[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 137 (Monday, August 2, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S5575]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 2150. Mr. WICKER submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to
amendment SA 2137 proposed by Mr. Schumer (for Ms. Sinema (for herself,
Mr. Portman, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Cassidy, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. Collins, Mr.
Tester, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Warner, and Mr. Romney)) to the bill H.R.
3684, to authorize funds for Federal-aid highways, highway safety
programs, and transit programs, and for other purposes; which was
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
Beginning on page 2052, strike line 15 and all that
follows through page 2053, line 16, and insert the following:
(f) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity may use grant funds
received under this section to competitively award subgrants
for--
(1) unserved service projects and underserved service
projects;
(2) connecting eligible community anchor institutions; and
(3) installing internet and Wi-Fi infrastructure or
providing reduced-cost broadband within a multi-family
residential building, with priority given to a residential
building that--
(A) has a substantial share of unserved households; or
(B) is in a location in which the percentage of individuals
with a household income that is at or below 150 percent of
the poverty line applicable to a family of the size involved
(as determined under section 673(2) of the Community Services
Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2)) is higher than the
national percentage of such individuals.
Beginning on page 2053, strike line 18 and all that follows
through page 2054, line 23, and insert the following:
(1) Subgrantee obligations.--A subgrantee, in carrying out
activities using amounts received from an eligible entity
under this section--
(A) shall adhere to quality-of-service standards, as
established by the Assistant Secretary;
(B) shall incorporate best practices, as defined by the
Assistant Secretary, for ensuring reliability and resilience
of broadband infrastructure; and
(C) may not use the amounts to purchase or support--
(i) any covered communications equipment or service, as
defined in section 9 of the Secure and Trusted Communications
Networks Act of 2019 (47 U.S.C. 1608); or
(ii) fiber optic cable and optical transmission equipment
manufactured in the People's Republic of China.
Beginning on page 2060, strike line 17 and all that follows
through page 2061, line 2, and insert the following:
(D) NTIA authority.--The Assistant Secretary may modify the
challenge process required under subparagraph (A) as
necessary.
On page 2071, strike lines 1 through 7 and insert the
following:
(6) Return of funds.--An entity that receives a subgrant
from an eligible entity under subsection (f) and fails to
comply with any requirement under this subsection during the
pendency of the grant shall, after being provided a
reasonable opportunity to cure the violation, return an
amount of the subgrant that is proportional to the gravity of
the violation, up to the entire amount of the subgrant, to
the eligible entity, at the discretion of the eligible entity
or the Assistant Secretary.
On page 2080, strike lines 3 through 21 and insert the
following:
(n) Judicial Review.--The United States District Court for
the District of Columbia shall have exclusive jurisdiction to
review a decision of the Assistant Secretary made under this
section.
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