II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2116 

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 

OCTOBER 1, 2015 

Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself and Mr. VITTER) 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 2015’’. 

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

8 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) According to a report by the Federal Com2 munications Commission entitled ‘‘Connecting Amer3 ica: The National Broadband Plan’’, dated March 

4 2010, the Commission recommends that— 

5 (A) ‘‘To fully implement next-generation 

6 technology within its operations, the SBA 

7 should also appoint a broadband and emerging 

8 IT coordinator. This individual would ensure 

9 that SBA programs maintain the requisite 

10 broadband expertise, tools and training courses 

11 to serve small businesses.’’; 

12 (B) ‘‘Congress should consider ways to le13 verage existing assistance provided through’’ 

14 entrepreneurial development programs, ‘‘to 

15 focus training on advanced IT and broadband 

16 applications’’; 

17 (C) ‘‘Congress could also consider ways to 

18 support technology training among women en19 trepreneurs through’’ women’s business centers; 

20 (D) ‘‘The training programs should include 

21 an entry-level ‘Broadband 101’ course to give 

22 small businesses an introduction to how to cap23 italize on broadband connectivity, as well as 

24 more advanced applications for IT staff.’’; and 


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1 (E) small and medium enterprise ‘‘IT 

2 training should include resources for non-IT 

3 staff, such as how to use e-commerce tools for 

4 sales, streamline finance with online records or 

5 leverage knowledge management across an or6 ganization.’’. 

7 (2) According to a report by the Broadband 

8 Opportunity Council, dated August 20, 2015, the 

9 Council recommends that the United States— 

10 (A) modernize Federal programs to expand 

11 program support for broadband technology in12 vestments; 

13 (B) empower communities with tools and 

14 resources to attract investment in and promote 

15 meaningful use of broadband technology; 

16 (C) promote increased deployment of and 

17 competition relating to broadband technology 

18 through expanded access to Federal assets; and 

19 (D) improve data collection, analysis, and 

20 research on broadband technology. 

21 (3) According to a report entitled ‘‘The State of 

22 the App Economy’’, dated October 2014— 

23 (A) ‘‘More than three-quarters of the high24 est grossing apps are produced by startups and 

25 small companies.’’; and 


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1 (B) ‘‘Seventy-eight percent of the leading 

2 app companies are located outside Silicon Val3 ley.’’. 

4 (4) According to a report entitled, ‘‘Developer 

5 Economics Q1 2015: State of the Developer Na6 tion’’, dated February 2015, ‘‘The emergence of the 

7 app industry over the past eight years has grown to 

8 a $120 billion economy.’’. 

9 SEC. 3. BROADBAND AND EMERGING INFORMATION TECH10 NOLOGY COORDINATOR. 

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

12 amended— 

13 (1) by redesignating section 47 as section 48; 

14 and 

15 (2) by inserting after section 46 the following: 

16 ‘‘SEC. 47. BROADBAND AND EMERGING INFORMATION 

17 TECHNOLOGY. 

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

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

20 the Associate Administrator for the Office of Invest21 ment and Innovation; and 

22 ‘‘(2) the term ‘broadband and emerging infor23 mation technology coordinator’ means the employee 

24 designated to carry out the broadband and emerging 


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1 information technology coordination responsibilities 

2 of the Administration under subsection (b)(1). 

3 ‘‘(b) ASSIGNMENT OF COORDINATOR.— 

4 ‘‘(1) ASSIGNMENT OF COORDINATOR.—The As5 sociate Administrator shall designate a senior em6 ployee of the Office of Investment and Innovation to 

7 serve as the broadband and emerging information 

8 technology coordinator, who— 

9 ‘‘(A) shall report to the Associate Adminis10 trator; 

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

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

13 chief technology officer, and the head of 

14 the Office of Technology of the Adminis15 tration; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) any other Associate Adminis17 trator of the Administration determined 

18 appropriate by the Associate Adminis19 trator; 

20 ‘‘(C) has experience developing and imple21 menting telecommunications policy in the pri22 vate sector or government; and 

23 ‘‘(D) has demonstrated significant experi24 ence in the area of broadband or emerging in25 formation technology. 


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1 ‘‘(2) RESPONSIBILITIES OF COORDINATOR.— 

2 The broadband and emerging information technology 

3 coordinator shall— 

4 ‘‘(A) coordinate programs of the Adminis5 tration that assist small business concerns in 

6 adopting, making innovations in, and using 

7 broadband and other emerging information 

8 technologies; 

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

10 Administration to other Federal agencies in11 volved in broadband and emerging information 

12 technology policy, including the Department of 

13 Commerce, the Department of Agriculture, and 

14 the Federal Communications Commission; 

15 ‘‘(C) identify best practices relating to 

16 broadband and emerging information tech17 nology that may benefit small business con18 cerns; and 

19 ‘‘(D) identify and catalog tools and train20 ing available through the resource partners of 

21 the Administration that assist small business 

22 concerns in adopting, making innovations in, 

23 and using broadband and emerging tech24 nologies. 


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

2 the hours of service by the broadband and emerging 

3 information technology coordinator during any fiscal 

4 year shall consist of travel outside the United States 

5 to perform official duties. 

6 ‘‘(c) BROADBAND AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGY

7 TRAINING.— 

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

9 shall provide to employees of the Administration 

10 training that— 

11 ‘‘(A) familiarizes employees of the Admin12 istration with broadband and other emerging 

13 information technologies; 

14 ‘‘(B) includes— 

15 ‘‘(i) instruction on counseling small 

16 business concerns regarding adopting, 

17 making innovations in, and using 

18 broadband and other emerging information 

19 technologies; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) information on programs of the 

21 Federal Government that provide assist22 ance to small business concerns relating to 

23 broadband and emerging information tech24 nologies; and 


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

2 the tools and training cataloged and identified 

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

4 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

5 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 

6 as are necessary to carry out this subsection. 

7 ‘‘(d) REPORTS.— 

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

9 later than 2 years after the date on which the Asso10 ciate Administrator makes the first designation of 

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

12 thereafter, the broadband and emerging information 

13 technology coordinator shall submit to the Com14 mittee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of 

15 the Senate and the Committee on Small Business of 

16 the House of Representatives a report regarding the 

17 programs and activities of the Administration relat18 ing to broadband and other emerging information 

19 technologies. 

20 ‘‘(2) IMPACT OF BROADBAND SPEED AND PRICE

21 ON SMALL BUSINESSES.— 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to appropria23 tions, the Chief Counsel for Advocacy shall con24 duct a study evaluating the impact of 


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1 broadband speed and price on small business 

2 concerns. 

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

4 after the date of enactment of the Small Busi5 ness Broadband and Emerging Information 

6 Technology Enhancement Act of 2015, the 

7 Chief Counsel for Advocacy shall submit to the 

8 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans9 portation and the Committee on Small Business 

10 and Entrepreneurship of the Senate and the 

11 Committee on Energy and Commerce and the 

12 Committee on Small Business of the House of 

13 Representatives a report on the results of the 

14 study under subparagraph (A), including— 

15 ‘‘(i) a survey of broadband speeds 

16 available to small business concerns; 

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

18 speeds available to small business con19 cerns; 

20 ‘‘(iii) a survey of the type of 

21 broadband technology used by small busi22 ness concerns; and 

23 ‘‘(iv) any policy recommendations that 

24 may improve the access of small business 

25 concerns to comparable broadband services 


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1 at comparable rates in all regions of the 

2 United States.’’. 

3 SEC. 4. ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT. 

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

5 U.S.C. 648(c)(3)(B)) is amended— 

6 (1) in the matter preceding clause (i), by insert7 ing ‘‘accessing broadband and other emerging infor8 mation technology,’’ after ‘‘technology transfer,’’; 

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

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

11 and 

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

13 ‘‘(iv) increasing the competitiveness and 

14 productivity of small business concerns by as15 sisting entrepreneurs in accessing broadband 

16 and other emerging information technology;’’. 

Æ 


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