Title: To assist Indian tribes in maintaining, expanding, and deploying broadband systems.
Policy area: Native Americans

Summary:
This bill assists Indian tribes in obtaining and using financial assistance to maintain, expand, or 			 deploy broadband systems.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5172 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5172

   To assist Indian tribes in maintaining, expanding, and deploying 
                           broadband systems.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 6, 2018

 Mr. O'Halleran (for himself and Mr. Pearce) introduced the following 
   bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in 
 addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To assist Indian tribes in maintaining, expanding, and deploying 
                           broadband systems.

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

SECTION 1. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR INDIAN TRIBES IN APPLYING FOR 
              FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO MAINTAIN, EXPAND, OR DEPLOY 
              BROADBAND SYSTEMS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture, through the Office 
of Tribal Relations in the Department of Agriculture, shall, in 
consultation with the Office of Native Affairs and Policy of the 
Federal Communications Commission--
            (1) create a database of Federal programs and activities 
        under which Indian tribes and tribal organizations, and 
        agencies and instrumentalities of Indian tribes and tribal 
        organizations, may obtain financial assistance for the 
        maintenance, expansion, or deployment of broadband systems;
            (2) provide technical assistance to entities described in 
        paragraph (1) in applying for or using the financial 
        assistance; and
            (3) submit to the Congress annual reports on--
                    (A) the number of the entities to which the 
                technical assistance was provided in the fiscal year 
                covered by the report;
                    (B) the number of applications for the financial 
                assistance that the entities submitted in the fiscal 
                year covered by the report; and
                    (C) the number of efforts made to facilitate the 
                efforts of the entities to obtain the financial 
                assistance in the fiscal year covered by the report.
    (b) Model Broadband Development Plan.--
            (1) In general.--Within 180 days after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture, through 
        the Office of Tribal Relations in the Department of 
        Agriculture, shall develop and publish in the Federal Register 
        a model broadband development plan using the database created 
        under subsection (a)(1), that--
                    (A) identifies overlaps and unique target areas in 
                each programs listed in the database;
                    (B) identifies options for obtaining the financial 
                assistance referred to in subsection (a)(1), and 
                propose opportunities to enable the entities described 
                in subsection (a)(1) overcome any obstacles in doing 
                so;
                    (C) describes the goals of technical assistance 
                provided under subsection (a)(2); and
                    (D) proposes a course for the provision of the 
                technical assistance that is proven to enhance 
                broadband access on tribal lands.
            (2) Consultations required.--
                    (A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), in 
                developing the plan, the Secretary of Agriculture and 
                the Federal Communications Commission shall jointly--
                            (i) conduct an in-person consultation with 
                        the Indian tribes and tribal members involved, 
                        in a forum open to the public;
                            (ii) publish in the Federal Register the 
                        date of the consultation not later than 14 days 
                        before that date;
                            (iii) within 30 days after the date of the 
                        consultation, transcribe or record the 
                        consultation, and make the transcription or 
                        record available to the public; and
                            (iv) not later than 30 days before 
                        finalizing the plan, make available to the 
                        public a document that demonstrates how the 
                        consultation affected the development of the 
                        plan.
                    (B) Waiver authority.--The Secretary of Agriculture 
                and the Federal Communications Commission may jointly 
                waive the requirement of subparagraph (A) with respect 
                to a group of Indian tribes if at least \5/6\ of the 
                Indian tribes involved agree to the waiver.
    (c) Definition of Indian Tribe.--In this section, the term ``Indian 
tribe'' has the meaning given the term in section 102(2) of the 
Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994.
    (d) Limitations on Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out 
this section, there are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary 
of Agriculture not more than $500,000 for each fiscal year.

SEC. 2. PARITY FOR TRIBAL REGULATORY COMMISSIONS.

    Section 306(a)(20)(E) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(20)(E)) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``and tribal'' after ``State''; and
            (2) by striking ``states'' and inserting ``States and 
        tribal lands''.

SEC. 3. SUBSTANTIALLY UNDERSERVED TRUST AREAS.

    Section 306F of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 
936f) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e) Refinancing Loans in Substantially Underserved Trust Areas.--
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the Secretary or a 
designee of the Secretary may make or guarantee a loan to refinance a 
loan made to any person who has applied for, or has outstanding, a loan 
or loan guarantee from the Rural Utilities Service for a project under 
an eligible program, to improve or continue the availability of 
projects that serve communities in substantially underserved trust 
areas.''.

SEC. 4. DISTANCE LEARNING AND TELEMEDICINE GRANTS ON INDIAN 
              RESERVATIONS.

    Section 2333(d)(5) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and 
Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 950aaa-2(d)(5)) is amended by inserting 
``(including on and off an Indian reservation)'' after ``geographical 
diversity''.
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