I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3413 
To authorize the National Telecommunications and Information Administra-
tion of the Department of Commerce to make grants for the establish-
ment of information technology centers in rural areas. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 30, 2009 
Mrs. CAPITO (for herself and Mr. SPACE) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To authorize the National Telecommunications and Informa-
tion Administration of the Department of Commerce to 
make grants for the establishment of information tech-
nology centers in rural areas. 
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 ‘‘Rural Information 
Technology Investment Act’’. 
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entity will provide, from State, local, or tribal gov-
ernment sources, an amount equal to not less than 
15 percent of the grant amount in order to carry out 
the establishment of the information technology cen-
ter under the grant. 
‘‘(d) PRIORITY.—In making grants under this Act, 
the NTIA shall— 
‘‘(1) give priority to eligible entities that— 
‘‘(A) promote information technology re-
search and development at any institution of 
higher education (as such term is defined in 
section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002)) serving a rural area; 
‘‘(B) are located in a county with an un-
employment rate, as determined on the basis 
the most recent data available from the Bureau 
of Labor Statistics, of at least 1.1 times the na-
tional unemployment rate for the period to 
which such data relate; 
‘‘(C) are certified by the Small Business 
Administration as qualified HUBZone small 
businesses; or 
‘‘(D) work in conjunction with a local 
Workforce Investment Board (established pur-
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suant to section 117 of the Workforce Invest-
ment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2832)); and 
‘‘(2) take into consideration— 
‘‘(A) the comprehensive nationwide inven-
tory map of existing broadband service capa-
bility and availability in the United States de-
veloped and maintained pursuant to section 
6001(l) of division B of the American Recovery 
and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (PL 111–5; 123 
Stat. 516) or any other applicable data admin-
istered by a State, local, or tribal agency; and 
‘‘(B) the availability of service capabilities 
in the area for which the eligible entity is apply-
ing for with reference to such map, and the 
speed of Internet service, and other relevant 
factors. 
‘‘(e) DETERMINATION
OF
AMOUNTS.—In deter-
mining the amount of each grant awarded for a fiscal year 
under this section, the NTIA shall specify a minimum 
amount and such amount may be renewed for up to one 
year upon a finding by the NTIA that the grant recipient 
has satisfied subsection (f). 
‘‘(f) AUDITS.—Each grant recipient under this sec-
tion shall undergo an audit administered by the NTIA. 
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The NTIA shall report findings of the audits to Congress 
on an annual basis. 
‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
is authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2010 through 2012 to carry out this section. 
‘‘(h) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section— 
‘‘(1) the term ‘information technology’ means 
the use of hardware, software, services, and sup-
porting infrastructure to manage and deliver infor-
mation using voice, data, and video by means of a 
computer or data network or networks; 
‘‘(2) the term ‘information technology center’ 
means a for-profit or not-for-profit business venture 
that offers information technology services including 
application maintenance and support, application de-
velopment, help desk services, personal computer 
maintenance and support, network management, 
data center management, database management, 
server management, or web hosting, and is designed 
to expand high tech job opportunities in rural areas; 
and 
‘‘(3) the term ‘rural area’ means the terms 
‘rural’ and ‘rural area’ mean any area other than— 
‘‘(A) a city or town that has a population 
of greater than 50,000 inhabitants; and 
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‘‘(B) the urbanized area contiguous and 
adjacent to such a city or town.’’. 
Æ 
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