National Broadband Plan for the Future Act of 2021
Bill: S.279 | Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. (D-MA)
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
National Broadband Plan for the Future Act of 2021
This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to update the national broadband plan, which establishes benchmarks to meet the goal of ensuring that all people of the United States have access to broadband capability.
This update must include (1) an assessment of the progress in achieving the goals of the original national broadband plan; (2) an examination of the effects of the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic on how people learn, work, receive medical information and treatment, and participate in civic communications; and (3) an analysis of the change in reliance people will have on services enabled by broadband internet access service as a result of COVID-19.
The FCC must report annually on its progress toward achieving the goals of the updated national broadband plan.

To require the Federal Communications Commission to update the national 
                broadband plan, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Broadband Plan for the 
Future Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. UPDATE TO NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                Transportation of the Senate; and
                    (B) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the 
                House of Representatives;
            (2) the term ``broadband internet access service'' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 8.1(b) of title 47, Code of 
        Federal Regulations, or any successor regulation;
            (3) the term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
        Communications Commission;
            (4) the term ``COVID-19 pandemic'' means the outbreak and 
        associated public health, economic, and other societal effects 
        of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (referred to in this paragraph 
        as ``COVID-19'') relating to the public health emergency 
        declared by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under 
        section 319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d) 
        on January 31, 2020, including--
                    (A) any renewal of that declaration; and
                    (B) any subsequent declaration by the Secretary of 
                Health and Human Services relating to COVID-19;
            (5) the term ``E-Rate program'' means the program set forth 
        under subpart F of part 54 of title 47, Code of Federal 
        Regulations, or any successor regulations;
            (6) the term ``Lifeline'' means the program set forth under 
        subpart E of part 54 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, 
        or any successor regulations; and
            (7) the term ``national broadband plan'' means the plan 
        required to be submitted by the Commission to the appropriate 
        committees of Congress under section 6001(k) of the American 
        Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (47 U.S.C. 1305(k)).
    (b) Update.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Commission shall submit to the 
        appropriate committees of Congress a report containing an 
        update to the national broadband plan.
            (2) Contents.--The update to the national broadband plan 
        required under paragraph (1) shall--
                    (A) assess the progress of the United States in 
                achieving the goals of the original national broadband 
                plan during the 10-year period preceding the date of 
                enactment of this Act;
                    (B) reassess the areas of focus contained within 
                the original national broadband plan, including 
                through--
                            (i) an analysis of the most effective and 
                        efficient mechanisms for ensuring access to 
                        broadband internet access service by all people 
                        of the United States;
                            (ii) a detailed strategy for achieving--
                                    (I) affordability of broadband 
                                internet access service (including 
                                through Lifeline); and
                                    (II) maximum utilization of 
                                broadband internet access service, and 
                                the infrastructure with respect to that 
                                service, by the public;
                            (iii) an evaluation of the status of 
                        deployment of broadband internet access 
                        service, including the progress of projects 
                        supported by the grants made pursuant to 
                        section 6001 of the American Recovery and 
                        Reinvestment Act of 2009 (47 U.S.C. 1305); and
                            (iv) a plan for use of broadband internet 
                        access service, and the infrastructure with 
                        respect to that service, in advancing racial 
                        justice, socioeconomic equity, consumer 
                        welfare, civic participation, public safety and 
                        homeland security, community development, 
                        health care delivery, energy independence and 
                        efficiency, education, worker training, private 
                        sector investment, entrepreneurial activity, 
                        job creation and economic growth, and other 
                        national purposes;
                    (C) examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on 
                how the people of the United States--
                            (i) learn, including--
                                    (I) an analysis of the nature and 
                                extent of gaps between students who 
                                have access to broadband internet 
                                access service at home and students who 
                                do not have access to that service; and
                                    (II) an identification of specific 
                                ways to close the gaps described in 
                                subclause (I), including through the E-
                                Rate program and Lifeline;
                            (ii) work, including by developing detailed 
                        proposals that could make working from home 
                        more practical for workers and more productive 
                        for employers;
                            (iii) receive medical information and 
                        treatment, including by--
                                    (I) reviewing the adequacy and 
                                effectiveness of telemedicine programs 
                                implemented at the Federal and State 
                                levels; and
                                    (II) developing proposals for how 
                                the programs described in subclause (I) 
                                could be improved or expanded; and
                            (iv) participate in civic communications, 
                        including by analyzing the effects that the 
                        COVID-19 pandemic and the infrastructure with 
                        respect to broadband internet access service in 
                        the United States have had on--
                                    (I) free expression and non-
                                commercial speakers in the United 
                                States; and
                                    (II) the availability of credible 
                                news and information, including public 
                                health information, with respect to 
                                that pandemic;
                    (D) analyze the change in reliance that the people 
                of the United States will have on services enabled by 
                broadband internet access service as a result of the 
                COVID-19 pandemic; and
                    (E) develop--
                            (i) short-term proposals to address the 
                        reliance described in subparagraph (D); and
                            (ii) a long-term plan to address any 
                        systemic privacy and security challenges 
                        associated with the use of services described 
                        in subparagraph (D).
            (3) Subsequent annual reports.--Not later than 1 year after 
        the date on which the Commission submits the report of the 
        Commission required under paragraph (1), and annually 
        thereafter, the Commission shall submit to the appropriate 
        committees of Congress a report on the progress of the 
        Commission in achieving the goals of the national broadband 
        plan, as updated under this subsection.
            (4) Public availability.--The Commission shall publish the 
        report submitted under paragraph (1), and each report submitted 
        under paragraph (3), on a publicly available website.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Commission such sums as may be necessary to carry 
out this section.
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