IIB 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1328 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 9, 2019 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

and Transportation 

AN ACT 

To establish the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth, 

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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Advancing Critical 

3 Connectivity Expands Service, Small Business Resources, 

4 Opportunities, Access, and Data Based on Assessed Need 

5 and Demand Act’’ or the ‘‘ACCESS BROADBAND Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OFFICE OF INTERNET 

7 CONNECTIVITY AND GROWTH. 

8 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact9 ment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary shall establish 

10 the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth within the 

11 National Telecommunications and Information Adminis12 tration. 

13 SEC. 3. DUTIES. 

14 (a) OUTREACH.—The Office shall— 

15 (1) connect with communities that need access 

16 to high-speed internet and improved digital inclusion 

17 efforts through various forms of outreach and com18 munication techniques; 

19 (2) hold regional workshops across the country 

20 to share best practices and effective strategies for 

21 promoting broadband access and adoption; 

22 (3) develop targeted broadband training and 

23 presentations for various demographic communities 

24 through various media; and 

25 (4) develop and distribute publications (includ26 ing toolkits, primers, manuals, and white papers) 


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1 providing guidance, strategies, and insights to com2 munities as the communities develop strategies to 

3 expand broadband access and adoption. 

4 (b) TRACKING OF FEDERAL DOLLARS.— 

5 (1) BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE.—The Of6 fice shall track the construction and use of and ac7 cess to any broadband infrastructure built using any 

8 Federal support in a central database. 

9 (2) ACCOUNTING MECHANISM.—The Office 

10 shall develop a streamlined accounting mechanism 

11 by which any agency offering a Federal broadband 

12 support program and the Commission through the 

13 Universal Service Fund shall provide the information 

14 described in paragraph (1) in a standardized and ef15 ficient fashion. 

16 (3) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 

17 date of the enactment of this Act, and every year 

18 thereafter, the Office shall make public on the 

19 website of the Office and submit to the Committee 

20 on Energy and Commerce of the House of Rep21 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

22 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 

23 on the following: 

24 (A) A description of the work of the Office 

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1 dents of the United States that received 

2 broadband as result of Federal broadband sup3 port programs and the Universal Service Fund 

4 program. 

5 (B) A description of how many residents of 

6 the United States were provided broadband by 

7 which universal service mechanism or which 

8 Federal broadband support program. 

9 (C) An estimate of the economic impact of 

10 such broadband deployment efforts on the local 

11 economy, including any effect on small busi12 nesses or jobs. 

13 SEC. 4. STREAMLINED APPLICATIONS FOR SUPPORT. 

14 (a) AGENCY CONSULTATION.—The Office shall con15 sult with any agency offering a Federal broadband support 

16 program to streamline and standardize the applications 

17 process for financial assistance or grants for such pro18 gram. 

19 (b) AGENCY STREAMLINING.—Any agency offering a 

20 Federal broadband support program shall amend their ap21 plications for broadband support, to the extent practicable 

22 and as necessary, to streamline and standardize applica23 tions for Federal broadband support programs across the 

24 Government. 


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1 (c) SINGLE APPLICATION.—To the greatest extent 

2 practicable, the Office shall seek to create one application 

3 that may be submitted to apply for all, or substantially 

4 all, Federal broadband support programs. 

5 (d) WEBSITE REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 days 

6 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Office shall 

7 create a central website through which potential applicants 

8 can learn about and apply for support through any Fed9 eral broadband support program. 

10 SEC. 5. COORDINATION OF SUPPORT. 

11 The Office, any agency that offers a Federal broad12 band support program, and the Commission through the 

13 Universal Service Fund shall coordinate with the Office 

14 to ensure that support is being distributed in an efficient, 

15 technology-neutral, and financially sustainable manner, 

16 with the goal of serving the largest number of persons in 

17 the United States while avoiding overbuilding and pro18 moting the most job and economic growth for all residents 

19 of the United States. 

20 SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 

21 In this Act: 

22 (1) AGENCY.—The term ‘‘agency’’ has the 

23 meaning given that term in section 551 of title 5, 

24 United States Code. 


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1 (2) ASSISTANT SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Assist2 ant Secretary’’ means the Assistant Secretary of 

3 Commerce for Communications and Information. 

4 (3) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 

5 means the Federal Communications Commission. 

6 (4) FEDERAL BROADBAND SUPPORT PRO7 GRAM.—The term ‘‘Federal broadband support pro8 gram’’ does not include any Universal Service Fund 

9 program and means any of the following programs 

10 (or any other similar Federal program) to the extent 

11 the program offers broadband internet service or 

12 programs for promoting broadband access and adop13 tion for various demographic communities through 

14 various media for residential, commercial, commu15 nity providers, or academic establishments: 

16 (A) The Telecommunications and Tech17 nology Program of the Appalachian Regional 

18 Commission. 

19 (B) The Telecommunications Infrastruc20 ture Loans and Loan Guarantees, the Rural 

21 Broadband Access Loans and Loan Guarantees, 

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1 medicine Grant Program of the Rural Utilities 

2 Service of the Department of Agriculture. 

3 (C) The Public Works and Economic Ad4 justment Assistance Programs and the Plan5 ning and Local Technical Assistance Programs 

6 of the Economic Development Administration of 

7 the Department of Commerce. 

8 (D) The Community Development Block 

9 Grants and Section 108 Loan Guarantees, the 

10 Funds for Public Housing Authorities: Capital 

11 Fund and Operating Fund, the Multifamily 

12 Housing, the Indian Community Development 

13 Block Grant Program, the Indian Housing 

14 Block Grant Program, the Title VI Loan Guar15 antee Program, Choice Neighborhoods, the 

16 HOME Investment Partnerships Program, the 

17 Housing Trust Fund, and the Housing Oppor18 tunities for Persons with AIDS of the Depart19 ment of Housing and Urban Development. 

20 (E) The American Job Centers of the Em21 ployment and Training Administration of the 

22 Department of Labor. 

23 (F) The Library Services and Technology 

24 Grant Programs of the Institute of Museum 

25 and Library Services. 


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1 (5) OFFICE.—The term ‘‘Office’’ means the Of2 fice of Internet Connectivity and Growth established 

3 pursuant to section 2. 

4 (6) UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND PROGRAM.—The 

5 term ‘‘Universal Service Fund program’’ means any 

6 program authorized under section 254 of the Com7 munications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254) to help de8 ploy broadband. 

9 (7) UNIVERSAL SERVICE MECHANISM.—The 

10 term ‘‘universal service mechanism’’ means any 

11 funding stream provided by a Universal Service 

12 Fund program to support broadband access. 

13 SEC. 7. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 

14 Nothing in this Act is intended to alter or amend any 

15 provision of section 254 of the Communications Act of 

16 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254). 

17 SEC. 8. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 

18 The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 

19 complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 

20 shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 

21 titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 

22 Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 

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1 vided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 

2 vote on passage. 

Passed the House of Representatives May 8, 2019. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


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