II 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4022 

To require the Federal Communications Commission to update the national 

broadband plan, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 22, 2020 

Mr. MARKEY introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To require the Federal Communications Commission to 

update the national broadband plan, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Broadband 

5 Plan for the Future Act of 2020’’. 

6 SEC. 2. UPDATE TO NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN. 

7 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

8 (1) the term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con9 gress’’ means— 


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1 (A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

2 and Transportation of the Senate; and 

3 (B) the Committee on Energy and Com4 merce of the House of Representatives; 

5 (2) the term ‘‘broadband internet access serv6 ice’’ has the meaning given the term in section 8.1 

7 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, or any suc8 cessor regulation; 

9 (3) the term ‘‘Commission’’ means the Federal 

10 Communications Commission; 

11 (4) the term ‘‘E-Rate program’’ means the pro12 gram set forth under subpart F of part 54 of title 

13 47, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor 

14 regulations; and 

15 (5) the term ‘‘national broadband plan’’ means 

16 the plan required to be submitted by the Commis17 sion to the appropriate committees of Congress 

18 under section 6001(k) of the American Recovery and 

19 Reinvestment Act of 2009 (47 U.S.C. 1305(k)). 

20 (b) UPDATE.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than July 1, 2021, 

22 and subject to paragraph (3), the Commission shall 

23 submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 

24 final report containing an update to the national 

25 broadband plan. 


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1 (2) CONTENTS.—The update to the national 

2 broadband plan required under paragraph (1) 

3 shall— 

4 (A) assess the progress of the United 

5 States in achieving the goals of the original na6 tional broadband plan during the 10-year period 

7 preceding the date of enactment of this Act; 

8 (B) reassess the areas of focus contained 

9 within the original national broadband plan, in10 cluding through— 

11 (i) an analysis of the most effective 

12 and efficient mechanisms for ensuring ac13 cess to broadband internet access service 

14 by all people of the United States; 

15 (ii) a detailed strategy for achieving— 

16 (I) affordability of broadband 

17 internet access service; and 

18 (II) maximum utilization of 

19 broadband internet access service, and 

20 the infrastructure with respect to that 

21 service, by the public; 

22 (iii) an evaluation of the status of de23 ployment of broadband internet access 

24 service, including the progress of projects 

25 supported by the grants made pursuant to 


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1 section 6001 of the American Recovery 

2 and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (47 U.S.C. 

3 1305); and 

4 (iv) a plan for use of broadband inter5 net access service, and the infrastructure 

6 with respect to that service, in advancing 

7 consumer welfare, civic participation, pub8 lic safety and homeland security, commu9 nity development, health care delivery, en10 ergy independence and efficiency, edu11 cation, worker training, private sector in12 vestment, entrepreneurial activity, job cre13 ation and economic growth, and other na14 tional purposes; 

15 (C) examine the effects of the COVID–19 

16 pandemic on how the people of the United 

17 States— 

18 (i) learn, including— 

19 (I) an analysis of the nature and 

20 extent of gaps between students who 

21 have access to broadband internet ac22 cess service at home and students who 

23 do not have that access; and 

24 (II) an identification of specific 

25 ways to close the gaps described in 


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1 subclause (I), including through the 

2 E-Rate program; 

3 (ii) work, including by developing de4 tailed proposals that could make working 

5 from home more practical for workers and 

6 more productive for employers; 

7 (iii) receive medical information and 

8 treatment, including by— 

9 (I) reviewing the adequacy and 

10 effectiveness of telemedicine programs 

11 implemented at the Federal and State 

12 levels; and 

13 (II) developing proposals for how 

14 the programs described in subclause 

15 (I) could be improved or expanded; 

16 and 

17 (iv) participate in civic communica18 tions, including by analyzing the effects 

19 that the COVID–19 pandemic and the in20 frastructure with respect to broadband 

21 internet access service in the United States 

22 have had on— 

23 (I) free expression and non-com24 mercial speakers in the United States; 

25 and 


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1 (II) the availability of credible 

2 news and information, including pub3 lic health information, with respect to 

4 that pandemic; 

5 (D) analyze the level of reliance that the 

6 people of the United States will have on services 

7 enabled by broadband internet access service— 

8 (i) before comprehensive testing with 

9 respect to COVID–19 is implemented and 

10 a vaccine with respect to that disease is de11 veloped; and 

12 (ii) after the COVID–19 pandemic 

13 has ended; and 

14 (E) develop— 

15 (i) short-term proposals to address the 

16 reliance described in subparagraph (D); 

17 and 

18 (ii) a long-term plan to address any 

19 systemic privacy and security challenges 

20 associated with the use of services de21 scribed in subparagraph (D). 

22 (3) FINAL REPORT.—Until July 1, 2021, the 

23 appropriate committees of Congress shall accept 

24 from the Commission an updated version of a report 

25 previously submitted by the Commission under paraVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:22 Jul 03, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4022.IS S4022

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1 graph (1), without regard to whether the Commis2 sion had— 

3 (A) labeled the previously submitted 

4 version of the report as the final report; or 

5 (B) otherwise indicated that the previously 

6 submitted version was the final version of the 

7 report. 

8 (4) SUBSEQUENT ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later 

9 than 1 year after the date on which the Commission 

10 submits the final report of the Commission required 

11 under this subsection, as determined in accordance 

12 with paragraph (3), and annually thereafter, the 

13 Commission shall submit to the appropriate commit14 tees of Congress a report on the progress of the 

15 Commission in achieving the goals of the national 

16 broadband plan, as updated under this subsection. 

Æ 


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