[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 37 (Thursday, March 1, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S1320]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   RURAL WIRELESS ACCESS ACT OF 2017

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 305, S. 1621.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 1621) to require the Federal Communications 
     Commission to establish a methodology for the collection by 
     the Commission of information about commercial mobile service 
     and commercial mobile data service, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill 
be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider 
be considered made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (S. 1621) was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, 
was read the third time, and passed, as follows:

                                S. 1621

       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 ``Rural Wireless Access Act of 
     2017''.

     SEC. 2. METHODOLOGY FOR COLLECTION OF MOBILE SERVICE COVERAGE 
                   DATA.

       (a) Definitions.--In this section--
       (1) 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);
       (2) 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));
       (3) the term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
     Communications Commission;
       (4) the term ``coverage data'' means, if commercial mobile 
     service or commercial mobile data service is available, 
     information about the service, which may include available 
     speed tiers and performance characteristics; and
       (5) the term ``Universal Service program'' means the 
     universal service support mechanisms established under 
     section 254 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254) 
     and the regulations issued under that section.
       (b) Methodology Established.--Not later than 180 days after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commission shall 
     promulgate regulations to establish a methodology that shall 
     apply to the collection of coverage data by the Commission 
     for the purposes of--
       (1) the Universal Service program; or
       (2) any other similar program.
       (c) Requirements.--The methodology established under 
     subsection (b) shall--
       (1) contain standard definitions for different speed tiers, 
     such as the 2G, 3G, 4G, and 4G LTE tiers;
       (2) ensure that coverage data is collected in a consistent 
     and robust way;
       (3) improve the validity and reliability of coverage data; 
     and
       (4) increase the efficiency of coverage data collection.

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