IIB 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3994 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
JULY 24, 2018 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation 
AN ACT 
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, 
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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’’. 
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) 
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providing guidance, strategies, and insights to com-
munities as the communities develop strategies to 
expand broadband access and adoption. 
(b) TRACKING OF FEDERAL DOLLARS.— 
(1) BROADBAND
INFRASTRUCTURE.—The Of-
fice shall track the construction and use of and ac-
cess 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 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-
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dents of the United States that received 
broadband as result of Federal broadband sup-
port 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 busi-
nesses or jobs. 
SEC. 4. STREAMLINED APPLICATIONS FOR SUPPORT. 
(a) AGENCY CONSULTATION.—The Office shall con-
sult with any agency offering a Federal broadband support 
program to streamline and standardize the applications 
process for financial assistance or grants for such pro-
gram. 
(b) AGENCY STREAMLINING.—Any agency offering a 
Federal broadband support program shall amend their ap-
plications for broadband support, to the extent practicable 
and as necessary, to streamline and standardize applica-
tions for Federal broadband support programs across the 
Government. 
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(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 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, technology-neutral, and financially sustainable man-
ner, with the goal of serving the largest number of persons 
in the United States while avoiding overbuilding and pro-
moting 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. 
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(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 
program and means any of the following programs 
(or any other similar Federal program) to the extent 
the program offers broadband internet service or 
programs for promoting broadband access and adop-
tion for various demographic communities through 
various media for residential, commercial, commu-
nity providers, 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-
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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 
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 Library Services and Technology 
Grant Programs of the Institute of Museum 
and Library Services. 
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(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-
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. 
SEC. 7. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED. 
No additional funds are authorized to be appro-
priated to carry out this Act. This Act shall be carried 
out using amounts otherwise authorized. 
Passed the House of Representatives July 23, 2018. 
Attest: 
KAREN L. HAAS, 
Clerk. 
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