To direct the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to submit a report on the digital divide and to update the Indicators of Broadband Need mapping application, and for other purposes.

Subjects: Science, Technology, Communications


<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3361 Introduced in House (IH)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3361

 To direct the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and 
Information to submit a report on the digital divide and to update the 
    Indicators of Broadband Need mapping application, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 16, 2023

 Mr. Cardenas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and 
Information to submit a report on the digital divide and to update the 
    Indicators of Broadband Need mapping application, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. REPORT ON DIGITAL DIVIDE.

    (a) Report Required.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for the subsequent 10-
year period, the Assistant Secretary, in consultation with the Federal 
Communications Commission, shall submit to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and make publicly available 
on the website of the NTIA, a report on the state of the digital 
divide, which shall include the following:
            (1) Information on and an analysis of--
                    (A) barriers to, and trends regarding, broadband 
                access, adoption, and affordability;
                    (B) the connection between--
                            (i) broadband access, adoption, and 
                        affordability; and
                            (ii) various socioeconomic indicators; and
                    (C) the impact of Federal programs on broadband 
                access, adoption, and affordability.
            (2) An assessment of the sufficiency of existing data 
        collection and data sets with respect to the analysis described 
        in paragraph (1) and, if necessary, recommendations for NTIA 
        actions to improve data quality.
            (3) Recommendations for legislative action to facilitate 
        closure of the digital divide.
    (b) Assembly Process.--In assembling each report required by 
subsection (a), the Assistant Secretary shall--
            (1) utilize all available and relevant data, including data 
        associated with the Indicators of Broadband Need mapping 
        application of the NTIA and published research and data from 
        individuals and entities other than the NTIA;
            (2) solicit public comment;
            (3) hold public meetings with relevant stakeholders; and
            (4) consult with experts on and representatives of 
        communities that are unserved or underserved with respect to 
        broadband.

SEC. 2. INDICATORS OF BROADBAND NEED MAPPING APPLICATION.

    (a) Update Required.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter, the Assistant 
Secretary shall update the Indicators of Broadband Need mapping 
application of the NTIA to ensure that such application incorporates, 
and includes display layers with respect to, the following:
            (1) Data from the Broadband Data Collection system of the 
        Federal Communications Commission, including data on 
        availability and subscription rates for broadband tiers with a 
        download speed of more than 25 megabits per second and an 
        upload speed of more than 3 megabits per second.
            (2) Third-party data on the results of mobile network speed 
        and signal strength tests.
            (3) The identification of--
                    (A) areas of persistent poverty (as such term is 
                defined in section 6702(a) of title 49, United States 
                Code);
                    (B) historically disadvantaged communities (as such 
                term is used in section 6702 of title 49, United States 
                Code);
                    (C) areas impacted by previous redlining practices 
                (as determined using maps produced by the Home Owners' 
                Loan Corporation); and
                    (D) congressional districts.
            (4) Data on eligibility and enrollment with respect to the 
        Affordable Connectivity Program established under section 
        904(b) of division N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 
        2021 (47 U.S.C. 1752).
    (b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be construed 
to limit the authority of the Assistant Secretary to incorporate, as 
part of the Indicators of Broadband Need mapping application of the 
NTIA, elements in addition to the elements identified in subsection 
(a).

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Assistant secretary.--The term ``Assistant Secretary'' 
        means the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications 
        and Information.
            (2) NTIA.--The term ``NTIA'' means the National 
        Telecommunications and Information Administration.
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