II 

Calendar No. 615 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2343 

[Report No. 115–342] 

To require the Federal Communications Commission to establish a task force 

for meeting the connectivity and technology needs of precision agriculture 

in the United States. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 25, 2018 

Mr. WICKER (for himself, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. DAINES, Mr. TESTER, Mrs. 

MCCASKILL, Mr. GARDNER, Mr. HOEVEN, Mr. BLUNT, Ms. SMITH, Ms. 

BALDWIN, Mr. THUNE, Mrs. FISCHER, Mr. KING, and Ms. HEITKAMP) 

introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

OCTOBER 2 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 28), 2018 

Reported by Mr. THUNE, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To require the Federal Communications Commission to establish a task force for meeting the connectivity and 

technology needs of precision agriculture in the United 

States. 

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 ‘‘Precision Agriculture 

3 Connectivity Act of 2018’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) Precision agriculture technologies and prac7 tices allow farmers to significantly increase crop 

8 yields, eliminate overlap in operations, and reduce 

9 inputs such as seed, fertilizer, pesticides, water, and 

10 fuel. 

11 (2) These technologies allow farmers to collect 

12 data in real time about their fields, automate field 

13 management, and maximize resources. 

14 (3) Studies estimate that precision agriculture 

15 technologies can reduce agricultural operation costs 

16 by up to 25 dollars per acre and increase farm yields 

17 by up to 70 percent by 2050. 

18 (4) The critical cost savings and productivity 

19 benefits of precision agriculture cannot be realized 

20 without the availability of reliable broadband Inter21 net access service delivered to the cropland and 

22 ranchland of the United States. 

23 (5) The deployment of broadband Internet ac24 cess service to unserved and underserved cropland 

25 and ranchland is critical to the United States econVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:01 Oct 02, 2018 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2343.RS S2343

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1 omy and to the continued leadership of the United 

2 States in global food production. 

3 (6) Despite the growing demand for broadband 

4 Internet access service on cropland and ranchland, 

5 broadband Internet access service is not consistently 

6 available where needed for agricultural operations. 

7 (7) The Federal Communications Commission 

8 has an important role to play in the deployment of 

9 broadband Internet access service infrastructure on 

10 unserved and underserved cropland and ranchland to 

11 promote precision agriculture. 

12 SEC. 3. TASK FORCE. 

13 (a) DEFINITIONS.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—In this section— 

15 (A) the term ‘‘broadband Internet access 

16 service’’ has the meaning given the term in sec17 tion 8.2 of title 47, Code of Federal Regula18 tions, or any successor regulation; 

19 (B) the term ‘‘Commission’’ means the 

20 Federal Communications Commission; 

21 (C) the term ‘‘Department’’ means the De22 partment of Agriculture; 

23 (D) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Sec24 retary of Agriculture; and 


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1 (E) the term ‘‘Task Force’’ means the 

2 Task Force for Meeting the Connectivity and 

3 Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture in 

4 the United States, as established under sub5 section (b). 

6 (2) AGRICULTURAL TERMS.—For purposes of 

7 this Act, the Secretary shall define the terms ‘‘agri8 cultural operations’’, ‘‘cropland’’, and ‘‘ranchland’’. 

9 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 1 year after 

10 the date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall 

11 establish the Task Force for Meeting the Connectivity and 

12 Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture in the United 

13 States. 

14 (c) DUTIES.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Task Force shall col16 laborate with the Secretary and public and private 

17 stakeholders in the agriculture and technology fields 

18 to— 

19 (A) identify and measure current gaps in 

20 broadband Internet access service coverage of 

21 cropland and ranchland; 

22 (B) assemble a comprehensive guide of all 

23 Federal programs or resources working to ex24 pand broadband Internet access service on 

25 unserved cropland and ranchland; 


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1 (C) develop policy recommendations to pro2 mote the rapid, expanded deployment of fixed 

3 and mobile broadband Internet access service 

4 on unserved croplands and ranchlands, with a 

5 goal of achieving reliable service on 95 percent 

6 of croplands and ranchlands in the United 

7 States by 2025; 

8 (D) promote effective policy and regulatory 

9 solutions that encourage the adoption of 

10 broadband Internet access service on farms and 

11 ranches and promote precision agriculture; 

12 (E) propose new rules of the Commission 

13 or amendments to existing rules of the Commis14 sion to achieve the goals and purposes described 

15 in subparagraph (C); 

16 (F) recommend specific steps that the 

17 Commission and other Federal agencies should 

18 take to obtain reliable and standardized data 

19 measurements of broadband Internet access 

20 service coverage as may be necessary to target 

21 funding support to unserved croplands and 

22 ranchlands in need of broadband Internet ac23 cess service; and 

24 (G) recommend specific steps that the 

25 Commission should take to ensure that the exVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:01 Oct 02, 2018 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2343.RS S2343

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1 pertise of the Secretary and available farm data 

2 are reflected in developing Federal programs to 

3 deploy broadband Internet access service infra4 structure and to direct available funding to 

5 unserved croplands and ranchlands where need6 ed. 

7 (2) CONSULTATION.—The Task Force shall 

8 consult with the Secretary to develop recommenda9 tions for the Commission that utilize the expertise, 

10 data mapping information, and resources of the De11 partment that the Department uses to identify crop12 lands, ranchlands, and other areas with agricultural 

13 operations. 

14 (d) MEMBERSHIP.—The Task Force shall be— 

15 (1) composed of not more than 15 members 

16 who shall— 

17 (A) be selected by the Chairman of the 

18 Commission in consultation with appropriate 

19 staff of the Commission and with the Secretary; 

20 and 

21 (B) include— 

22 (i) agricultural producers representing 

23 diverse geographic regions and farm sizes, 

24 including owners and operators of farms of 

25 less than 100 acres; 


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1 (ii) Internet service providers, includ2 ing regional or rural fixed and mobile 

3 broadband Internet access service pro4 viders and telecommunications infrastruc5 ture providers; 

6 (iii) representatives from the satellite 

7 industry; 

8 (iv) representatives from precision ag9 riculture equipment manufacturers, includ10 ing drone manufacturers, manufacturers of 

11 autonomous agricultural machinery, and 

12 manufacturers of farming robotics tech13 nologies; and 

14 (v) representatives from State and 

15 local governments; and 

16 (2) fairly balanced in terms of technologies, 

17 points of view, and fields represented on the Task 

18 Force. 

19 (e) REPORTS.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

20 on which the Commission establishes the Task Force, and 

21 annually thereafter, the Commission shall submit to Con22 gress a report that details— 

23 (1) the status of fixed and mobile broadband 

24 Internet access service coverage of croplands and 

25 ranchlands; 


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1 (2) the projected future connectivity needs of 

2 agricultural operations, farmers, and ranchers; and 

3 (3) the steps being taken to accurately measure 

4 the availability of high speed broadband Internet ac5 cess service on croplands and ranchlands and the 

6 limitations of current, as of the date of the report, 

7 measurement processes. 

8 (f) EXISTING FUNDS.—The Commission shall use ex9 isting funds of the Commission to carry out the Task 

10 Force and the duties of the Commission under this sec11 tion. 

12 (g) TERMINATION.—The Task Force shall terminate 

13 on January 1, 2025. 

14 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

15 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Precision Agriculture 

16 Connectivity Act of 2018’’. 

17 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

18 Congress finds the following: 

19 (1) Precision agriculture technologies and prac20 tices allow farmers to significantly increase crop 

21 yields, eliminate overlap in operations, and reduce 

22 inputs such as seed, fertilizer, pesticides, water, and 

23 fuel. 


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1 (2) These technologies allow farmers to collect 

2 data in real time about their fields, automate field 

3 management, and maximize resources. 

4 (3) Studies estimate that precision agriculture 

5 technologies can reduce agricultural operation costs 

6 by up to 25 dollars per acre and increase farm yields 

7 by up to 70 percent by 2050. 

8 (4) The critical cost savings and productivity 

9 benefits of precision agriculture cannot be realized 

10 without the availability of reliable broadband Internet 

11 access service delivered to the agricultural land of the 

12 United States. 

13 (5) The deployment of broadband Internet access 

14 service to unserved agricultural land is critical to the 

15 United States economy and to the continued leader16 ship of the United States in global food production. 

17 (6) Despite the growing demand for broadband 

18 Internet access service on agricultural land, 

19 broadband Internet access service is not consistently 

20 available where needed for agricultural operations. 

21 (7) The Federal Communications Commission 

22 has an important role to play in the deployment of 

23 broadband Internet access service on unserved agricul24 tural land to promote precision agriculture. 


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1 SEC. 3. TASK FORCE. 

2 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

3 (1) the term ‘‘broadband Internet access service’’ 

4 has the meaning given the term in section 8.2 of title 

5 47, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor reg6 ulation; 

7 (2) the term ‘‘Commission’’ means the Federal 

8 Communications Commission; 

9 (3) the term ‘‘Department’’ means the Depart10 ment of Agriculture; 

11 (4) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of 

12 Agriculture; and 

13 (5) the term ‘‘Task Force’’ means the Task Force 

14 for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs 

15 of Precision Agriculture in the United States estab16 lished under subsection (b). 

17 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 1 year after the 

18 date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall establish 

19 the Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Tech20 nology Needs of Precision Agriculture in the United States. 

21 (c) DUTIES.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Task Force shall consult 

23 with the Secretary, or a designee of the Secretary, and 

24 collaborate with public and private stakeholders in 

25 the agriculture and technology fields to— 


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1 (A) identify and measure current gaps in 

2 the availability of broadband Internet access 

3 service on agricultural land; 

4 (B) develop policy recommendations to pro5 mote the rapid, expanded deployment of 

6 broadband Internet access service on unserved 

7 agricultural land, with a goal of achieving reli8 able capabilities on 95 percent of agricultural 

9 land in the United States by 2025; 

10 (C) promote effective policy and regulatory 

11 solutions that encourage the adoption of 

12 broadband Internet access service on farms and 

13 ranches and promote precision agriculture; 

14 (D) recommend specific new rules or 

15 amendments to existing rules of the Commission 

16 that the Commission should issue to achieve the 

17 goals and purposes of the policy recommenda18 tions described in subparagraph (B); 

19 (E) recommend specific steps that the Com20 mission should take to obtain reliable and stand21 ardized data measurements of the availability of 

22 broadband Internet access service as may be nec23 essary to target funding support, from future 

24 programs of the Commission dedicated to the de25 ployment of broadband Internet access service, to 


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1 unserved agricultural land in need of broadband 

2 Internet access service; and 

3 (F) recommend specific steps that the Com4 mission should consider to ensure that the exper5 tise of the Secretary and available farm data are 

6 reflected in future programs of the Commission 

7 dedicated to the infrastructure deployment of 

8 broadband Internet access service and to direct 

9 available funding to unserved agricultural land 

10 where needed. 

11 (2) NO DUPLICATE DATA REPORTING.—In per12 forming the duties of the Commission under para13 graph (1), the Commission shall ensure that no pro14 vider of broadband Internet access service is required 

15 to report data to the Commission that is, on the day 

16 before the date of enactment of this Act, required to 

17 be reported by the provider of broadband Internet ac18 cess service. 

19 (3) HOLD HARMLESS.—The Task Force and the 

20 Commission shall not interpret the phrase ‘‘future 

21 programs of the Commission’’, as used in subpara22 graphs (E) and (F) of paragraph (1), to include the 

23 universal service programs of the Commission estab24 lished under section 254 of the Communications Act 

25 of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254). 


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1 (4) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary, or a des2 ignee of the Secretary, shall explain and make avail3 able to the Task Force the expertise, data mapping 

4 information, and resources of the Department that the 

5 Department uses to identify cropland, ranchland, and 

6 other areas with agricultural operations that may be 

7 helpful in developing the recommendations required 

8 under paragraph (1). 

9 (5) LIST OF AVAILABLE FEDERAL PROGRAMS

10 AND RESOURCES.—Not later than 180 days after the 

11 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary and the 

12 Commission shall jointly submit to the Task Force a 

13 list of all Federal programs or resources available for 

14 the expansion of broadband Internet access service on 

15 unserved agricultural land to assist the Task Force in 

16 carrying out the duties of the Task Force. 

17 (d) MEMBERSHIP.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Task Force shall be— 

19 (A) composed of not more than 15 voting 

20 members who shall— 

21 (i) be selected by the Chairman of the 

22 Commission; and 

23 (ii) include— 

24 (I) agricultural producers rep25 resenting diverse geographic regions 


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1 and farm sizes, including owners and 

2 operators of farms of less than 100 

3 acres; 

4 (II) an agricultural producer rep5 resenting tribal agriculture; 

6 (III) Internet service providers, 

7 including regional or rural fixed and 

8 mobile broadband Internet access serv9 ice providers and telecommunications 

10 infrastructure providers; 

11 (IV) representatives from the elec12 tric cooperative industry; 

13 (V) representatives from the sat14 ellite industry; 

15 (VI) representatives from preci16 sion agriculture equipment manufac17 turers, including drone manufacturers, 

18 manufacturers of autonomous agricul19 tural machinery, and manufacturers of 

20 farming robotics technologies; and 

21 (VII) representatives from State 

22 and local governments; and 

23 (B) fairly balanced in terms of technologies, 

24 points of view, and fields represented on the Task 

25 Force. 


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1 (2) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT; VACANCIES.— 

2 (A) IN GENERAL.—A member of the Com3 mittee appointed under paragraph (1)(A) shall 

4 serve for a single term of 2 years. 

5 (B) VACANCIES.—Any vacancy in the Task 

6 Force— 

7 (i) shall not affect the powers of the 

8 Task Force; and 

9 (ii) shall be filled in the same manner 

10 as the original appointment. 

11 (3) EX-OFFICIO MEMBER.—The Secretary, or a 

12 designee of the Secretary, shall serve as an ex-officio, 

13 nonvoting member of the Task Force. 

14 (e) REPORTS.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

15 on which the Commission establishes the Task Force, and 

16 annually thereafter, the Task Force shall submit to the 

17 Chairman of the Commission a report, which shall be made 

18 public not later than 30 days after the date on which the 

19 Chairman receives the report, that details— 

20 (1) the status of fixed and mobile broadband 

21 Internet access service coverage of agricultural land; 

22 (2) the projected future connectivity needs of ag23 ricultural operations, farmers, and ranchers; and 

24 (3) the steps being taken to accurately measure 

25 the availability of broadband Internet access service 


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1 on agricultural land and the limitations of current, 

2 as of the date of the report, measurement processes. 

3 (f) TERMINATION.—The Commission shall renew the 

4 Task Force every 2 years until the Task Force terminates 

5 on January 1, 2025. 


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Calendar No. 615 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2343 

[Report No. 115–342] 

A BILL 

To require the Federal Communications CommisOagriculture in the United States. connectivity and technology needs of precision sion to establish a task force for meeting the CTOBER 2 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 28), 2018 

Reported with an amendment 


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