumers subscribe.
(2) The amounts consumers pay per month for such
capability.
(3) The actual data transmission speeds of such capability.
(4) The types of applications and services consumers most
frequently use in conjunction with such capability.
(5) For consumers who have declined to subscribe to
broadband service capability,
[[Page H13559]]
the reasons given by such consumers for declining such
capability.
(6) Other sources of broadband service capability which
consumers regularly use or on which they rely.
(7) Any other information the Commission deems appropriate
for such purpose.
(b) Public Availability.--The Commission shall make
publicly available the results of surveys conducted under
this section at least once per year.
SEC. 7. CONFIDENTIALITY OF CONSUMER INFORMATION.
(a) In General.--The Commission shall, within 180 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, promulgate
regulations--
(1) to protect the confidentiality of personal consumer
information collected for the purposes of this Act;
(2) to require the Commission, the NTIA, and each other
entity that collects or controls such information for the
purposes of this Act (including any eligible entity under
section 4, eligible planning entity designated under section
5(b)(2), and commercial and public provider of broadband
service capability) to protect the confidentiality of such
information; and
(3) to permit such information to be disclosed by such
entities only to the extent consistent with the provisions
and for the purposes of this Act, or with the prior express
authorization of the consumer to whom it pertains.
(b) Limitation.--The regulations promulgated under
subsection (a) shall not preclude the ability of any consumer
or other person or entity to search, by individual street
address, the broadband inventory map developed and maintained
pursuant to section 3, or any of the individual State maps
that may compose it.
SEC. 8. STATE OR LOCAL AUTHORITY.
Except as provided in section 7, nothing in this Act shall
be construed to expand or limit the authority of States,
Indian tribes, or units of local government to compel the
collection of information.
SEC. 9. SUNSET PROVISIONS.
(a) Broadband Deployment Information & Consumer Survey.--
Sections 2 and 6 shall cease to be effective after the end of
the 6-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of
this Act.
(b) Broadband Inventory Map.--Section 3 shall cease to be
effective after the end of the 7-year period beginning on the
date of enactment of this Act.
SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to
carry out sections 3 and 4 of this Act--
(1) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2008;
(2) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2009; and
(3) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2010.
(b) Broadband Map Information Development Grants.--Of any
amounts appropriated in each fiscal year pursuant to
subsection (a), not less than $15,000,000 shall be available
only for grants under section 4.
(c) Local Technology Planning Grants.--In addition to the
amount appropriated under subsection (a), there is authorized
to be appropriated to make grants under section 5--
(1) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2008;
(2) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2009; and
(3) $125,000,000 for fiscal year 2010.
SEC. 11. DEFINITIONS.
For the purposes of this Act, the following definitions
shall apply:
(1) Broadband service capability.--The term ``broadband
service capability'' means an Internet Protocol-based
transmission service that is offered to end users to enable
such end users to send and receive voice, video, data,
graphics, or a combination, to or from the Internet without
regard to any transmission media or technology.
(2) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal
Communications Commission.
(3) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian tribe'' has the
meaning given in section 4(e) of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C.
450b(e)).
(4) NTIA.--The term ``NTIA'' means the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration of the
Department of Commerce.
(5) Personal consumer information.--The term ``personal
consumer information''--
(A) means information that allows a human being to be
identified individually;
(B) includes the following information with respect to an
individual:
(i) the first and last name;
(ii) a home or physical address;
(iii) a date or place of birth;
(iv) an email address or a telephone number;
(v) a Social Security account number, tax identification
number, birth certificate number, passport number, driver's
license number, or any other any government-issued
identification number; or
(vi) a credit card number or bank account or card number;
and
(C) does not include any record of aggregate information
that does not permit the identification of particular
individuals.
(6) Provider.--
(A) Public provider.--The term ``public'' when used with
respect to a provider of broadband service capability means a
provider that is an agency or instrumentality of a State, or
a municipality or other subdivision (or agency or
instrumentality of a municipality or other subdivision) of a
State, regardless of the facilities used.
(B) Commercial provider.--The term ``commercial'' when used
with respect to a provider of broadband service capability
means a provider that offers broadband service capability for
a fee, or on an advertising-supported basis, directly to the
public or to such classes of users as to be effectively
available to the public, regardless of the facilities used.
(7) State.--The term ``State'' means the States of the
United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the
Northern Mariana Islands, and any other territory and
possession of the United States.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Massachusetts (Mr. Markey) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Massachusetts.
Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise to suspend the rules and to pass the Broadband Census of
America Act of 2007 because, Mr. Speaker, the overarching
telecommunications policy goal of the United States is achieving
ubiquitously available, competitive, high-speed, affordable broadband
service to all Americans. Such broadband service capability is
indispensable to various aspects of the United States economy,
including public safety, education, entrepreneurial investment,
innovation, job creation, health care delivery, and energy efficiency.
The ability of the United States to promote and achieve a competitive
high-speed broadband infrastructure will also be a key factor in
determining our Nation's success in the fiercely competitive global
economy.
International competitors to the United States are achieving progress
in broadband deployment and adoption. Many countries have broadband
service capabilities superior to the United States in terms of choice,
speed, and price.
For the United States, offering broadband service capability at ever
higher transmission speeds could spur new growth in investment in
cutting-edge applications, services, and technologies that utilize
higher bandwidth functionality.
This bill represents an indispensable first step in developing an
overarching blueprint for broadband policy in the United States. In
brief, the Broadband Census of America Act tasked the Federal
Communications Commission with collecting data from providers of
broadband service capability throughout the country, and with
developing a series of tiers for categorizing the speeds of such
services.
The data collected will be disclosed to the public in an annual
report that will include: one, the actual number of residential and
business subscribers within each five-digit ZIP code with a list of the
broadband technologies present in each ZIP code: and, two, the actual
number of residential and business subscribers, correlated to each
broadband speed tier identified by the FCC on a statewide basis.
This bill also encompasses a broadband mapping effort as well as
community organization initiatives for unserved and underserved areas
to increase knowledge of where, what type, and what speed of broadband
service may be available.
The bill requires the National Telecommunications Information Agency
to develop a national broadband availability map which will include the
availability of broadband service capability at the nine-digit ZIP code
level, census track level, or functional equivalent.
This is a very consumer-friendly mapping function and ``demand side''
identification initiative that consumer groups, the high-tech community
and the telecommunications industry all support.
This map will be interactive and searchable by consumers, and at the
providers' discretion will also indicate the type of technology and
speed of service offered in that area.
The legislation also includes authorizations for grants to local
planning entities and communities around the country. These grants are
designed to increase broadband availability and usage in local
communities through so-called ``demand side'' identification and other
initiatives.
To better gauge how the country is performing compared to
international competitors, the bill also requires the FCC to conduct a
comparison of the extent of broadband service capability
[[Page H13560]]
abroad in 75 foreign communities with equivalent American communities.
This legislation reflects several months of negotiations. And I want
to thank Mr. Upton from Michigan for his patient attention to this
legislation. No legislation in telecommunications has received the
detailed attention that this legislation has on a bipartisan basis, and
for that I want to thank Mr. Upton.
I also want to thank the ranking member of the full committee, Mr.
Barton, for his work on this legislation. And of course on our side,
Mr. Dingell and I worked with the minority towards achieving this
legislation. And with the thanks of Mr. Dingell and myself, we once
again want to point out how cooperative all of our working
relationships were on this legislation.
It also has the support of consumer groups, the Communications
Workers of America, NARUC Connect Kentucky, Qwest, and organizations
representing the high-tech industry, the cable industry, the telephone
industry, and the wireless industry.
I want to again thank Mr. Upton and Mr. Barton for their cooperation
in working through the differences on this legislation, and to thank
Mr. Dingell for his excellent work on this legislation.
I urge Members of the House to support this bill.
At this point, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Someone watching this debate and they hear the nice words between the
two of us, they are, for sure, very genuine. We had many hand-holding
scenes and meetings over the last number of months.
I am a cosponsor of H.R. 3919, and I want to thank the gentleman from
Massachusetts for allowing our thoughtful and constructive input into
this process because clearly I think we ended up with a good piece of
legislation. And I commend the gentleman's patience on our side as we
were able to work out a consensus that, in fact, has brought us to the
floor this afternoon.
I also want to thank Chairman Dingell and Mr. Barton for working with
all of us to ensure that the bill was able to move forward in a
bipartisan way. And Mr. Whitfield, who I remember at our first hearing
on this as he talked about Connect Kentucky and the positive impact
that it had there. He obviously added some good things as well to
legislation. And I would urge all of my colleagues to support the
legislation as it moves through this process.
I view the thrust of this legislation as an effort to get a better
idea of the U.S. broadband penetration, not as a window to increased
regulation of the already competitive broadband marketplace.
We were quite fortunate to learn from the successful statewide
broadband mapping plan in Kentucky called Connect Kentucky. And it
isn't often that we have the advantage of looking at a successful model
such as this one, which could implement in a bipartisan way again there
on a national level what we're able to do on this legislation in H.R.
3919.
Connect Kentucky demonstrated perfectly how a public/private
partnership can work with industry in a nonregulatory manner that
benefits not only consumers, but also provides a catalyst to greater
broadband investments.
I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio
(Mr. Space), who has spent a considerable amount of time working on
this legislation.
{time} 1500
Mr. SPACE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Mr. Ranking Member, for your
work on this legislation important for America and especially important
for rural America. We who live in rural America understand that there
are special challenges we face, whether it be in health care delivery
or education, economic infrastructure. This bill will help bridge the
gap that exists between rural America and urban and suburban America.
By providing a comprehensive mapping plan, we will enable access to
these issues that are so vital. Many of us think about broadband in
terms of economic development and the importance that it brings to
economic infrastructure. Certainly, that is a big part of what access
to high-speed Internet is all about. But it is more than that. It
affects quality of life in many ways.
We have heard about distance learning and the affect that it has on
the educational process. We have heard about telemedicine and the
ability to deliver quality health care. Certainly it affects the
ability of our first responders to coordinate efforts in the event of
disasters or emergencies.
This is a good bill for rural America. I commend our leadership, as
well as the ranking member for his leadership in helping to enact its
passage.
Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further Members wishing to be
allocated time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, I, as well, have no additional requests for
speaking time. I would like to thank the staff who worked on this bill,
Tim Powderly, Amy Levine, David Vogel, Neil Fried, Courtney Reinhard,
thank you, Michael Beckerman, and I would like to thank Maureen Flood
from my staff for her excellent work on this legislation. And to
correct an oversight from the last piece of legislation, I would like
to thank Colin Crowell, who has worked on both this bill and the last
bill which just passed as well. I can't say enough about Colin and his
work on all of these issues to bring them to a conclusion that is truly
bipartisan and nonideological.
General Leave
I also ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative
days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous
material on H.R. 3403, as amended, and H.R. 3919, as amended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Massachusetts?
There was no objection.
Mr. MARKEY. So with that, I again, highly recommend this piece of
legislation to the Members. It is something that will give us the
broadband overview that our country needs. We have been falling over
the last 6 years in our international rankings. It is time for us to
find out exactly where we are because it will help us to put together
the policies that will make us No. 1 looking over our shoulders at No.
2 and 3 in the world.
Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3919, the
``Broadband Census of America Act of 2007''.
This bipartisan legislation marks an important step in bringing us
closer to affordable, robust broadband service for all Americans.
Currently the Government does not adequately collect information on
the extent of broadband deployment and usage in the United States. H.R.
3919 addresses this knowledge gap by improving the quality and quantity
of data that the Government is authorized to collect concerning
broadband availability and subscribership. Armed with this information,
Government decision-makers. will have the in-depth information
necessary to craft informed, coherent broadband policy.
H.R. 3919 calls for the creation of a national broadband inventory
map. This map will depict, at granular levels, where broadband service
is available. We are informed by the efforts of States such a Kentucky
that have successfully developed similar maps. State-level experience
tells us that this map will likely spur the deployment of additional
broadband facilities and will be a valuable resource for consumers.
H.R. 3919 will also jump start efforts by local communities to
improve broadband deployment and usage through the creation of grant
programs to facilitate the collection of data for the broadband
inventory map and local technology planning. These programs will help
bring broadband facilities to communities that currently have little or
no service.
This is a good bill produced through positive, bipartisan efforts. I
commend Ranking Member Barton, Subcommittee Chairman Markey, and
Subcommittee Ranking Member Upton for their leadership and
contributions to this legislation. I am proud to support it, and I urge
my colleagues to vote for it.
Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3919, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
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A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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