Title: Small Business Broadband and Emerging Information Technology Enhancement Act of 2020
Policy area: Commerce

Summary:
Small Business Broadband and Emerging Information Technology Enhancement Act of 2020
This bill directs the Small Business Administration (SBA) to designate a senior Office of Investment and Innovation employee as broadband and emerging information technology coordinator, and it establishes measures to aid the competitiveness and productivity of small businesses through broadband access and other emerging information technologies.
The coordinator's responsibilities shall include (1) identifying best practices relating to broadband and emerging information technology that may help small businesses; and (2) coordinating SBA programs that assist small businesses in adopting, making innovations in, and using broadband and other information technologies. The SBA must also provide training to familiarize its employees with broadband and other emerging technologies.
Further, the SBA must report on (1) its programs and activities relating to broadband and emerging information technologies, and (2) the impact of broadband and emerging information technology deployment on small businesses.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4588 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4588

  To improve certain programs of the Small Business Administration to 
     better assist small business customers in accessing broadband 
                  technology, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 16, 2020

  Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Mr. Kennedy, Ms. Ernst, Ms. Hirono, Mr. 
 Risch, and Mr. Markey) introduced the following bill; which was read 
       twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and 
                            Entrepreneurship

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To improve certain programs of the Small Business Administration to 
     better assist small business customers in accessing broadband 
                  technology, 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 ``Small Business Broadband and 
Emerging Information Technology Enhancement Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. BROADBAND AND EMERGING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR.

    The Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating section 49 (15 U.S.C. 631 note) as 
        section 50; and
            (2) by inserting after section 48 (15 U.S.C. 657u) the 
        following:

``SEC. 49. BROADBAND AND EMERGING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section--
            ``(1) the term `Associate Administrator' means the 
        Associate Administrator for the Office of Investment and 
        Innovation;
            ``(2) the term `broadband' means--
                    ``(A) high-speed wired broadband internet; and
                    ``(B) high-speed wireless internet;
            ``(3) the term `broadband and emerging information 
        technology coordinator' means the employee designated to carry 
        out the broadband and emerging information technology 
        coordination responsibilities of the Administration under 
        subsection (b)(1); and
            ``(4) the term `emerging information technology' includes--
                    ``(A) data science technologies such as artificial 
                intelligence and machine learning;
                    ``(B) Internet of Things;
                    ``(C) distributed ledger technologies such as 
                blockchain;
                    ``(D) cloud computing and software as a system 
                technologies;
                    ``(E) computer numerical control technologies such 
                as 3D printing; and
                    ``(F) robotics and automation.
    ``(b) Assignment of Coordinator.--
            ``(1) Assignment of coordinator.--The Associate 
        Administrator shall designate a senior employee of the Office 
        of Investment and Innovation to serve as the broadband and 
        emerging information technology coordinator, who--
                    ``(A) shall report to the Associate Administrator;
                    ``(B) shall work in coordination with--
                            ``(i) the chief information officer, the 
                        chief technology officer, and the head of the 
                        Office of Technology of the Administration; and
                            ``(ii) any other Associate Administrator of 
                        the Administration determined appropriate by 
                        the Associate Administrator;
                    ``(C) has experience developing and implementing 
                telecommunications policy in the private sector or 
                government; and
                    ``(D) has demonstrated significant experience in 
                the area of broadband or emerging information 
                technology.
            ``(2) Responsibilities of coordinator.--The broadband and 
        emerging information technology coordinator shall--
                    ``(A) coordinate programs of the Administration 
                that assist small business concerns in adopting, making 
                innovations in, and using broadband and other emerging 
                information technologies;
                    ``(B) serve as the primary liaison of the 
                Administration to other Federal agencies involved in 
                broadband and emerging information technology policy, 
                including the Department of Commerce, the Department of 
                Agriculture, the Department of the Treasury, and the 
                Federal Communications Commission;
                    ``(C) identify best practices relating to broadband 
                and emerging information technology that may benefit 
                small business concerns; and
                    ``(D) identify and catalog tools and training 
                available through the resource partners of the 
                Administration that assist small business concerns in 
                adopting, making innovations in, and using broadband 
                and emerging information technologies.
            ``(3) Travel.--Not more than 20 percent of the hours of 
        service by the broadband and emerging information technology 
        coordinator during any fiscal year shall consist of travel 
        outside the United States to perform official duties.
    ``(c) Broadband and Emerging Information Technology Training.--
            ``(1) Training.--The Associate Administrator shall provide 
        to employees of the Administration training that--
                    ``(A) familiarizes employees of the Administration 
                with broadband and other emerging information 
                technologies;
                    ``(B) includes--
                            ``(i) instruction on counseling small 
                        business concerns regarding adopting, making 
                        innovations in, and using broadband and other 
                        emerging information technologies; and
                            ``(ii) information on programs of the 
                        Federal Government that provide assistance to 
                        small business concerns relating to broadband 
                        and emerging information technologies; and
                    ``(C) to maximum extent practicable, uses the tools 
                and training cataloged and identified under subsection 
                (b)(2)(D).
            ``(2) Authorization of appropriations.--There are 
        authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to 
        carry out this subsection.
    ``(d) Reports.--
            ``(1) Biennial report on activities.--Not later than 2 
        years after the date on which the Associate Administrator makes 
        the first designation of an employee under subsection (b), and 
        every 2 years thereafter, the broadband and emerging 
        information technology coordinator shall submit to the 
        Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate 
        and the Committee on Small Business of the House of 
        Representatives a report regarding the programs and activities 
        of the Administration relating to broadband and other emerging 
        information technologies.
            ``(2) Impact of broadband availability, speed, and price 
        and emerging information technology deployment on small 
        businesses.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Subject to appropriations, the 
                Chief Counsel for Advocacy shall conduct a study 
                evaluating the impact of--
                            ``(i) broadband availability, speed, and 
                        price on small business concerns; and
                            ``(ii) emerging information technology 
                        deployment on small business concerns.
                    ``(B) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the 
                date of enactment of the Small Business Broadband and 
                Emerging Information Technology Enhancement Act of 
                2020, the Chief Counsel for Advocacy shall submit to 
                the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
                and the Committee on Small Business and 
                Entrepreneurship of the Senate and the Committee on 
                Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Small Business 
                of the House of Representatives a report on the results 
                of the study under subparagraph (A), including--
                            ``(i) a survey of broadband speeds 
                        available to small business concerns;
                            ``(ii) a survey of the cost of broadband 
                        speeds available to small business concerns;
                            ``(iii) a survey of the type of broadband 
                        technology used by small business concerns;
                            ``(iv) a survey of the types of emerging 
                        information technologies used by small business 
                        concerns; and
                            ``(v) any policy recommendations that may 
                        improve the access of small business concerns 
                        to comparable broadband services or emerging 
                        information technologies at comparable rates in 
                        all regions of the United States.''.

SEC. 3. ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT.

    Section 21(c)(3)(B) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
648(c)(3)(B)) is amended--
            (1) in the matter preceding clause (i), by inserting 
        ``accessing broadband and other emerging information 
        technology,'' after ``technology transfer,'';
            (2) in clause (ii), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (3) in clause (iii), by adding ``and'' at the end; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(iv) increasing the competitiveness and 
                productivity of small business concerns by assisting 
                entrepreneurs in accessing broadband and other emerging 
                information technology;''.
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