Title: Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that no Federal funds granted, awarded, or loaned pursuant to any legislation, infrastructure-specific or otherwise, should be used to fund the construction, improvement, or acquisition of broadband facilities or service in areas where there is an existing broadband provider that meets certain minimum standards.
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that no federal funds should be used to fund broadband facilities in areas where another broadband service provider: (1) is offering service that meets the minimum standards of the Federal Communications Commission, or (2) is leveraging federal program funds to deploy networks and offer broadband service that will meet the minimum standards of such program.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 690 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 690

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that no Federal 
    funds granted, awarded, or loaned pursuant to any legislation, 
   infrastructure-specific or otherwise, should be used to fund the 
 construction, improvement, or acquisition of broadband facilities or 
  service in areas where there is an existing broadband provider that 
                    meets certain minimum standards.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 11, 2018

Mr. Lance submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that no Federal 
    funds granted, awarded, or loaned pursuant to any legislation, 
   infrastructure-specific or otherwise, should be used to fund the 
 construction, improvement, or acquisition of broadband facilities or 
  service in areas where there is an existing broadband provider that 
                    meets certain minimum standards.

Whereas the broadband industry, including wireline and wireless, has invested 
        roughly $1.6 trillion in private capital since 1996;
Whereas the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) included an 
        unprecedented $7.2 billion in broadband deployment funding;
Whereas there were allegations of waste and inefficiencies in ARRA grant 
        programs;
Whereas the Federal Government should not compete with the private sector in 
        broadband access or deployment;
Whereas the Federal Government should not pick winners and losers in a local 
        broadband market by providing loans, grants, or subsidies to one 
        provider over another;
Whereas broadband internet access is the infrastructure of the 21st century and 
        crucial to economic development;
Whereas the digital divide is real for many Americans, especially in rural areas 
        with no access to broadband; and
Whereas in order to decrease the digital divide efficiently, limited Federal 
        dollars should be focused on areas of the country unserved by broadband: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
no Federal funds granted, awarded, or loaned pursuant to any 
legislation, infrastructure-specific or otherwise, should be used to 
fund the construction, improvement, or acquisition of broadband 
facilities or service in areas where--
            (1) another broadband service provider is already offering 
        service that meets the minimum standards of the Federal 
        Communications Commission; or
            (2) another broadband service provider is already 
        leveraging Federal program funds to deploy networks and offer 
        broadband service that will meet the minimum standards of such 
        program.
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