I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7520 

To require the Federal Communications Commission to update the national 

broadband plan, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 9, 2020 

Ms. ESHOO introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Energy and Commerce 

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 ‘‘COVID–19 pandemic’’ means the 

12 outbreak and associated public heath, economic, and 

13 other societal effects of the Coronavirus Disease 

14 2019 (COVID–19) related to the emergency de15 clared by the Secretary of Health and Human Serv16 ices on January 31, 2020, under section 319 of the 

17 Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d), and 

18 any renewals thereof and any subsequent declara19 tions by the Secretary of Health and Human Serv20 ices related to the coronavirus; 

21 (5) the term ‘‘E-Rate program’’ means the pro22 gram set forth under subpart F of part 54 of title 

23 47, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor 

24 regulations; 


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1 (6) the term ‘‘Lifeline’’ means the program set 

2 forth under subpart E of part 54 of title 47, Code 

3 of Federal Regulations, or any successor regulations; 

4 and 

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

6 the plan required to be submitted by the Commis7 sion to the appropriate committees of Congress 

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

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

10 (b) UPDATE.— 

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

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

13 after notice and an opportunity for public comment, 

14 submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 

15 final report containing an update to the national 

16 broadband plan. 

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

18 broadband plan required under paragraph (1) 

19 shall— 

20 (A) assess the progress of the United 

21 States in achieving the goals of the original na22 tional broadband plan during the 10-year period 

23 preceding the date of enactment of this Act; 


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1 (B) reassess the areas of focus contained 

2 within the original national broadband plan, in3 cluding through— 

4 (i) an analysis of the most effective 

5 and efficient mechanisms for ensuring ac6 cess to broadband internet access service 

7 by all people of the United States; 

8 (ii) a detailed strategy for achieving— 

9 (I) affordability of broadband 

10 internet access service (including 

11 through Lifeline); and 

12 (II) maximum utilization of 

13 broadband internet access service, and 

14 the infrastructure with respect to that 

15 service, by the public; 

16 (iii) an evaluation of the status of de17 ployment of broadband internet access 

18 service, including the progress of projects 

19 supported by the grants made pursuant to 

20 section 6001 of the American Recovery 

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

22 1305); and 

23 (iv) a plan for use of broadband inter24 net access service, and the infrastructure 

25 with respect to that service, in advancing 


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1 consumer welfare, civic participation, pub2 lic safety and homeland security, commu3 nity development, health care delivery, en4 ergy independence and efficiency, edu5 cation, worker training, private sector in6 vestment, entrepreneurial activity, job cre7 ation and economic growth, and other na8 tional purposes; 

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

10 pandemic on how the people of the United 

11 States— 

12 (i) learn, including— 

13 (I) an analysis of the nature and 

14 extent of gaps between students who 

15 have access to broadband internet ac16 cess service at home and students who 

17 do not have that access; and 

18 (II) an identification of specific 

19 ways to close the gaps described in 

20 subclause (I), including through the 

21 E-Rate program and Lifeline; 

22 (ii) work, including by developing de23 tailed proposals that could make working 

24 from home more practical for workers and 

25 more productive for employers; 


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1 (iii) receive medical information and 

2 treatment, including by— 

3 (I) reviewing the adequacy and 

4 effectiveness of telemedicine programs 

5 implemented at the Federal and State 

6 levels; and 

7 (II) developing proposals for how 

8 the programs described in subclause 

9 (I) could be improved or expanded; 

10 and 

11 (iv) participate in civic communica12 tions, including by analyzing the effects 

13 that the COVID–19 pandemic and the in14 frastructure with respect to broadband 

15 internet access service in the United States 

16 have had on— 

17 (I) free expression and non-com18 mercial speakers in the United States; 

19 and 

20 (II) the availability of credible 

21 news and information, including pub22 lic health information, with respect to 

23 that pandemic; 

24 (D) analyze the change in reliance that the 

25 people of the United States will have on services 


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1 enabled by broadband internet access service as 

2 a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; and 

3 (E) develop— 

4 (i) short-term proposals to address the 

5 reliance described in subparagraph (D); 

6 and 

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

8 systemic privacy and security challenges 

9 associated with the use of services de10 scribed in subparagraph (D). 

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

12 appropriate committees of Congress shall accept 

13 from the Commission an updated version of a report 

14 previously submitted by the Commission under para15 graph (1), without regard to whether the Commis16 sion had— 

17 (A) labeled the previously submitted 

18 version of the report as the final report; or 

19 (B) otherwise indicated that the previously 

20 submitted version was the final version of the 

21 report. 

22 (4) SUBSEQUENT ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later 

23 than 1 year after the date on which the Commission 

24 submits the final report of the Commission required 

25 under this subsection, as determined in accordance 


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

2 Commission shall submit to the appropriate commit3 tees of Congress a report on the progress of the 

4 Commission in achieving the goals of the national 

5 broadband plan, as updated under this subsection. 

Æ 


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