II 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4588 

To improve certain programs of the Small Business Administration to better 

assist small business customers in accessing broadband technology, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 16, 2020 

Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself, Mr. KENNEDY, Ms. ERNST, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. 

RISCH, and Mr. MARKEY) introduced the following bill; which was read 

twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship 

A BILL 

To improve certain programs of the Small Business Administration to better assist small business customers in accessing broadband technology, 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 ‘‘Small Business 

5 Broadband and Emerging Information Technology En6 hancement Act of 2020’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. BROADBAND AND EMERGING INFORMATION TECH2 NOLOGY COORDINATOR. 

3 The Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.) is 

4 amended— 

5 (1) by redesignating section 49 (15 U.S.C. 631 

6 note) as section 50; and 

7 (2) by inserting after section 48 (15 U.S.C. 

8 657u) the following: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 49. BROADBAND AND EMERGING INFORMATION 

10 TECHNOLOGY. 

11 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

12 ‘‘(1) the term ‘Associate Administrator’ means 

13 the Associate Administrator for the Office of Invest14 ment and Innovation; 

15 ‘‘(2) the term ‘broadband’ means— 

16 ‘‘(A) high-speed wired broadband internet; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(B) high-speed wireless internet; 

19 ‘‘(3) the term ‘broadband and emerging infor20 mation technology coordinator’ means the employee 

21 designated to carry out the broadband and emerging 

22 information technology coordination responsibilities 

23 of the Administration under subsection (b)(1); and 

24 ‘‘(4) the term ‘emerging information tech25 nology’ includes— 


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1 ‘‘(A) data science technologies such as arti2 ficial intelligence and machine learning; 

3 ‘‘(B) Internet of Things; 

4 ‘‘(C) distributed ledger technologies such 

5 as blockchain; 

6 ‘‘(D) cloud computing and software as a 

7 system technologies; 

8 ‘‘(E) computer numerical control tech9 nologies such as 3D printing; and 

10 ‘‘(F) robotics and automation. 

11 ‘‘(b) ASSIGNMENT OF COORDINATOR.— 

12 ‘‘(1) ASSIGNMENT OF COORDINATOR.—The As13 sociate Administrator shall designate a senior em14 ployee of the Office of Investment and Innovation to 

15 serve as the broadband and emerging information 

16 technology coordinator, who— 

17 ‘‘(A) shall report to the Associate Adminis18 trator; 

19 ‘‘(B) shall work in coordination with— 

20 ‘‘(i) the chief information officer, the 

21 chief technology officer, and the head of 

22 the Office of Technology of the Adminis23 tration; and 

24 ‘‘(ii) any other Associate Adminis25 trator of the Administration determined 


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1 appropriate by the Associate Adminis2 trator; 

3 ‘‘(C) has experience developing and imple4 menting telecommunications policy in the pri5 vate sector or government; and 

6 ‘‘(D) has demonstrated significant experi7 ence in the area of broadband or emerging in8 formation technology. 

9 ‘‘(2) RESPONSIBILITIES OF COORDINATOR.— 

10 The broadband and emerging information technology 

11 coordinator shall— 

12 ‘‘(A) coordinate programs of the Adminis13 tration that assist small business concerns in 

14 adopting, making innovations in, and using 

15 broadband and other emerging information 

16 technologies; 

17 ‘‘(B) serve as the primary liaison of the 

18 Administration to other Federal agencies in19 volved in broadband and emerging information 

20 technology policy, including the Department of 

21 Commerce, the Department of Agriculture, the 

22 Department of the Treasury, and the Federal 

23 Communications Commission; 

24 ‘‘(C) identify best practices relating to 

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1 nology that may benefit small business con2 cerns; and 

3 ‘‘(D) identify and catalog tools and train4 ing available through the resource partners of 

5 the Administration that assist small business 

6 concerns in adopting, making innovations in, 

7 and using broadband and emerging information 

8 technologies. 

9 ‘‘(3) TRAVEL.—Not more than 20 percent of 

10 the hours of service by the broadband and emerging 

11 information technology coordinator during any fiscal 

12 year shall consist of travel outside the United States 

13 to perform official duties. 

14 ‘‘(c) BROADBAND AND EMERGING INFORMATION

15 TECHNOLOGY TRAINING.— 

16 ‘‘(1) TRAINING.—The Associate Administrator 

17 shall provide to employees of the Administration 

18 training that— 

19 ‘‘(A) familiarizes employees of the Admin20 istration with broadband and other emerging 

21 information technologies; 

22 ‘‘(B) includes— 

23 ‘‘(i) instruction on counseling small 

24 business concerns regarding adopting, 

25 making innovations in, and using 


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1 broadband and other emerging information 

2 technologies; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) information on programs of the 

4 Federal Government that provide assist5 ance to small business concerns relating to 

6 broadband and emerging information tech7 nologies; and 

8 ‘‘(C) to maximum extent practicable, uses 

9 the tools and training cataloged and identified 

10 under subsection (b)(2)(D). 

11 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

12 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 

13 as are necessary to carry out this subsection. 

14 ‘‘(d) REPORTS.— 

15 ‘‘(1) BIENNIAL REPORT ON ACTIVITIES.—Not 

16 later than 2 years after the date on which the Asso17 ciate Administrator makes the first designation of 

18 an employee under subsection (b), and every 2 years 

19 thereafter, the broadband and emerging information 

20 technology coordinator shall submit to the Com21 mittee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of 

22 the Senate and the Committee on Small Business of 

23 the House of Representatives a report regarding the 

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1 ing to broadband and other emerging information 

2 technologies. 

3 ‘‘(2) IMPACT OF BROADBAND AVAILABILITY, 

4 SPEED, AND PRICE AND EMERGING INFORMATION

5 TECHNOLOGY DEPLOYMENT ON SMALL BUSI6 NESSES.— 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to appropria8 tions, the Chief Counsel for Advocacy shall con9 duct a study evaluating the impact of— 

10 ‘‘(i) broadband availability, speed, and 

11 price on small business concerns; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) emerging information technology 

13 deployment on small business concerns. 

14 ‘‘(B) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years 

15 after the date of enactment of the Small Busi16 ness Broadband and Emerging Information 

17 Technology Enhancement Act of 2020, the 

18 Chief Counsel for Advocacy shall submit to the 

19 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans20 portation and the Committee on Small Business 

21 and Entrepreneurship of the Senate and the 

22 Committee on Energy and Commerce and the 

23 Committee on Small Business of the House of 

24 Representatives a report on the results of the 

25 study under subparagraph (A), including— 


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1 ‘‘(i) a survey of broadband speeds 

2 available to small business concerns; 

3 ‘‘(ii) a survey of the cost of broadband 

4 speeds available to small business con5 cerns; 

6 ‘‘(iii) a survey of the type of 

7 broadband technology used by small busi8 ness concerns; 

9 ‘‘(iv) a survey of the types of emerg10 ing information technologies used by small 

11 business concerns; and 

12 ‘‘(v) any policy recommendations that 

13 may improve the access of small business 

14 concerns to comparable broadband services 

15 or emerging information technologies at 

16 comparable rates in all regions of the 

17 United States.’’. 

18 SEC. 3. ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT. 

19 Section 21(c)(3)(B) of the Small Business Act (15 

20 U.S.C. 648(c)(3)(B)) is amended— 

21 (1) in the matter preceding clause (i), by insert22 ing ‘‘accessing broadband and other emerging infor23 mation technology,’’ after ‘‘technology transfer,’’; 

24 (2) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 


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1 (3) in clause (iii), by adding ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

2 and 

3 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(iv) increasing the competitiveness and 

5 productivity of small business concerns by as6 sisting entrepreneurs in accessing broadband 

7 and other emerging information technology;’’. 

Æ 


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