[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 137 (Monday, August 2, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5575-S5576]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2151. 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:

        At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. _____. GRANTS FOR BROADCAST INTERNET AND PUBLIC 
                   TELEVISION.

       (a) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Assistant secretary.--The term ``Assistant Secretary'' 
     means the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications 
     and Information.
       (2) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
     Communications Commission.
       (3) Construction permit.--The term ``construction permit'' 
     has meaning given the term in section 3 of the Communications 
     Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 153).
       (4) Covered grant.--The term ``covered grant'' means a 
     grant awarded under subsection (b).
       (5) Eligible broadcaster.--The term ``eligible 
     broadcaster'' means a commercial or noncommercial broadcast 
     television licensee or permittee that was, before the date of 
     enactment of this Act--
       (A) licensed by the Commission; or
       (B) granted a construction permit for a station.
       (6) Licensee.--The term ``licensee'' has the meaning given 
     the term in section 3 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
     U.S.C. 153).
       (7) Permittee.--The term ``permitee'' means the holder of a 
     television construction permit granted by the Commission.
       (8) Public telecommunications entity; public 
     telecommunications facilities; public telecommunications 
     services.--The terms ``public telecommunications entity'', 
     ``public telecommunications facilities'', and ``public 
     telecommunications services'' have the meanings given those 
     terms in section 397 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
     U.S.C. 397).
       (b) Broadcast Internet and Public Broadcasting Grants.--
       (1) In general.--The Assistant Secretary shall establish a 
     program, to be known as the ``Broadcast Internet and Public 
     Broadcasting Grant Program'', under which the Assistant 
     Secretary makes grants--
       (A) to eligible broadcasters to facilitate the construction 
     of or reasonable upgrades to facilities of those eligible 
     broadcasters to enable the offering of broadcast services 
     utilizing the ATSC 3.0 broadcast television standard, 
     including datacasting enabled by ATSC 3.0, as permitted under 
     section 336 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 336) 
     and parts 73 and 74 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations;
       (B) to eligible broadcasters to facilitate the construction 
     of or reasonable upgrades to facilities of those eligible 
     broadcasters to

[[Page S5576]]

     enable the deployment of distributed transmission systems 
     (also known as ``single frequency networks''), as permitted 
     under section 73.626 of title 47, Code of Federal 
     Regulations; and
       (C) in consultation with the Corporation for Public 
     Broadcasting, to public telecommunications entities to 
     facilitate the construction, updates, replacement, and repair 
     of public telecommunications facilities to maintain or 
     improve public telecommunications services provided by those 
     public telecommunications entities to the American public 
     through broadcast and digital distribution technologies.
       (2) Application for grant.--
       (A) In general.--The Assistant Secretary shall establish an 
     application process for covered grants.
       (B) Selection priority.--In selecting projects to be funded 
     by a covered grant, the Assistant Secretary shall apply the 
     criteria established by the rules promulgated under 
     subsection (c).
       (c) Rulemaking.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary shall 
     promulgate rules that--
       (1) establish the requirements for applications for covered 
     grants;
       (2) identify the criteria to be used by the Assistant 
     Secretary in prioritizing projects;
       (3) identify reasonable eligible costs to be presumptively 
     approved by the Assistant Secretary in awarding covered 
     grants; and
       (4) establish procedures for the submission and review of 
     cost estimates and other materials related to those costs 
     consistent with the rules promulgated under this subsection.
       (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--
       (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
     carry out this section $5,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2022, 
     to remain available until expended, of which--
       (A) not more than $3,700,000,000 may be used for grants 
     under subsection (b)(1)(A);
       (B) not more than $1,000,000,000 maybe used for grants 
     under subsection (b)(1)(B); and
       (C) not more than $300,000,000 may be used for grants under 
     subsection (b)(1)(C).
       (2) Administration.--The Assistant Secretary may reserve 
     not more than 4 percent of the funds made available under 
     paragraph (1) for reasonable administrative costs associated 
     with the grant program established under subsection (b).
                                 ______