[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 193 (Thursday, December 6, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7367-S7368]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PRECISION AGRICULTURE CONNECTIVITY ACT OF 2018
Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 615, S. 2343.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 2343) to require the Federal Communications
Commission to establish a task force for meeting the
connectivity and technology needs of precision agriculture in
the United States.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill,
which had been reported from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation, with an amendment to strike all after the enacting
clause and insert in lieu thereof the following:
S. 2343
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 ``Precision Agriculture
Connectivity Act of 2018''.
[SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
[Congress finds the following:
[(1) Precision agriculture technologies and practices allow
farmers to significantly increase crop yields, eliminate
overlap in operations, and reduce inputs such as seed,
fertilizer, pesticides, water, and fuel.
[(2) These technologies allow farmers to collect data in
real time about their fields, automate field management, and
maximize resources.
[(3) Studies estimate that precision agriculture
technologies can reduce agricultural operation costs by up to
25 dollars per acre and increase farm yields by up to 70
percent by 2050.
[(4) The critical cost savings and productivity benefits of
precision agriculture cannot be realized without the
availability of reliable broadband Internet access service
delivered to the cropland and ranchland of the United States.
[(5) The deployment of broadband Internet access service to
unserved and underserved cropland and ranchland is critical
to the United States economy and to the continued leadership
of the United States in global food production.
[(6) Despite the growing demand for broadband Internet
access service on cropland and ranchland, broadband Internet
access service is not consistently available where needed for
agricultural operations.
[(7) The Federal Communications Commission has an important
role to play in the deployment of broadband Internet access
service infrastructure on unserved and underserved cropland
and ranchland to promote precision agriculture.
[SEC. 3. TASK FORCE.
[(a) Definitions.--
[(1) In general.--In this section--
[(A) the term ``broadband Internet access service'' has the
meaning given the term in section 8.2 of title 47, Code of
Federal Regulations, or any successor regulation;
[(B) the term ``Commission'' means the Federal
Communications Commission;
[(C) the term ``Department'' means the Department of
Agriculture;
[(D) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of
Agriculture; and
[(E) the term ``Task Force'' means the Task Force for
Meeting the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision
Agriculture in the United States, as established under
subsection (b).
[(2) Agricultural terms.--For purposes of this Act, the
Secretary shall define the terms ``agricultural operations'',
``cropland'', and ``ranchland''.
[(b) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall establish the
Task Force for Meeting the Connectivity and Technology Needs
of Precision Agriculture in the United States.
[(c) Duties.--
[(1) In general.--The Task Force shall collaborate with the
Secretary and public and private stakeholders in the
agriculture and technology fields to--
[(A) identify and measure current gaps in broadband
Internet access service coverage of cropland and ranchland;
[(B) assemble a comprehensive guide of all Federal programs
or resources working to expand broadband Internet access
service on unserved cropland and ranchland;
[(C) develop policy recommendations to promote the rapid,
expanded deployment of fixed and mobile broadband Internet
access service on unserved croplands and ranchlands, with a
goal of achieving reliable service on 95 percent of croplands
and ranchlands in the United States by 2025;
[(D) promote effective policy and regulatory solutions that
encourage the adoption of broadband Internet access service
on farms and ranches and promote precision agriculture;
[(E) propose new rules of the Commission or amendments to
existing rules of the Commission to achieve the goals and
purposes described in subparagraph (C);
[(F) recommend specific steps that the Commission and other
Federal agencies should take to obtain reliable and
standardized data measurements of broadband Internet access
service coverage as may be necessary to target funding
support to unserved croplands and ranchlands in need of
broadband Internet access service; and
[(G) recommend specific steps that the Commission should
take to ensure that the expertise of the Secretary and
available farm data are reflected in developing Federal
programs to deploy broadband Internet access service
infrastructure and to direct available funding to unserved
croplands and ranchlands where needed.
[(2) Consultation.--The Task Force shall consult with the
Secretary to develop recommendations for the Commission that
utilize the expertise, data mapping information, and
resources of the Department that the Department uses to
identify croplands, ranchlands, and other areas with
agricultural operations.
[(d) Membership.--The Task Force shall be--
[(1) composed of not more than 15 members who shall--
[(A) be selected by the Chairman of the Commission in
consultation with appropriate staff of the Commission and
with the Secretary; and
[(B) include--
[(i) agricultural producers representing diverse geographic
regions and farm sizes, including owners and operators of
farms of less than 100 acres;
[(ii) Internet service providers, including regional or
rural fixed and mobile broadband Internet access service
providers and telecommunications infrastructure providers;
[(iii) representatives from the satellite industry;
[(iv) representatives from precision agriculture equipment
manufacturers, including drone manufacturers, manufacturers
of autonomous agricultural machinery, and manufacturers of
farming robotics technologies; and
[(v) representatives from State and local governments; and
[(2) fairly balanced in terms of technologies, points of
view, and fields represented on the Task Force.
[(e) Reports.--Not later than 1 year after the date on
which the Commission establishes the Task Force, and annually
thereafter, the Commission shall submit to Congress a report
that details--
[(1) the status of fixed and mobile broadband Internet
access service coverage of croplands and ranchlands;
[(2) the projected future connectivity needs of
agricultural operations, farmers, and ranchers; and
[(3) the steps being taken to accurately measure the
availability of high speed broadband Internet access service
on croplands and ranchlands and the limitations of current,
as of the date of the report, measurement processes.
[(f) Existing Funds.--The Commission shall use existing
funds of the Commission to carry out the Task Force and the
duties of the Commission under this section.
[(g) Termination.--The Task Force shall terminate on
January 1, 2025.]
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Precision Agriculture
Connectivity Act of 2018''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Precision agriculture technologies and practices allow
farmers to significantly increase crop yields, eliminate
overlap in operations, and reduce inputs such as seed,
fertilizer, pesticides, water, and fuel.
(2) These technologies allow farmers to collect data in
real time about their fields, automate field management, and
maximize resources.
(3) Studies estimate that precision agriculture
technologies can reduce agricultural operation costs by up to
25 dollars per acre and increase farm yields by up to 70
percent by 2050.
(4) The critical cost savings and productivity benefits of
precision agriculture cannot be realized without the
availability of reliable broadband Internet access service
delivered to the agricultural land of the United States.
(5) The deployment of broadband Internet access service to
unserved agricultural land is critical to the United States
economy and to the continued leadership of the United States
in global food production.
(6) Despite the growing demand for broadband Internet
access service on agricultural land, broadband Internet
access service is not consistently available where needed for
agricultural operations.
(7) The Federal Communications Commission has an important
role to play in the deployment of broadband Internet access
service on unserved agricultural land to promote precision
agriculture.
SEC. 3. TASK FORCE.
(a) Definitions.--In this section--
(1) the term ``broadband Internet access service'' has the
meaning given the term in section 8.2 of title 47, Code of
Federal Regulations, or any successor regulation;
(2) the term ``Commission'' means the Federal
Communications Commission;
(3) the term ``Department'' means the Department of
Agriculture;
(4) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of
Agriculture; and
(5) the term ``Task Force'' means the Task Force for
Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision
Agriculture in the United States established under subsection
(b).
(b) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Commission shall establish the
Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology
Needs of Precision Agriculture in the United States.
[[Page S7368]]
(c) Duties.--
(1) In general.--The Task Force shall consult with the
Secretary, or a designee of the Secretary, and collaborate
with public and private stakeholders in the agriculture and
technology fields to--
(A) identify and measure current gaps in the availability
of broadband Internet access service on agricultural land;
(B) develop policy recommendations to promote the rapid,
expanded deployment of broadband Internet access service on
unserved agricultural land, with a goal of achieving reliable
capabilities on 95 percent of agricultural land in the United
States by 2025;
(C) promote effective policy and regulatory solutions that
encourage the adoption of broadband Internet access service
on farms and ranches and promote precision agriculture;
(D) recommend specific new rules or amendments to existing
rules of the Commission that the Commission should issue to
achieve the goals and purposes of the policy recommendations
described in subparagraph (B);
(E) recommend specific steps that the Commission should
take to obtain reliable and standardized data measurements of
the availability of broadband Internet access service as may
be necessary to target funding support, from future programs
of the Commission dedicated to the deployment of broadband
Internet access service, to unserved agricultural land in
need of broadband Internet access service; and
(F) recommend specific steps that the Commission should
consider to ensure that the expertise of the Secretary and
available farm data are reflected in future programs of the
Commission dedicated to the infrastructure deployment of
broadband Internet access service and to direct available
funding to unserved agricultural land where needed.
(2) No duplicate data reporting.--In performing the duties
of the Commission under paragraph (1), the Commission shall
ensure that no provider of broadband Internet access service
is required to report data to the Commission that is, on the
day before the date of enactment of this Act, required to be
reported by the provider of broadband Internet access
service.
(3) Hold harmless.--The Task Force and the Commission shall
not interpret the phrase ``future programs of the
Commission'', as used in subparagraphs (E) and (F) of
paragraph (1), to include the universal service programs of
the Commission established under section 254 of the
Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254).
(4) Consultation.--The Secretary, or a designee of the
Secretary, shall explain and make available to the Task Force
the expertise, data mapping information, and resources of the
Department that the Department uses to identify cropland,
ranchland, and other areas with agricultural operations that
may be helpful in developing the recommendations required
under paragraph (1).
(5) List of available federal programs and resources.--Not
later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act,
the Secretary and the Commission shall jointly submit to the
Task Force a list of all Federal programs or resources
available for the expansion of broadband Internet access
service on unserved agricultural land to assist the Task
Force in carrying out the duties of the Task Force.
(d) Membership.--
(1) In general.--The Task Force shall be--
(A) composed of not more than 15 voting members who shall--
(i) be selected by the Chairman of the Commission; and
(ii) include--
(I) agricultural producers representing diverse geographic
regions and farm sizes, including owners and operators of
farms of less than 100 acres;
(II) an agricultural producer representing tribal
agriculture;
(III) Internet service providers, including regional or
rural fixed and mobile broadband Internet access service
providers and telecommunications infrastructure providers;
(IV) representatives from the electric cooperative
industry;
(V) representatives from the satellite industry;
(VI) representatives from precision agriculture equipment
manufacturers, including drone manufacturers, manufacturers
of autonomous agricultural machinery, and manufacturers of
farming robotics technologies; and
(VII) representatives from State and local governments; and
(B) fairly balanced in terms of technologies, points of
view, and fields represented on the Task Force.
(2) Period of appointment; vacancies.--
(A) In general.--A member of the Committee appointed under
paragraph (1)(A) shall serve for a single term of 2 years.
(B) Vacancies.--Any vacancy in the Task Force--
(i) shall not affect the powers of the Task Force; and
(ii) shall be filled in the same manner as the original
appointment.
(3) Ex-officio member.--The Secretary, or a designee of the
Secretary, shall serve as an ex-officio, nonvoting member of
the Task Force.
(e) Reports.--Not later than 1 year after the date on which
the Commission establishes the Task Force, and annually
thereafter, the Task Force shall submit to the Chairman of
the Commission a report, which shall be made public not later
than 30 days after the date on which the Chairman receives
the report, that details--
(1) the status of fixed and mobile broadband Internet
access service coverage of agricultural land;
(2) the projected future connectivity needs of agricultural
operations, farmers, and ranchers; and
(3) the steps being taken to accurately measure the
availability of broadband Internet access service on
agricultural land and the limitations of current, as of the
date of the report, measurement processes.
(f) Termination.--The Commission shall renew the Task Force
every 2 years until the Task Force terminates on January 1,
2025.
Mr. CORNYN. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported
substitute be agreed to, that the bill, as amended, be read a third
time and passed, and that the motion to reconsider be considered made
and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The committee-reported amendment in the nature of a substitute was
agreed to.
The bill (S. 2343), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a
third reading, was read the third time, and passed.
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