Title: Tribal Connect Act of 2017
Policy area: Native Americans

Summary:
Tribal Connect Act of 2017
This bill amends the Communications Act of 1934 to expand the Schools and Libraries Universal Service Support (E-rate) program to include support for Indian tribal libraries that are eligible for support under the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), without regard to whether the libraries are eligible for assistance from state library administrative agencies under the LSTA. The E-rate program provides discounted telecommunications services to certain schools and libraries.
The Federal Communications Commission must establish a pilot Tribal Anchor Institution Program to provide E-rate support to tribes for institutions that are not schools or libraries, such as community centers. E-rate support may be provided to institutions designated by tribes if: (1) the tribes do not have existing libraries that are eligible for E-rate support; (2) the institutions are exclusively owned by the tribes; and (3) the institutions intend to deliver publicly available Internet access to students, teachers, librarians, and community members for educational purposes.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2205 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2205

  To improve access by Indian tribes to support from the Schools and 
  Libraries Universal Service Support program (E-rate) of the Federal 
           Communications Commission, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            December 7, 2017

  Mr. Heinrich (for himself and Mr. Heller) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To improve access by Indian tribes to support from the Schools and 
  Libraries Universal Service Support program (E-rate) of the Federal 
           Communications Commission, 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 ``Tribal Connect Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY OF TRIBAL LIBRARIES AND QUALIFYING ANCHOR 
              INSTITUTIONS FOR E-RATE SUPPORT.

    Section 254 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (h)(4), by inserting ``, except as 
        provided in subsection (m),'' before ``is a library or library 
        consortium''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(m) Eligibility of Tribal Libraries and Qualifying Anchor 
Institutions for E-Rate Support.--
            ``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection--
                    ``(A) the term `broadband Internet access service' 
                has the meaning given the term in section 8.2 of title 
                47, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor 
                regulation;
                    ``(B) the term `E-rate program' means the universal 
                service program for schools and libraries authorized 
                under subsection (h)(1)(B), the rules of which are set 
                forth under subpart F of part 54 of title 47, Code of 
                Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation), as 
                authorized under subsection (h)(2)(A);
                    ``(C) the term `E-rate support' means universal 
                service discounts on eligible services in accordance 
                with subpart F of part 54 of title 47, Code of Federal 
                Regulations (or any successor regulation), as 
                authorized under subsection (h)(2)(A);
                    ``(D) the term `Indian tribe' has the meaning given 
                the term in section 20.1 of title 25, Code of Federal 
                Regulations, or any successor regulation; and
                    ``(E) the term `qualifying anchor institution' 
                means a facility owned by an Indian tribe, including a 
                tribal government building, chapter house, longhouse, 
                community center, senior center, or other similar 
                public building.
            ``(2) Eligibility of tribal libraries for e-rate support.--
                    ``(A) Designation of tribal libraries as libraries 
                eligible for e-rate support.--
                            ``(i) In general.--An Indian tribe that is 
                        eligible for support under section 261 of the 
                        Library Services and Technology Act (20 U.S.C. 
                        9161) may designate a tribal library or tribal 
                        library consortium as a library or consortium 
                        that is eligible for E-rate support, without 
                        regard to whether the library or library 
                        consortium is eligible for assistance from a 
                        State Library Administrative Agency under the 
                        Library Services and Technology Act (20 U.S.C. 
                        9121 et seq.), if the library or library 
                        consortium is eligible for support from an 
                        Indian tribe under such section 261.
                            ``(ii) Rule of construction.--Nothing in 
                        clause (i) shall be construed to exempt a 
                        tribal library from any requirement under the 
                        E-rate program not described in that clause, 
                        including the other requirements relating to 
                        eligible recipients under section 54.501 of 
                        title 47, Code of Federal Regulations (or any 
                        successor regulation).
                    ``(B) Tribal anchor institution demonstration 
                program.--
                            ``(i) In general.--The Commission, in 
                        consultation with the Institute of Museum and 
                        Library Services and any other agency with 
                        relevant responsibilities, shall establish a 
                        pilot program to be known as the `Tribal Anchor 
                        Institution Program', under which the 
                        Commission shall provide E-rate support to 
                        Indian tribes for qualifying anchor 
                        institutions designated by the Indian tribes.
                            ``(ii) Eligibility.--
                                    ``(I) In general.--To be eligible 
                                to obtain E-rate support under this 
                                subparagraph, a tribal government shall 
                                not have an existing tribal library 
                                eligible for the Schools and Libraries 
                                Universal Service Support program 
                                within the tribal community.
                                    ``(II) Requirements.--E-rate 
                                support obtained under this 
                                subparagraph shall only be available 
                                for an Indian tribe if--
                                            ``(aa) the proposed 
                                        qualifying anchor institution 
                                        is exclusively owned by the 
                                        Indian tribe; and
                                            ``(bb) the proposed 
                                        qualifying anchor institution 
                                        intends to deliver publicly 
                                        available Internet access to 
                                        students, teachers, librarians, 
                                        and members of the community 
                                        for educational purposes.
                                    ``(III) Rule of construction.--
                                Nothing in this clause shall be 
                                construed to provide the Commission 
                                with the authority to modify the 
                                eligibility requirements described in 
                                this clause.
                            ``(iii) Use of contributions.--Of the 
                        amount collected for the Universal Service Fund 
                        under subsection (d), $20,000,000 shall be made 
                        available for each of the first 5 fiscal years 
                        beginning after the date of enactment of the 
                        Tribal Connect Act of 2017 to the Commission to 
                        carry out this paragraph.
            ``(3) Training and technical assistance for tribal schools 
        and libraries.--
                    ``(A) Annual reports.--The Commission shall direct 
                the Administrator of the Schools and Libraries 
                Universal Service Support program to submit an annual 
                report to the Commission regarding the actions of the 
                Schools and Libraries Universal Service Support program 
                to ensure that tribal schools and libraries can 
                participate fully and effectively in the E-rate 
                program, including--
                            ``(i) outreach efforts targeted to tribal 
                        schools and libraries to promote awareness of 
                        the E-rate program;
                            ``(ii) specific E-rate training programs 
                        for tribal schools and libraries; and
                            ``(iii) other technical assistance 
                        initiatives regarding the program's application 
                        process that are available to tribal schools 
                        and libraries.
                    ``(B) Review of annual reports.--The Commission 
                shall review each annual report required under 
                subparagraph (A) to determine whether additional steps 
                are necessary to ensure that tribal schools and 
                libraries can participate fully and effectively in the 
                E-rate program.
            ``(4) Coordination and performance measurement.--The 
        Commission shall--
                    ``(A) improve the reliability of the data of the 
                Commission relating to institutions that receive E-rate 
                support by defining the term `tribal' on the 
                application for E-rate support; and
                    ``(B)(i) develop performance goals and measures to 
                track progress on achieving the strategic objective of 
                the Commission of ensuring that all tribal libraries 
                have affordable access to broadband Internet access 
                service technologies for educational purposes for 
                students, teachers, librarians, and members of the 
                community; and
                    ``(ii) not later than 1 year after the date of 
                enactment of this subsection, submit to Congress and 
                make public a report on the goals and measures 
                developed under clause (i).''.
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