I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3994 
To establish the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 6, 2017 
Mr. TONKO (for himself and Mr. LANCE) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To establish the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 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’’ or the ‘‘ACCESS BROADBAND Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OFFICE OF INTERNET 
CONNECTIVITY AND GROWTH. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary shall establish 
the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth within the 
National Telecommunications and Information Adminis-
tration. 
SEC. 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 com-
munication 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 (includ-
ing toolkits, primers, manuals, and white papers) 
providing guidance, strategies, and insights to com-
munities as the communities develop strategies to 
expand broadband access and adoption. 
(b) TRACKING OF FEDERAL DOLLARS.— 
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(1) BROADBAND
INFRASTRUCTURE.—The Of-
fice shall track the construction and use of 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 ef-
ficient 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 Rep-
resentatives 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 resi-
dents of the United States that received 
broadband as result of Federal broadband sup-
port programs and the Universal Service Fund 
program. 
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create a central website through which potential applicants 
can learn about and apply for support through any Fed-
eral broadband support program. 
SEC. 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 Of-
fice to ensure that support is being distributed in an effi-
cient manner, in a financial sustainable manner, with the 
goal of serving the largest number of persons in the 
United States while promoting the most job and economic 
growth for all residents of the United States. 
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) AGENCY.—The term ‘‘agency’’ has the 
meaning given that term in section 551 of title 5, 
United States Code. 
(2) ASSISTANT SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Assist-
ant Secretary’’ means the Assistant Secretary of 
Commerce for Communications and Information. 
(3) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 
means the Federal Communications Commission. 
(4) FEDERAL
BROADBAND
SUPPORT
PRO-
GRAM.—The term ‘‘Federal broadband support pro-
gram’’ does not include any Universal Service Fund 
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program and means any of the following programs 
(or any other similar Federal program) to the extent 
the program offers broadband internet service for 
residential, commercial, or academic establishments: 
(A) The Telecommunications and Tech-
nology Program of the Appalachian Regional 
Commission. 
(B) The Telecommunications Infrastruc-
ture Loans and Loan Guarantees, the Rural 
Broadband Access Loans and Loan Guarantees, 
the Substantially Underserved Trust Areas Pro-
visions, the Community Connect Grant Pro-
gram, and the Distance Learning and Tele-
medicine Grant Program of the Rural Utilities 
Service of the Department of Agriculture. 
(C) The Public Works and Economic Ad-
justment Assistance Programs and the Plan-
ning 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 
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Block Grant Program, the Indian Housing 
Block Grant Program, the Title VI Loan Guar-
antee Program, Choice Neighborhoods, the 
HOME Investment Partnerships Program, the 
Housing Trust Fund, and the Housing Oppor-
tunities for Persons with AIDS of the Depart-
ment of Housing and Urban Development. 
(E) The American Job Centers of the Em-
ployment and Training Administration of the 
Department of Labor. 
(F) The Native American Library Services 
Basic Grants, the Native American Library 
Services Enhancement Grants, the Native Ha-
waiian Library Services Grants, the Laura 
Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, the Na-
tional Leadership Grants for Libraries, and the 
Sparks! Ignition Grants for Libraries of the Of-
fice of Library Services of the Institute of Mu-
seum and Library Services. 
(5) OFFICE.—The term ‘‘Office’’ means the Of-
fice of Internet Connectivity and Growth established 
pursuant to section 2. 
(6) UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND PROGRAM.—The 
term ‘‘Universal Service Fund program’’ means any 
program authorized under section 254 of the Com-
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munications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254) to help de-
ploy broadband. 
(7) UNIVERSAL
SERVICE
MECHANISM.—The 
term ‘‘universal service mechanism’’ means any 
funding stream provided by a Universal Service 
Fund program to support broadband access. 
Æ 
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