(1) list all— 
(A) Federal broadband programs; and 
(B) programs that exist at the State and 
local levels that are directly or indirectly in-
tended to increase the deployment of, access to, 
the affordability of, or the adoption of 
broadband internet access service; 
(2) describe current, as of the date on which 
the Strategy is submitted, Federal efforts to coordi-
nate Federal broadband programs; 
(3) identify gaps and limitations, including 
laws, that hinder, or may hinder, coordination across 
Federal broadband programs; 
(4) establish clear roles and responsibilities for 
the heads of the covered agencies, as well as clear 
goals, objectives, and performance measures, for— 
(A) the management of all Federal 
broadband programs; and 
(B) interagency coordination efforts with 
respect to Federal broadband programs; 
(5) address the cost of the Strategy, the sources 
and types of resources and investments needed to 
carry out the Strategy, and where those resources 
and investments should be targeted based on bal-
ancing risk reductions with costs; 
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(6) address factors that increase the costs and 
administrative burdens for State, local, and Tribal 
governments with respect to participation in Federal 
broadband programs; 
(7) recommend incentives, legislative solutions, 
and administrative actions to help State, local, and 
Tribal governments more efficiently— 
(A) distribute, and effectively administer, 
funding received from Federal broadband pro-
grams; and 
(B) resolve conflicts with respect to the 
funding described in subparagraph (A); 
(8) recommend incentives, legislative solutions, 
and administrative actions to— 
(A) improve the coordination and manage-
ment of Federal broadband programs; and 
(B) eliminate duplication with respect to 
Federal broadband programs; 
(9) describe current, as of the date on which 
the Strategy is submitted, efforts by covered agen-
cies to streamline the process for granting access to 
an easement, right of way, or lease to, in, over, or 
on a building or any other property owned by the 
Federal Government for the right to install, con-
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struct, modify, or maintain infrastructure with re-
spect to broadband internet access service; 
(10) identify gaps and limitations with respect 
to allowing regional, interstate, or cross-border eco-
nomic development organizations to participate in 
Federal broadband programs; and 
(11) address specific issues relating to closing 
the digital divide on Tribal lands. 
(c) PUBLIC
CONSULTATION.—In developing the 
Strategy, the Assistant Secretary shall consult with— 
(1) groups that represent consumers or the in-
terests of the public, including economically or so-
cially disadvantaged individuals; 
(2) subject matter experts; 
(3) providers of broadband internet access serv-
ice; 
(4) Tribal entities; and 
(5) State and local agencies and entities. 
SEC. 3. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after the 
date on which the Assistant Secretary submits the Strat-
egy to the appropriate committees of Congress under sec-
tion 2(a), the Assistant Secretary shall develop and submit 
to the appropriate committees of Congress an implementa-
tion plan for the Strategy. 
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(b) REQUIRED
CONTENTS.—The Implementation 
Plan shall, at a minimum— 
(1) provide a plan for implementing the roles, 
responsibilities, goals, objectives, and performance 
measures for the management of Federal broadband 
programs and interagency coordination efforts iden-
tified in the Strategy; 
(2) provide a plan for holding the covered agen-
cies accountable for the roles, responsibilities, goals, 
objectives, and performance measures identified in 
the Strategy; 
(3) describe the roles and responsibilities of the 
covered agencies, and the interagency mechanisms, 
to coordinate the implementation of the Strategy; 
(4) provide a plan for regular meetings among 
the heads of the covered agencies to coordinate the 
implementation of the Strategy and improve coordi-
nation among Federal broadband programs and for 
permitting processes for infrastructure with respect 
to broadband internet access service; 
(5) provide a plan for regular engagement with 
interested members of the public to evaluate Federal 
broadband programs, permitting processes for infra-
structure with respect to broadband internet access 
service, and progress in implementing the Strategy; 
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(6) with respect to the awarding of Federal 
funds or subsidies to support the deployment of 
broadband internet access service, provide a plan for 
the adoption of— 
(A) common data sets regarding those 
awards, including a requirement that covered 
agencies use the maps created under title VIII 
of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
641 et seq.); and 
(B) applications regarding those awards, 
as described in section 903(e) of the ACCESS 
BROADBAND Act (47 U.S.C. 1307(e)); 
(7) provide a plan to monitor and reduce waste, 
fraud, and abuse in Federal broadband programs, 
including wasteful spending resulting from frag-
mented, overlapping, and unnecessarily duplicative 
programs; 
(8) require consistent obligation and expendi-
ture reporting by covered agencies for Federal 
broadband programs, which shall be consistent with 
section 903(c)(2) of the ACCESS BROADBAND 
Act (47 U.S.C. 1307(c)(2)); 
(9) provide a plan to increase awareness of, and 
participation and enrollment in, Federal broadband 
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programs relating to the affordability and adoption 
of broadband internet access service; and 
(10) describe the administrative and legislative 
action that is necessary to carry out the Strategy. 
(c) PUBLIC COMMENT.—Not later than 30 days after 
the date on which the Assistant Secretary submits the 
Strategy to the appropriate committees of Congress under 
section 2(a), the Assistant Secretary shall seek public com-
ment regarding the development and implementation of 
the Implementation Plan. 
SEC. 4. BRIEFINGS AND IMPLEMENTATION. 
(a) BRIEFING.—Not later than 21 days after the date 
on which the Assistant Secretary submits the Implementa-
tion Plan to the appropriate committees of Congress under 
section 3(a), the Assistant Secretary, and appropriate rep-
resentatives from the covered agencies involved in the for-
mulation of the Strategy, shall provide a briefing on the 
implementation of the Strategy to the appropriate commit-
tees of Congress. 
(b) IMPLEMENTATION.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Assistant Secretary 
shall— 
(A) implement the Strategy in accordance 
with the terms of the Implementation Plan; and 
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(B) not later than 90 days after the date 
on which the Assistant Secretary begins to im-
plement the Strategy, and not less frequently 
than once every 90 days thereafter until the 
date on which the Implementation Plan is fully 
implemented, brief the appropriate committees 
of Congress on the progress in implementing 
the Implementation Plan. 
(2) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this 
subsection may be construed to affect the authority 
or jurisdiction of the Federal Communications Com-
mission or confer upon the Assistant Secretary or 
any executive agency the power to direct the actions 
of the Federal Communications Commission, either 
directly or indirectly. 
SEC. 5. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE STUDY 
AND REPORT. 
(a) STUDY.—The Comptroller General of the United 
States shall conduct a study that shall— 
(1) examine the efficacy of the Strategy and the 
Implementation Plan in closing the digital divide; 
and 
(2) make recommendations regarding how to 
improve the Strategy and the Implementation Plan. 
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(b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
on which the Assistant Secretary submits the Implementa-
tion Plan to the appropriate committees of Congress under 
section 3(a), the Comptroller General shall submit to the 
appropriate committees of Congress a report on the re-
sults of the study conducted under subsection (a). 
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) 
APPROPRIATE
COMMITTEES
OF
CON-
GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con-
gress’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate; and 
(B) the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce of the House of Representatives. 
(2) ASSISTANT SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Assist-
ant Secretary’’ means the Assistant Secretary of 
Commerce for Communications and Information. 
(3) COVERED AGENCIES.—The term ‘‘covered 
agencies’’ means— 
(A) the Federal Communications Commis-
sion; 
(B) the Department of Agriculture; 
(C) the National Telecommunications and 
Information Administration; 
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(D) the Department of Health and Human 
Services; 
(E) the Appalachian Regional Commission; 
(F) the Delta Regional Authority; 
(G) the Economic Development Adminis-
tration; 
(H) the Department of Education; 
(I) the Department of the Treasury; 
(J) the Department of Transportation; 
(K) the Institute of Museum and Library 
Services; 
(L) the Northern Border Regional Com-
mission; 
(M) the Department of Housing and 
Urban Development; and 
(N) the Department of the Interior. 
(4) FEDERAL
BROADBAND
PROGRAM.—The 
term ‘‘Federal broadband program’’ means any pro-
gram administered by a covered agency that is di-
rectly or indirectly intended to increase the deploy-
ment of, access to, the affordability of, or the adop-
tion of broadband internet access service. 
(5) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.—The term ‘‘Im-
plementation Plan’’ means the implementation plan 
developed under section 3(a). 
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(6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each 
State of the United States, the District of Columbia, 
and each commonwealth, territory, or possession of 
the United States. 
(7) STRATEGY.—The term ‘‘Strategy’’ means 
the National Strategy to Close the Digital Divide de-
veloped under section 2(a). 
Æ 
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