Title: Broadband Interagency Coordination Act of 2019
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Broadband Interagency Coordination Act of 2019
This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and the Department of Agriculture to enter into an interagency agreement to coordinate the distribution of federal funds for new broadband deployment.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1294 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1294

To require Federal agencies with jurisdiction over broadband deployment 
  to enter into an interagency agreement related to certain types of 
                   funding for broadband deployment.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 2, 2019

  Mr. Wicker (for himself and Ms. Klobuchar) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require Federal agencies with jurisdiction over broadband deployment 
  to enter into an interagency agreement related to certain types of 
                   funding for broadband deployment.

    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 ``Broadband Interagency Coordination 
Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. INTERAGENCY AGREEMENT.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``covered agency'' means--
                    (A) the Federal Communications Commission;
                    (B) the Department of Agriculture; and
                    (C) the National Telecommunications and Information 
                Administration; and
            (2) the term ``high-cost programs'' means--
                    (A) the program for Universal Service Support for 
                High-Cost Areas set forth under subpart D of part 54 of 
                title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor 
                regulations;
                    (B) the Remote Areas Fund set forth under subpart J 
                of part 54 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, or 
                any successor regulations;
                    (C) the Interstate Common Line Support Mechanism 
                for Rate-of-Return Carriers set forth under subpart K 
                of part 54 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, or 
                any successor regulations;
                    (D) the Mobility Fund set forth under subpart L of 
                part 54 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, or 
                any successor regulations; and
                    (E) the High Cost Loop Support for Rate-of-Return 
                Carriers program set forth under subpart M of part 54 
                of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, or any 
                successor regulations.
    (b) Interagency Agreement.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the heads of the covered agencies shall enter 
into an interagency agreement requiring coordination between the 
covered agencies for the distribution of funds for broadband deployment 
under--
            (1) the high-cost programs;
            (2) the programs administered by the Rural Utilities 
        Service of the Department of Agriculture; and
            (3) the programs administered by the National 
        Telecommunications and Information Administration.
    (c) Requirements.--In entering into an interagency agreement with 
respect to the programs described in subsection (b), the heads of the 
covered agencies shall--
            (1) require that the covered agencies share information 
        with each other about existing or planned projects that have 
        received or will receive funds under the programs described in 
        subsection (b) for new broadband deployment;
            (2) provide that--
                    (A) subject to subparagraph (B), upon request from 
                another covered agency with authority to award or 
                authorize any funds for new broadband deployment in a 
                project area, a covered agency shall provide the other 
                covered agency with any information the covered agency 
                possesses regarding, with respect to the project area--
                            (i) each entity that provides broadband 
                        service in the area;
                            (ii) levels of broadband service provided 
                        in the area, including the speed of broadband 
                        service and the technology provided;
                            (iii) the geographic scope of broadband 
                        service coverage in the area; and
                            (iv) each entity that has received or will 
                        receive funds under the programs described in 
                        subsection (b) to provide broadband service in 
                        the area; and
                    (B) if a covered agency designates any information 
                provided to another covered agency under subparagraph 
                (A) as confidential, the other covered agency shall 
                protect the confidentiality of that information;
            (3) designate the Federal Communications Commission as the 
        entity primarily responsible for--
                    (A) coordinating among the covered agencies; and
                    (B) storing or maintaining access to all broadband 
                deployment data;
            (4) consider basing the distribution of funds for broadband 
        deployment under the programs described in subsection (b) on 
        standardized data regarding broadband coverage; and
            (5) provide that the interagency agreement shall be updated 
        periodically, except that the scope of the agreement with 
        respect to the Federal Communications Commission may not expand 
        beyond the high-cost programs.
    (d) Assessment of Agreement.--
            (1) Public comment.--Not later than 1 year after entering 
        into the interagency agreement required under subsection (b), 
        the Federal Communications Commission shall seek public comment 
        on--
                    (A) the effectiveness of the interagency agreement 
                in facilitating efficient use of funds for broadband 
                deployment;
                    (B) the availability of Tribal, State, and local 
                data regarding broadband deployment and the inclusion 
                of that data in interagency coordination; and
                    (C) modifications to the interagency agreement that 
                would improve the efficacy of interagency coordination.
            (2) Assessment; report.--Not later than 18 months after the 
        date of enactment of this Act, the Federal Communications 
        Commission shall--
                    (A) review and assess the comments received under 
                paragraph (1); and
                    (B) submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
                and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on 
                Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a 
                report detailing any findings and recommendations from 
                the assessment conducted under subparagraph (A).
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