I 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5252 
To promote the deployment of broadband networks and services. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 1, 2006 
Mr. BARTON of Texas (for himself, Mr. RUSH, Mr. UPTON, Mr. PICKERING, 
Mr. STEARNS, Mr. BUYER, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. GILLMOR, Mr. SHAD-
EGG, Mr. RADANOVICH, Mr. ROGERS of Michigan, Mr. FERGUSON, Mr. 
NORWOOD, Mr. WHITFIELD, Mr. SHIMKUS, Mrs. MYRICK, and Mr. BUR-
GESS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To promote the deployment of broadband networks and 
services. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Communications Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhance-
ment Act of 2006’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.— 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
TITLE I—NATIONAL CABLE FRANCHISING 
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Sec. 101. National cable franchising. 
Sec. 102. Definitions. 
Sec. 103. Monitoring and reporting. 
TITLE II—ENFORCEMENT OF BROADBAND POLICY STATEMENT 
Sec. 201. Enforcement of broadband policy statement. 
TITLE III—VOIP/911 
Sec. 301. Emergency services; interconnection. 
TITLE IV—MUNICIPAL PROVISION OF SERVICES 
Sec. 401. Government authority to provide services. 
TITLE V—BROADBAND SERVICE 
Sec. 501. Stand-alone broadband service. 
Sec. 502. Study of interference potential of broadband over power line systems. 
TITLE VI—SEAMLESS MOBILITY 
Sec. 601. Development of seamless mobility. 
TITLE I—NATIONAL CABLE 
FRANCHISING 
SEC. 101. NATIONAL CABLE FRANCHISING. 
(a) AMENDMENT.—Part III of title VI of the Com-
munications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 541 et seq.) is 
amended by adding at the end the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 630. NATIONAL CABLE FRANCHISING. 
‘‘(a) NATIONAL FRANCHISES.— 
‘‘(1) ELECTION.—A person or group that is eli-
gible under subsection (d) may elect to obtain a na-
tional franchise under this section as authority to 
provide cable service in a franchise area in lieu of 
any other authority under Federal, State, or local 
law to provide cable service in such franchise area. 
A person or group may not provide cable service 
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under the authority of this section in a franchise 
area unless such person or group has a franchise 
under this section that is effective with respect to 
such franchise area. A franchising authority may not 
require any person or group that has a national 
franchise under this section in effect with respect to 
a franchise area to obtain a franchise under section 
621 or any other law to provide cable service in such 
franchise area. 
‘‘(2) CERTIFICATION.—To obtain a national 
franchise under this section as authority to provide 
cable service in a franchise area, a person or group 
shall— 
‘‘(A) file with the Commission a certifi-
cation for a national franchise containing the 
information required by paragraph (3) with re-
spect to such franchise area, if such person or 
group has not previously obtained a national 
franchise; or 
‘‘(B) file with the Commission a subse-
quent certification for additional franchise areas 
containing the information required by para-
graph (3) with respect to such additional fran-
chise areas, if such person or group has pre-
viously obtained a national franchise. 
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‘‘(3) CONTENTS OF CERTIFICATION.—Such cer-
tification shall be in such form as the Commission 
shall require by regulation and shall contain— 
‘‘(A) the name under which such person or 
group is offering or intends to offer cable serv-
ice; 
‘‘(B) the names and business addresses of 
the directors and principal executive officers, or 
the persons performing similar functions, of 
such person or group; 
‘‘(C) the location of such person or group’s 
principal business office; 
‘‘(D) the name, business address, elec-
tronic mail address, and telephone and fax 
number of such person or group’s local agent; 
‘‘(E) a declaration by such person or group 
that such person or group is eligible under sub-
section (d) to obtain a national franchise under 
this section; 
‘‘(F) an identification of each franchise 
area in which such person or group intends to 
offer cable service pursuant to such certifi-
cation, which franchise area shall be— 
‘‘(i) the entirety of a franchise area in 
which a cable operator is, on the date of 
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