[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 84 (Monday, May 20, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H3970-H3973]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DIGITAL GLOBAL ACCESS POLICY ACT OF 2019
Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1359) to promote Internet access in developing countries and
update foreign policy toward the Internet, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1359
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 ``Digital Global Access Policy
Act of 2019'' or the ``Digital GAP Act''.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this Act is to--
(1) encourage the efforts of developing countries to
improve and secure mobile and fixed access to the Internet in
order to catalyze innovation, spur economic growth and job
creation, improve health, education, and financial services,
reduce poverty and gender inequality, mitigate disasters, and
promote free speech, democracy, and good governance;
(2) promote build-once policies and approaches and the
multi-stakeholder approach to Internet governance; and
(3) ensure the effective use of United States foreign
assistance resources toward that end.
SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
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(1) Internet access has been a driver of economic activity
around the world. Bringing Internet access to the more than
4,000,000,000 people who do not have it could increase global
economic output by $6,700,000,000,000 and raise 500,000,000
people out of poverty.
(2) The number of Internet users has more than tripled from
1,000,000,000 to over 3,000,000,000 since 2005, including
2,000,000,000 living in the developing world, yet more than
half of the world's population remains offline, living
without the economic and social benefits of the Internet. By
the end of 2016, over 80 percent of households in the
developed world had Internet access, compared with just 40
percent of households in developing countries and just 11
percent in the world's least developed countries. Of the
world's offline population, an estimated 75 percent live in
just 20 countries, and rural, female, elderly, illiterate,
and low-income populations are being left behind.
(3) Studies suggest that women are disproportionately
affected by a digital gap in developing countries, where
there are on average 23 percent fewer women online then men.
Bringing an additional 600,000,000 women online could
contribute $13,000,000,000 to $18,000,000,000 to annual GDP
across 144 developing countries.
(4) The United States has been a leader in promoting access
to an open, secure, interoperable Internet around the world.
Recognizing that support for expanded Internet access
furthers United States economic and foreign policy interests,
including efforts to end extreme global poverty and enabling
resilient, democratic societies, the Department of State
launched a diplomatic effort called ``Global Connect''.
(5) Internet access in developing countries is hampered, in
part, by a lack of infrastructure and a poor regulatory
environment for investment. Build-once policies and
approaches, which seek to coordinate public and private
sector investments in roads and other critical
infrastructure, can reduce the number and scale of excavation
and construction activities when installing
telecommunications infrastructure in rights-of-way, thereby
reducing installation costs for high-speed Internet networks
and serving as a development best practice.
SEC. 4. EXPANDING INTERNET ACCESS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on
Energy and Commerce, and the Committee on Appropriations of
the House of Representatives.
(2) Broadband.--The term ``broadband'' means an Internet
Protocol-based transmission service that enables users to
send and receive voice, video, data, graphics, or a
combination thereof, using technologies including fiber
optic, mobile, satellite, and Wi-Fi.
(3) Broadband conduit.--The term ``broadband conduit''
means a conduit for fiber optic cables and other connectivity
technologies that support broadband or wireless facilities
for broadband service.
(4) Build-once policies and approaches.--The term ``build-
once policies and approaches'' means policies or practices
that encourage the integration of Internet infrastructure
into traditional infrastructure projects that minimize the
number and scale of excavation and construction activities
when installing telecommunications infrastructure in rights-
of-way to reduce costs, such as by laying fiber optic cable
simultaneously with road construction.
(5) Stakeholders.--The term ``stakeholders'' means the
private sector, the public sector, cooperatives, civil
society, the technical community that develops Internet
technologies, standards, implementation, operations, and
applications, and other groups that are working to increase
Internet access or are impacted by the lack of Internet
access in their communities.
(b) Policy.--It is the policy of the United States to
consult, partner, and coordinate with the governments of
foreign countries, international organizations, regional
economic communities, businesses, civil society, and other
stakeholders in a concerted effort to close the digital gap
by increasing public and private investments in secure
Internet infrastructure and creating conditions for universal
Internet access and usage worldwide by promoting--
(1) first-time access to fixed or mobile broadband Internet
by 2027 for at least 1,500,000,000 people living in urban and
rural areas in developing countries;
(2) Internet deployment and related coordination, capacity
building, and build-once policies and approaches in
developing countries, including actions to encourage--
(A) standardization of build-once policies and approaches
for the inclusion of broadband conduit in rights-of-way
projects that are funded, co-funded, or partially financed by
the United States or any international organization that
includes the United States as a member, in consultation with
telecommunications providers, unless a cost-benefit analysis
determines that the cost of such approach outweighs the
benefits;
(B) adoption and integration of build-once policies and
approaches into the development and investment strategies of
national and local government agencies of developing
countries and donor governments and organizations that will
enhance coordination with the private sector for road
building, pipe laying, major infrastructure projects, and
development-related construction such as schools, clinics,
and civic buildings;
(C) provision of increased financial support by
international organizations, including through grants, loans,
technical assistance, and partnerships to expand information
and communications access and Internet connectivity; and
(D) avoidance of vendors and contractors likely to be
subject to extrajudicial direction from a foreign government;
(3) policy and regulatory approaches that promote a
competitive market for investment and innovation in Internet
infrastructure and service to encourage first-time,
affordable access to the Internet in developing countries,
including actions to encourage, as appropriate--
(A) the integration of universal and gender-equitable
Internet access and adoption goals, to be informed by the
collection of related gender disaggregated data and research
on social norms that often limit women's and girls' use of
the Internet, into national development plans and United
States Government country-level strategies;
(B) effective, transparent, and efficient spectrum
allocation processes and reforms of competition laws that may
impede the ability of companies to provide Internet services;
and
(C) efforts to improve procurement processes to help
attract and incentivize investment in secure Internet
infrastructure;
(4) the removal of tax and regulatory barriers to Internet
access, as appropriate;
(5) the use of the Internet to increase economic growth and
trade, including, as appropriate--
(A) policies and strategies to remove restrictions to e-
commerce, cross-border information flows, and competitive
marketplaces; and
(B) entrepreneurship and distance learning enabled by
access to technology;
(6) the use of the Internet to bolster democracy,
government accountability, transparency, gender equity, and
human rights, including through the establishment of
policies, initiatives, and investments that--
(A) support the development of national broadband plans or
information and communication technologies strategies that
are consistent with fundamental civil and political rights,
including freedom of expression, religion, belief, assembly,
and association;
(B) expand online access to government information and
services to enhance government accountability and service
delivery, including for areas in which government may have
limited presence; and
(C) support expression of free speech and enable political
organizing and activism in support of human rights and
democracy through activities that expand access to
independent sources of news and information and safeguard
human rights and fundamental freedoms online, in compliance
with international human rights standards;
(7) programs and mechanisms that actively promote and
advance access to and adoption of Internet and other
information and communications technologies by women, people
with disabilities, minorities, low-income and marginalized
groups, and underserved populations, such as programs that
address social norms and barriers to women's active
participation in the digital economy or Internet
policymaking;
(8) mechanisms for public and private financing of rural
broadband connectivity and digital inclusion;
(9) public Internet access facilities and Wi-Fi networks in
places such as libraries, government buildings, community
centers, and schools;
(10) the creation and support of research and educational
networks;
(11) cybersecurity, data protection, and privacy, including
international use of the latest version of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology Framework for Improving
Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity; and
(12) interagency coordination and cooperation across all
executive branch agencies regarding the promotion of Internet
initiatives as a part of United States foreign policy.
(c) Department of State.--The Secretary of State, in
coordination with other agencies, multilateral institutions,
foreign countries, and stakeholders, shall advance the policy
articulated in this Act and promote expanded Internet
connectivity worldwide, as appropriate, by--
(1) encouraging foreign countries to prioritize secure
Internet connectivity in development plans;
(2) promoting the formation of region-specific multi-sector
working groups to ensure technical and regulatory best
practices; and
(3) encouraging the development of digital literacy
programs in developing countries.
(d) USAID.--The Administrator of the United States Agency
for International Development (USAID) should advance the
policy articulated in this Act and support expanded Internet
connectivity worldwide, as appropriate, by--
(1) supporting efforts to expand secure Internet
infrastructure and improve digital literacy, and other
appropriate measures to improve Internet connectivity and
usage, in close coordination with the Secretary of State;
(2) encouraging public and private investment in Internet
infrastructure and services
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of developing countries that takes into consideration the
data security and integrity risks attendant to the products
and services of vendors likely to be subject to extrajudicial
direction from a foreign government;
(3) integrating efforts to expand Internet access, develop
appropriate, sustainable, and equitable technologies, and
enhance digital literacy and the availability of relevant
local content across development sectors, such as USAID
health, education, agriculture, and economic development
programs;
(4) expanding the utilization of information and
communications technologies in humanitarian aid and disaster
relief responses and United States operations involving
reconstruction and stabilization to improve donor
coordination, reduce duplication and waste, capture and share
lessons learned, and augment disaster preparedness and risk
mitigation strategies;
(5) establishing and promoting guidelines for the
protection of personal information of individuals served by
humanitarian, disaster, and development programs directly
through the United States Government, and through contracts
funded by the United States Government and by international
organizations; and
(6) establishing programs that directly address and seek to
close gaps in access, adoption, and use of the Internet and
other information and communications technologies by women,
minorities, and other marginalized groups.
(e) Peace Corps.--Section 3 of the Peace Corps Act (22
U.S.C. 2502) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (h) as subsection (e); and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(f) It is the sense of Congress that access to the
Internet can transform agriculture, community economic
development, education, environment, health, and youth
development, which are the sectors in which Peace Corps
develops positions for volunteers.
``(g) In giving attention to the programs, projects,
training, and other activities referred to in subsection (f),
the Peace Corps should develop positions for volunteers that
include leveraging the Internet, as appropriate, for
development, education, and social and economic mobility.''.
(f) Leveraging International Support.--In pursuing the
policy described in this Act, the President should direct
United States representatives to appropriate international
bodies to use the influence of the United States, consistent
with the broad development goals of the United States, to
advocate that each such body--
(1) commit to increase efforts and coordination to promote
affordable, open, and gender-equitable Internet access, in
partnership with stakeholders and consistent with host
countries' absorptive capacity;
(2) integrate affordable and gender-equitable Internet
access data into existing economic and business assessments,
evaluations, and indexes such as the Millennium Challenge
Corporation constraints analysis, the Doing Business reports,
International Monetary Fund Article IV assessments and
country reports, and the Affordability Drivers Index;
(3) standardize the inclusion of broadband conduit as part
of highway or comparable construction projects in developing
countries, in consultation with telecommunications providers,
unless--
(A) such inclusion would create an undue burden;
(B) such inclusion is not necessary based on the
availability of existing broadband infrastructure;
(C) such inclusion would require the incorporation of the
hardware, software, or maintenance of vendors likely to be
subject to extrajudicial direction from a foreign government;
or
(D) a cost-benefit analysis determines that the cost of
such inclusion outweighs the benefits;
(4) provide technical assistance to the regulatory
authorities in developing countries to remove unnecessary
barriers to investment and develop regulations to support
market growth and development;
(5) utilize clear, accountable, and metric-based targets,
including targets with gender-disaggregated data, to measure
the effectiveness of efforts to promote Internet access; and
(6) promote and protect human rights online, such as the
freedoms of expression, religion, belief, assembly, and
association, through resolutions, public statements,
projects, and initiatives, and advocating that member states
of such bodies are held accountable for violations.
(g) Reporting Requirement on Implementation Efforts.--Not
later than one year after the date of the enactment of this
Act, the President shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a report on efforts to implement the
policy described in this Act and, to the extent practicable,
describe efforts by the United States Government to--
(1) provide technical and regulatory assistance to promote
Internet access in developing countries;
(2) strengthen and support development of regulations that
incentivize market growth that contributes to increased
Internet access in developing countries;
(3) encourage public and private investment in Internet
infrastructure, including broadband networks and services, in
developing countries;
(4) increase gender-equitable Internet access and close
gender gaps in Internet and other information and
communications technology adoption and use, especially in
countries in which social norms limit such adoption and use
by women and girls, and otherwise encourage or support
Internet deployment, competition, and adoption; and
(5) conduct outreach and explore partnership opportunities
with the private sector on activities that advance the policy
described in this Act.
SEC. 5. COST LIMITATION.
No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to
carry out the provisions of this Act.
SEC. 6. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.
Nothing in this Act may be construed to infringe upon the
related functions of any Executive agency (as defined in
section 105 of title 5, United States Code) vested in such
agency under any other provision of law.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Engel) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Wright) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
General Leave
Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on H.R. 1359.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, when we talk about our development efforts around the
world, we often focus on very big concepts, promoting democracy and
human rights, making governments more open and accountable, expanding
economic opportunity.
Those are, of course, very important ideas, and we need to keep those
big-picture goals in mind. But we also need to be working constantly to
develop the specific day-to-day tools and efforts that will help us
advance towards those goals.
In the 21st century, a lot of those tools have to do with technology.
Think of the way the internet has changed the global economy; the way
technology has improved communication; the sharing of information; the
ability of people to participate in worldwide markets and
conversations.
Now, think of the fact that 4 billion people around the developing
world do not have access to the internet; think of the untapped
potential, the number of people who cannot participate in a constantly
expanding online marketplace of goods and services and ideas.
The number of people with stories to tell, whether they are about
life in remote communities or the corruption of a repressive
government, but who cannot get their hands on the modern-day tools we
use to communicate with one another; the number of people who cannot
get information about a new opportunity or an impending disaster
because they don't have a laptop or a smart phone.
As technology continues to rush forward in so many aspects of modern
life, unfortunately, far too many people are being left behind. This
bill aims to help close that so-called digital gap.
This legislation would push the State Department, USAID, the Peace
Corps, and American representatives in international bodies to
incorporate internet access into development planning.
There are a number of ways we want to do this:
Through diplomacy, advising other governments to prioritize this
issue; through development, by incorporating this priority into our
work on the ground, especially with respect to women, minorities, and
other marginalized groups; and in the international and multilateral
groups conducting assessments and evaluations of development progress,
we want to see access to the internet as an important goal and metric.
This legislation builds on our country's longstanding leadership role
in this area.
Let's not forget, the United States created and advanced the internet
in the first place, and Congress has been working on this for decades,
starting with the High Performance Computing Act of 1991, which is
credited for helping create the first internet browser.
It is an important legacy to build on. And it coincides with an
important foreign policy goal.
So I want to thank Mr. Wright of Texas, this bill's author, along
with
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Ranking Member McCaul and Representatives Lieu and Bera, two able
members of the Foreign Affairs Committee for their hard work.
I am glad to support this measure, and I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. WRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Digital GAP Act of
2019, which I was proud to introduce with Ranking Member McCaul and
Representatives Lieu and Bera.
In our increasingly connected world, internet access is a tremendous
driver of economic growth. But 60 percent of the world's population
remains offline and out of reach of U.S. businesses, organizations, and
educators--largely due to a lack of telecommunications infrastructure.
The Digital GAP Act will promote commonsense ``build once'' policies
to help ensure that companies have opportunities to incorporate
telecommunications into new infrastructure construction projects.
This will provide opportunities to the private sector and reduce the
cost of bringing new communities online.
The bill also presses for the removal of onerous tax and regulatory
barriers to Internet access, and calls on the State Department, USAID,
and other government agencies, to partner with businesses to increase
private investment in internet infrastructure in developing countries.
As we compete overseas with an increasingly aggressive China, we must
make America's assistance and development strategies more effective.
Bills like the Digital GAP Act and the Championing American Business
through Diplomacy Act, which passed 2 weeks ago, will do just that by
strengthening the United States partnership with the private sector.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, the internet is an incredible tool that has
shaped the world in the last generation.
It allows entrepreneurs in emerging markets to sell their products in
global markets. It allows citizens and journalists living under
oppressive regimes or in war zones to get information out to the world.
This bill will establish that our foreign policy is to help advance
these positive developments.
I urge its passage. It passed the House in the last Congress, and I
hope the other body will take it up soon.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 1359.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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