I

104TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 181

To improve coordination in the formulation of telecommunications policy

within the executive branch, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JANUARY 4, 1995

Mrs. COLLINS of Illinois introduced the following bill; which was referred to

the Committee on Commerce

A BILL

To improve coordination in the formulation of telecommunications policy within the executive branch, 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 ‘‘Telecommunications

5 Policy Coordination Act of 1995’’.

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

7 For purposes of this Act:

8 (1) The term ‘‘Committee’’ means the Advisory

9 Committee on Telecommunications Policy estab10 lished under section 10.
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1 (2) The term ‘‘Office’’ means the Office of

2 Telecommunications Policy established in section 3.

3 (3) The term ‘‘Deputy Director’’ means the

4 Deputy Director of the Office appointed under sec5 tion 5(b).

6 (4) The term ‘‘Director’’ means the Director of

7 the Office appointed under section 5(a).

8 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT.

9 There is hereby established in the Executive Office

10 of the President the Office of Telecommunications Policy.

11 SEC. 4. FUNCTIONS.

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Office, acting through the

13 Director, shall—

14 (1) take such action as may be necessary to

15 provide for the preparation of national telecommuni16 cations policy options;

17 (2) serve as the principal advisor to the Presi18 dent in matters relating to telecommunications is19 sues and policies;

20 (3) act as the arbiter of disputes and dif21 ferences which may arise between or among Govern22 ment agencies in connection with the development

23 and implementation of national telecommunications

24 policies;
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1 (4) communicate the views of Government

2 agencies, as well as the views of the President, with

3 respect to telecommunications matters to the Fed4 eral Communications Commission, and communicate

5 the views of the President and Government agencies

6 (other than the Commission) to the Congress;

7 (5) monitor the development of new tele8 communications technologies, study the effects of

9 new telecommunications facilities, services, and sys10 tems, and make recommendations to the President

11 and to the Congress with respect to the introduction

12 of new technologies into the national economy; and

13 (6) perform such other functions vested in the

14 President relating to telecommunications as the

15 President may delegate to the Office.

16 (b) EFFECT ON FCC AUTHORITY.—The authority of

17 the Office under this Act shall not affect the authority

18 of the Federal Communications Commission under the

19 Communications Act of 1934 or the Satellite Communica20 tions Act of 1962.

21 (c) PRESIDENTIAL REGULATIONS.—The functions of

22 the Office under subsection (a) (3) and (4), and the cor23 responding obligations of other agencies affected there24 under, shall be in accordance with regulations which the

25 President shall prescribe.
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1 SEC. 5. DIRECTOR AND STAFF; ORGANIZATION OF OFFICE.

2 (a) DIRECTOR.—The head of the Office shall be the

3 Director, who shall be appointed by the President, by and

4 with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Director

5 shall be paid at a rate equal to the rate of basic pay which

6 is payable from time to time for level II of the Executive

7 Schedule under section 5313 of title 5, United States

8 Code.

9 (b) DEPUTY DIRECTOR.—The Office shall have a

10 Deputy Director, who shall be appointed by the President,

11 by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The

12 Deputy Director shall be paid at a rate equal to the rate

13 of basic pay which is payable from time to time for level

14 IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title

15 5, United States Code. The Deputy Director shall perform

16 such duties and exercise such powers as the Director may

17 prescribe. The Deputy Director shall act for, and exercise

18 the powers of, the Director during any absence or disabil19 ity of the Director or during any vacancy in the office of

20 Director.

21 (c) STAFF.—(1)(A) The Director may appoint not

22 more than two full-time professional staff members who

23 shall perform such duties as the Director may direct. The

24 Deputy Director may appoint not more than one such

25 staff member who shall perform such duties as the Deputy

26 Director may direct.
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1 (B) The appointments specified in subparagraph (A)

2 may be made without regard to the provisions of title 5,

3 United States Code, governing appointments in the com4 petitive service. Such staff member may be paid without

5 regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III

6 of chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code, relating to

7 classification and General Schedule pay rates. The Direc8 tor may fix the compensation of not more than one such

9 staff member at a rate not in excess of the maximum rate

10 payable from time to time for grade GS–18 of the General

11 Schedule under section 5332 of title 5, United States

12 Code. The remaining staff members appointed under sub13 paragraph (A) may be compensated at a rate fixed by the

14 Director or the Deputy Director, as the case may be, not

15 in excess of the maximum rate payable from time to time

16 for grade GS–16 of the General Schedule under section

17 5332 of title 5, United States Code.

18 (2) The Director may appoint and fix the pay of such

19 clerical and other support personnel as the Director con20 siders desirable. Such personnel shall be appointed subject

21 to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing

22 appointments in the competitive service, and shall be paid

23 in accordance with the provisions of chapter 51 and sub24 chapter III of chapter 53 of such title relating to classi25 fication and General Schedule pay rates.
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1 (d) ORGANIZATION.—The Director may organize the

2 personnel of the Office into such bureaus, divisions, or of3 fices as the Director may consider necessary.

4 SEC. 6. AUTHORITY AND FUNCTIONS OF DIRECTOR.

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall exercise all the

6 executive and administrative functions of the Office.

7 (b) ADDITIONAL AUTHORITY.—The Director—

8 (1) may obtain services as authorized in section

9 3109 of title 5, United States Code, at rates not to

10 exceed the daily rate prescribed for GS–18 of the

11 General Schedule under section 5332 of title 5,

12 United States Code, for persons employed intermit13 tently in Federal Government service;

14 (2) may delegate to the Deputy Director, or to

15 any other employee of the Office, any authority of

16 the Director established in this Act;

17 (3) shall prescribe such rules as may be nec18 essary to carry out the provisions of this Act;

19 (4) shall distribute business among any person20 nel appointed under section 5(c)(2), and among any

21 bureaus, divisions, or offices established under sec22 tion 5(d);

23 (5) shall administer the use and expenditure of

24 funds available to the Office;
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1 (6) shall coordinate and organize the work of

2 the Office in order to promote prompt and efficient

3 disposition of all matters within the jurisdiction of

4 the Office; and

5 (7) shall assure appropriate consumer represen6 tation in connection with the development of policy

7 by the Office.

8 SEC. 7. ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

9 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director shall establish

10 an advisory committee to be known as the Advisory Com11 mittee on Telecommunications Policy.

12 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Committee shall consist of

13 members appointed by the Director from the general pub14 lic, including representatives of—

15 (1) various segments of the telecommunications

16 industry,

17 (2) labor organizations involved in such indus18 try, and

19 (3) public interest and consumer organizations.

20 (c) FUNCTIONS.—The Committee shall provide ad21 vice and recommendations to the Director on matters re22 ferred to it by the Director and on such other matters

23 relating to the functions of the Director as it considers

24 appropriate. Consistent with otherwise applicable law, the
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1 Committee may make public any advice or recommenda2 tions it has provided to the Director under this subsection.

3 SEC. 8. ANNUAL REPORTS; FCC REPORTS.

4 (a) DUTY TO SUBMIT.—The Director shall, not later

5 than the 15th day of February following the end of each

6 fiscal year, commencing with the first complete fiscal year

7 following the effective date provided for in section 9, make

8 a report to the President for submission to the Congress

9 relating to the activities of the Office during the preceding

10 fiscal year.

11 (b) CONTENTS.—Each report made by the Director

12 under subsection (a) shall—

13 (1) describe actions taken by the Office in con14 nection with the preparation of national tele15 communications policies in accordance with section

16 4(1);

17 (2) identify and analyze emerging trends in

18 telecommunications; and

19 (3) include such other information as the Direc20 tor considers appropriate.

21 (c) COMMISSION RESPONSE TO OFFICE VIEWS.—In

22 any case in which the Office submits views to the Federal

23 Communications Commission under section 4(a)(4) and

24 the Commission takes any final action after such submit25 tal which is inconsistent with such views, the Commission
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1 shall, within twenty days of such final action is taken, sub2 mit a report to the President and to the Congress setting

3 forth the reasons therefor.

4 SEC. 9. EFFECTIVE DATE.

5 The provisions of this Act shall take effect ninety

6 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.

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