[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 123 (Monday, July 23, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H6608-H6610]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ADVANCING CRITICAL CONNECTIVITY EXPANDS SERVICE, SMALL BUSINESS
RESOURCES, OPPORTUNITIES, ACCESS, AND DATA BASED ON ASSESSED NEED AND
DEMAND ACT
Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 3994) to establish the Office of Internet Connectivity and
Growth, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3994
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 ``Advancing Critical
Connectivity Expands Service, Small Business Resources,
Opportunities, Access, and Data Based on Assessed Need and
Demand Act'' or the ``ACCESS BROADBAND Act''.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OFFICE OF INTERNET CONNECTIVITY
AND GROWTH.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Assistant Secretary shall establish the Office
of Internet Connectivity and Growth within the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration.
SEC. 3. DUTIES.
(a) Outreach.--The Office shall--
(1) connect with communities that need access to high-speed
internet and improved digital inclusion efforts through
various forms of outreach and communication techniques;
(2) hold regional workshops across the country to share
best practices and effective strategies for promoting
broadband access and adoption;
(3) develop targeted broadband training and presentations
for various demographic communities through various media;
and
(4) develop and distribute publications (including
toolkits, primers, manuals, and white papers) providing
guidance, strategies, and insights to communities as the
communities develop strategies to expand broadband access and
adoption.
(b) Tracking of Federal Dollars.--
(1) Broadband infrastructure.--The Office shall track the
construction and use of and access to any broadband
infrastructure built using any Federal support in a central
database.
(2) Accounting mechanism.--The Office shall develop a
streamlined accounting mechanism by which any agency offering
a Federal broadband support program and the Commission
through the Universal Service Fund shall provide the
information described in paragraph (1) in a standardized and
efficient fashion.
(3) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and every year thereafter, the Office
shall make public on the website of the Office and submit to
the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate a report on the following:
(A) A description of the work of the Office for the
previous year and the number of residents of the United
States that received broadband as result of Federal broadband
support programs and the Universal Service Fund program.
(B) A description of how many residents of the United
States were provided broadband by which universal service
mechanism or which Federal broadband support program.
(C) An estimate of the economic impact of such broadband
deployment efforts on the local economy, including any effect
on small businesses or jobs.
SEC. 4. STREAMLINED APPLICATIONS FOR SUPPORT.
(a) Agency Consultation.--The Office shall consult with any
agency offering a Federal broadband support program to
streamline and standardize the applications process for
financial assistance or grants for such program.
(b) Agency Streamlining.--Any agency offering a Federal
broadband support program shall amend their applications for
broadband support, to the extent practicable and as
necessary, to streamline and standardize applications for
Federal broadband support programs across the Government.
(c) Single Application.--To the greatest extent
practicable, the Office shall seek to create one application
that may be submitted to apply for all, or substantially all,
Federal broadband support programs.
(d) Website Required.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of the enactment of this
[[Page H6609]]
Act, the Office shall create a central website through which
potential applicants can learn about and apply for support
through any Federal broadband support program.
SEC. 5. COORDINATION OF SUPPORT.
The Office, any agency that offers a Federal broadband
support program, and the Commission through the Universal
Service Fund shall coordinate with the Office to ensure that
support is being distributed in an efficient, technology-
neutral, and financially sustainable manner, with the goal of
serving the largest number of persons in the United States
while avoiding overbuilding and promoting the most job and
economic growth for all residents of the United States.
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Agency.--The term ``agency'' has the meaning given that
term in section 551 of title 5, United States Code.
(2) Assistant secretary.--The term ``Assistant Secretary''
means the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications
and Information.
(3) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal
Communications Commission.
(4) Federal broadband support program.--The term ``Federal
broadband support program'' does not include any Universal
Service Fund program and means any of the following programs
(or any other similar Federal program) to the extent the
program offers broadband internet service or programs for
promoting broadband access and adoption for various
demographic communities through various media for
residential, commercial, community providers, or academic
establishments:
(A) The Telecommunications and Technology Program of the
Appalachian Regional Commission.
(B) The Telecommunications Infrastructure Loans and Loan
Guarantees, the Rural Broadband Access Loans and Loan
Guarantees, the Substantially Underserved Trust Areas
Provisions, the Community Connect Grant Program, and the
Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Program of the Rural
Utilities Service of the Department of Agriculture.
(C) The Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance
Programs and the Planning and Local Technical Assistance
Programs of the Economic Development Administration of the
Department of Commerce.
(D) The Community Development Block Grants and Section 108
Loan Guarantees, the Funds for Public Housing Authorities:
Capital Fund and Operating Fund, the Multifamily Housing, the
Indian Community Development Block Grant Program, the Indian
Housing Block Grant Program, the Title VI Loan Guarantee
Program, Choice Neighborhoods, the HOME Investment
Partnerships Program, the Housing Trust Fund, and the Housing
Opportunities for Persons with AIDS of the Department of
Housing and Urban Development.
(E) The American Job Centers of the Employment and Training
Administration of the Department of Labor.
(F) The Library Services and Technology Grant Programs of
the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
(5) Office.--The term ``Office'' means the Office of
Internet Connectivity and Growth established pursuant to
section 2.
(6) Universal service fund program.--The term ``Universal
Service Fund program'' means any program authorized under
section 254 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254)
to help deploy broadband.
(7) Universal service mechanism.--The term ``universal
service mechanism'' means any funding stream provided by a
Universal Service Fund program to support broadband access.
SEC. 7. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED.
No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to
carry out this Act. This Act shall be carried out using
amounts otherwise authorized.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Lance) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.
general leave
Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have
5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert
extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New Jersey?
There was no objection.
Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the ACCESS BROADBAND Act,
which Congressman Tonko and I introduced last year. This bill would
streamline the Federal grant programs related to broadband deployment,
and track how Federal funds are used to a greater extent than is now
the case. I thank Congressman Tonko for his leadership on this
important issue.
Broadband internet is the lifeblood of the American economy, a
critical tool for students, and an incubator for the next great
innovation. This bill takes the right steps to ensure Federal broadband
resources are working to expand access in underserved areas.
Being able to have access to the internet means being able to unlock
tremendous potential, and we have to make sure that all Americans share
in this success. Many local economies are relying on Congress to get
this right.
In many areas of the country, the cost to deploy broadband
infrastructure is prohibitive, which creates a need for Federal funding
in cases where a market solution is not possible.
With several different broadband support programs across several
Federal agencies, there is no single, comprehensive system tracking
where and how Federal funds are being spent.
Access broadband creates an office within the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration, with the task of
simplifying the application process for the various support programs,
coordinating between the various agencies, and tracking the use and
effectiveness of Federal broadband funding.
By ensuring coordination, the office will help prevent overbuilding
of broadband and make sure Federal funds are going where they are
needed most, which should be unserved and underserved areas of the
country.
This bill and the other bills we have been considering reflect the
broad and encompassing jurisdiction of the Energy and Commerce
Committee and the important day-to-day work and oversight we maintain
over a significant portion of the Federal Government.
This type of work counts and these bills are important. Energy and
Commerce accomplishments like reauthorizing the successful CHIP
program, the Ray Baums Act, safely disposing of nuclear waste, and
improving consumer protections, have been the pillars of our
accomplishments this Congress, and this has occurred in a bipartisan
capacity.
Bills like the ones we are considering today, keep the wheels of many
critical government functions moving. The ACCESS BROADBAND bill is
excellent legislation and will improve broadband for many Americans.
Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote, and I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 3994, the Advancing Critical
Connectivity Expands Service, Small Business Resources, Opportunities,
Access, and Data Based on Assessed Need and Demand Act, or in short,
ACCESS BROADBAND Act.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the chair and ranking member for moving this
measure forward, and offer special thanks to my friend, Representative
Lance, for partnering with me on this legislation. I also thank the
bipartisan group of Members who have cosponsored this legislation,
including 14 members of the Energy and Commerce Committee who have
worked together and who agree that these are vital steps worth taking.
This bill is about serving the people. My own constituents continue
to reach out about their limitations of access to broadband internet
throughout the capital region. Some of these areas are rural and many
are underserved and unserved entirely.
Other areas are underserved with a few houses having access, while
many others are left with no affordable options in sight.
{time} 1530
Constituents ask: When will we get access? What about western
Schenectady County? What about Amsterdam? What about Berne? What about
Fort Johnson? What about western Saratoga County in the 20th
Congressional District?
I have heard from doctors who depend on broadband internet to read X-
rays when they are on call. I hear from librarians who find students
sitting in the library parking lot after hours so that they can access
the internet and finish their homework assignments. I hear from workers
who are forced to leave home to find high enough internet speed that
they can upload or download large files. They all ask: When will we
have access?
As a Congress, we owe these folk an answer. A lack of access to
broadband internet in the capital region is one of many reasons I
pushed to join the Energy and Commerce Committee and
[[Page H6610]]
why I have worked to advance this legislation.
This bill is the first part of that answer. H.R. 3994, the Advancing
Critical Connectivity Expands Service, Small Business Resources,
Opportunities, Access, and Data Based on Assessed Need and Demand Act,
the ACCESS BROADBAND Act, would establish a coordinating office for
Federal broadband resources.
It would use existing resources to streamline management of Federal
broadband resources across multiple agencies and simplify the process
for small businesses and local economic developers to access them.
Currently, there is no comprehensive system that tracks where Federal
dollars are going and how the funding is impacting communities.
Investments are made with little accountability and oversight on behalf
of the taxpayer.
ACCESS BROADBAND, as an act, would begin to address the issues. This
bill would track Federal broadband dollars and streamline management of
Federal broadband resources across multiple agencies. Most notably, it
would simplify the process for small businesses and local economic
developers to access them.
There is still much more work to be done on this issue. I do hope
that this can serve as a starting place for us to open doors of
opportunity and access for the millions of Americans who require the
better and improved outcomes by investing in broadband expansion.
I thank all of the members and staff working together on ACCESS
BROADBAND, helping ensure that our communities can access the broadband
resources they need to grow and to prosper.
Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Carter), who is a member of our committee.
Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my colleague's bill, the
ACCESS BROADBAND Act.
Mr. Tonko's legislation would move to establish an office of Internet
Connectivity and Growth at the National Telecommunications and
Information Administration to coordinate and track Federal funding for
broadband across every agency.
This is important because the Federal Government's grant system can
oftentimes be confusing and disjointed, making it difficult for
communities and organizations to find grants they may be eligible for.
As a result, they may be losing out on opportunities, especially when
it comes to broadband needs.
Our rural communities continue to struggle, and one area that has
been proven to be a boon is access to high-speed internet. By
encompassing all of these grants into one area, we can help assist
communities and organizations across the country in their search for
Federal grant funding.
Access to broadband is a recipe for growth, allowing people to take
and create new opportunities that may not have been there before. That
is why I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers on my side. If the
other side is ready to close, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this legislation, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Lance) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 3994, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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