ACCESS BROADBAND Act

To establish the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Advancing Critical Connectivity Expands Service, Small Business Resources, Opportunities, Access, and Data Based on Assessed Need and Demand Act ACCESS BROADBAND Act 2. Establishment of the office of internet connectivity and growth Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary shall establish the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. 3. Duties (a) Outreach The Office shall— (1) connect with communities that need access to high-speed internet and improved digital inclusion efforts through various forms of outreach and communication techniques; (2) hold regional workshops across the country to share best practices and effective strategies for promoting broadband access and adoption; (3) develop targeted broadband training and presentations for various demographic communities through various media; and (4) develop and distribute publications (including toolkits, primers, manuals, and white papers) providing guidance, strategies, and insights to communities as the communities develop strategies to expand broadband access and adoption. (b) Tracking of federal dollars (1) Broadband infrastructure The Office shall track the construction and use of and access to any broadband infrastructure built using any Federal support in a central database. (2) Accounting mechanism The Office shall develop a streamlined accounting mechanism by which any agency offering a Federal broadband support program and the Commission through the Universal Service Fund shall provide the information described in paragraph (1) in a standardized and efficient fashion. (3) Report Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every year thereafter, the Office shall make public on the website of the Office and submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report on the following: (A) A description of the work of the Office for the previous year and the number of residents of the United States that received broadband as result of Federal broadband support programs and the Universal Service Fund program. (B) A description of how many residents of the United States were provided broadband by which universal service mechanism or which Federal broadband support program. (C) An estimate of the economic impact of such broadband deployment efforts on the local economy, including any effect on small businesses or jobs. 4. Streamlined applications for support (a) Agency consultation The Office shall consult with any agency offering a Federal broadband support program to streamline and standardize the applications process for financial assistance or grants for such program. (b) Agency streamlining Any agency offering a Federal broadband support program shall amend their applications for broadband support, to the extent practicable and as necessary, to streamline and standardize applications for Federal broadband support programs across the Government. (c) Single application To the greatest extent practicable, the Office shall seek to create one application that may be submitted to apply for all, or substantially all, Federal broadband support programs. (d) Website required Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Office shall create a central website through which potential applicants can learn about and apply for support through any Federal broadband support program. 5. Coordination of support The Office, any agency that offers a Federal broadband support program, and the Commission through the Universal Service Fund shall coordinate with the Office to ensure that support is being distributed in an efficient, technology-neutral, and financially sustainable manner, with the goal of serving the largest number of persons in the United States while avoiding overbuilding and promoting the most job and economic growth for all residents of the United States. 6. Definitions In this Act: (1) Agency The term agency (2) Assistant secretary The term Assistant Secretary (3) Commission The term Commission (4) Federal broadband support program The term Federal broadband support program (A) The Telecommunications and Technology Program of the Appalachian Regional Commission. (B) The Telecommunications Infrastructure Loans and Loan Guarantees, the Rural Broadband Access Loans and Loan Guarantees, the Substantially Underserved Trust Areas Provisions, the Community Connect Grant Program, and the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Program of the Rural Utilities Service of the Department of Agriculture. (C) The Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance Programs and the Planning and Local Technical Assistance Programs of the Economic Development Administration of the Department of Commerce. (D) The Community Development Block Grants and Section 108 Loan Guarantees, the Funds for Public Housing Authorities: Capital Fund and Operating Fund, the Multifamily Housing, the Indian Community Development Block Grant Program, the Indian Housing Block Grant Program, the Title VI Loan Guarantee Program, Choice Neighborhoods, the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, the Housing Trust Fund, and the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. (E) The American Job Centers of the Employment and Training Administration of the Department of Labor. (F) The Library Services and Technology Grant Programs of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. (5) Office The term Office (6) Universal service fund program The term Universal Service Fund program 47 U.S.C. 254 (7) Universal service mechanism The term universal service mechanism July 18, 2018 Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed

Summary: Advancing Critical Connectivity Expands Service, Small Business Resources, Opportunities, Access, and Data Based on Assessed Need and Demand Act or the ACCESS BROADBAND Act (Sec. 2) This bill requires the Department of Commerce to establish the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. (Sec. 3) The office&nbsp;shall: connect with communities that need access to high-speed Internet and improved digital inclusion efforts, hold regional workshops to share best practices and effective strategies for promoting broadband access and adoption, develop targeted broadband training and presentations for various demographic communities through media, develop and distribute publications providing guidance to communities for expanding broadband access and adoption, and track construction and use of and access to any broadband infrastructure built using federal support. The office must report annually: (1) a description of the office's work, (2) the number of U.S. residents who received broadband as result of federal broadband programs and the Universal Service Fund program, and (3) an estimate of the economic impact of such broadband deployment efforts on the local economy. (Sec. 4) The office shall consult with any agency offering a federal broadband support program in order to streamline the application process for financial assistance or grants and create one application that may be submitted to apply for all federal broadband support programs. (Sec. 5) The office, any agency that offers a federal broadband support program, and the Federal Communications Commission through the Universal Service Fund shall coordinate to ensure that broadband support is being distributed in an efficient, technology-neutral, and financially sustainable manner. (Sec. 7) No additional funds are authorized to carry out this bill.