Title: A bill to require the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to provide assistance relating to broadband access, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
This bill establishes a fund within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to assist states and tribal governments in supporting entities that oversee broadband programs and broadband deployment.
Priority must be given to states that either do not have such an entity or that need to increase the capacity of such an entity. The administration's Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth must provide technical and other assistance (1) to support the expansion of broadband, and (2) regarding cybersecurity resources and programs available through federal agencies.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2668 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2668

   To require the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth at the 
 National Telecommunications and Information Administration to provide 
    assistance relating to broadband access, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 5, 2021

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth at the 
 National Telecommunications and Information Administration to provide 
    assistance relating to broadband access, 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. ASSISTANCE FOR STATE AND TRIBAL BROADBAND ACCESS PROGRAMS.

    Subsection (c) of the ACCESS BROADBAND Act (section 903 of division 
FF of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260)) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Fund.--
                    ``(A) In general.--There is established a fund 
                within the National Telecommunications and Information 
                Administration, which shall be managed by the Office, 
                to provide assistance to States and Tribal governments 
                to support offices, agencies, or other entities that 
                oversee broadband programs and broadband deployment in 
                the State, with priority given to States that--
                            ``(i) do not have such an active office, 
                        agency, or entity; or
                            ``(ii) need to increase the capacity of 
                        such an office, agency, or entity.
                    ``(B) Authorization of appropriations.--There is 
                authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
                necessary to the fund established under subparagraph 
                (A).
            ``(4) Technical and other assistance.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Office shall provide 
                technical and other assistance to States and Tribal 
                governments--
                            ``(i) to support the expansion of 
                        broadband, with priority for expansion in rural 
                        and Tribal areas and States that consistent 
                        rate at the bottom of broadband access and 
                        deployment; and
                            ``(ii) regarding cybersecurity resources 
                        and programs available through Federal 
                        agencies, including the Election Assistance 
                        Commission, the Cybersecurity and 
                        Infrastructure Security Agency, the Federal 
                        Trade Commission, and the National Science 
                        Foundation.
                    ``(B) Authorization of appropriations.--There is 
                authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
                necessary to carry out this paragraph.''.
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