A bill to promote the deployment and adoption of telecommunications services and information technologies, and for other purposes.

Summary: Connect The Nation Act - Provides for grants to develop and implement statewide initiatives to identify and track the availability and adoption of broadband services within each state.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Connect The Nation Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The deployment and adoption of broadband services and 
        information technology has resulted in enhanced economic 
        development and public safety for communities across the 
        Nation, improved health care and educational opportunities, and 
        a better quality of life for all Americans.
            (2) Continued progress in the deployment and adoption of 
        broadband and other advanced information services is vital to 
        ensuring that our Nation remains competitive and continues to 
        create business and job growth.
            (3) The Federal Government should also recognize and 
        encourage complementary state efforts to improve the quality 
        and usefulness of broadband data and should encourage and 
        support the partnership of the public and private sectors in 
        the continued growth of broadband services and information 
        technology for the residents and businesses of the Nation.

SEC. 3. ENCOURAGING STATE INITIATIVES TO IMPROVE BROADBAND.

    (a) Purposes.--The purposes of any grant under subsection (b) are--
            (1) to ensure that all citizens and businesses in a State 
        have access to affordable and reliable broadband service;
            (2) to achieve improved technology literacy, increased 
        computer ownership, and home broadband use among such citizens 
        and businesses;
            (3) to establish and empower local grassroots technology 
        teams in each State to plan for improved technology use across 
        multiple community sectors; and
            (4) to establish and sustain an environment ripe for 
        broadband services and information technology investment.
    (b) Establishment of State Broadband Data and Development Grant 
Program.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Commerce shall award 
        grants, taking into account the results of the peer review 
        process under subsection (d), to eligible entities for the 
        development and implementation of statewide initiatives to 
        identify and track the availability and adoption of broadband 
        services within each State.
            (2) Competitive basis.--Any grant under subsection (b) 
        shall be awarded on a competitive basis.
    (c) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
subsection (b), an eligible entity shall--
            (1) submit an application to the Secretary of Commerce, at 
        such time, in such manner, and containing such information as 
        the Secretary may require; and
            (2) contribute matching non-Federal funds in an amount 
        equal to not less than 20 percent of the total amount of the 
        grant.
    (d) Peer Review.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall by regulation require 
        appropriate technical and scientific peer review of 
        applications made for grants under this section.
            (2) Review procedures.--The regulations required under 
        paragraph (1) shall require that any technical and scientific 
        peer review group--
                    (A) be provided a written description of the grant 
                to be reviewed;
                    (B) provide the results of any review by such group 
                to the Secretary of Commerce; and
                    (C) certify that such group will enter into 
                voluntary nondisclosure agreements as necessary to 
                prevent the unauthorized disclosure of confidential and 
                propriety information provided by broadband service 
                providers in connection with projects funded by any 
                such grant.
    (e) Use of Funds.--A grant awarded to an eligible entity under 
subsection (b) shall be used--
            (1) to provide a baseline assessment of broadband service 
        deployment in each State;
            (2) to identify and track--
                    (A) areas in each State that have low levels of 
                broadband service deployment;
                    (B) the rate at which residential and business 
                adopt broadband service and other related information 
                technology services; and
                    (C) possible suppliers of such services;
            (3) to identify barriers to the adoption by individuals and 
        businesses of broadband service and related information 
        technology services, including whether or not--
                    (A) the demand for such services is absent; and
                    (B) the supply for such services is capable of 
                meeting the demand for such services;
            (4) to create and facilitate in each county or designated 
        region in a State a local technology planning team--
                    (A) with members representing a cross section of 
                the community, including representatives of business, 
                telecommunications labor organizations, K-12 education, 
                health care, libraries, higher education, community-
                based organizations, local government, tourism, parks 
                and recreation, and agriculture; and
                    (B) which shall--
                            (i) benchmark technology use across 
                        relevant community sectors;
                            (ii) set goals for improved technology use 
                        within each sector; and
                            (iii) develop a tactical business plan for 
                        achieving its goals, with specific 
                        recommendations for online application 
                        development and demand creation;
            (5) to work collaboratively with broadband service 
        providers and information technology companies to encourage 
        deployment and use, especially in unserved and underserved 
        areas, through the use of local demand aggregation, mapping 
        analysis, and the creation of market intelligence to improve 
        the business case for providers to deploy;
            (6) to establish programs to improve computer ownership and 
        Internet access for unserved and underserved populations;
            (7) to collect and analyze detailed market data concerning 
        the use and demand for broadband service and related 
        information technology services;
            (8) to facilitate information exchange regarding the use 
        and demand for broadband services between public and private 
        sectors; and
            (9) to create within each State a geographic inventory map 
        of broadband service, which shall--
                    (A) identify gaps in such service through a method 
                of geographic information system mapping of service 
                availability at the census block level; and
                    (B) provide a baseline assessment of statewide 
                broadband deployment in terms of households with high-
                speed availability.
    (f) Participation Limit.--For each State, an eligible entity may 
not receive a new grant under this section to fund the activities 
described in subsection (d) within such State if such organization 
obtained prior grant awards under this section to fund the same 
activities in that State in each of the previous 4 consecutive years.
    (g) Report.--Each recipient of a grant under subsection (b) shall 
submit a report on the use of the funds provided by the grant to the 
Secretary of Commerce.
    (h) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means a 
        non-profit organization that is selected by a State to work in 
        partnership with State agencies and private sector partners in 
        identifying and tracking the availability and adoption of 
        broadband services within each State.
            (2) Nonprofit organization.--The term ``nonprofit 
        organization'' means an organization--
                    (A) described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal 
                Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under section 
                501(a) of such Code;
                    (B) no part of the net earnings of which inures to 
                the benefit of any member, founder, contributor, or 
                individual;
                    (C) that has an established competency and proven 
                record of working with public and private sectors to 
                accomplish widescale deployment and adoption of 
                broadband services and information technology; and
                    (D) the board of directors of which is not composed 
                of a majority of individuals who are also employed by, 
                or otherwise associated with, any Federal, State, or 
                local government or any Federal, State, or local 
                agency.
            (3) Broadband service.--The term ``broadband service'' 
        means any service that connects to the public Internet that 
        provides a data transmission-rate equivalent to at least 200 
        kilobits per second, or 200,000 bits per second, or any 
        successor transmission-rate established by the Federal 
        Communications Commission, in at least 1 direction.
    (i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $40,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2008 through 2012.
    (j) No Regulatory Authority.--Nothing in this Act shall be 
construed as giving any public or private entity established or 
affected by this Act any regulatory jurisdiction or oversight authority 
over providers of broadband services or information technology.