Big Tech Accountability for Broadband Act

Bill: 117-hr-4905
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Bergman, Jack [R-MI-1]
Introduced: 2021-08-03
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Latest action: action_date: 2021-08-04
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.

Summaries:
action_date: 2021-08-03
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Big Tech Accountability for Broadband Act</b></p> <p>This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to promulgate regulations requiring covered businesses to contribute to the federal universal service support mechanism.</p> <p>A <i> covered business</i> is a business offering an online platform (e.g., a social media platform) that has (1) more than 30 million U.S. users or 300 million worldwide users, and (2) more than $10 billion in global revenue. The federal universal service support mechanism collects money from telecommunications companies and uses it to expand broadband access and infrastructure, especially in unserved and underserved areas.</p> <p>In promulgating such regulations, the FCC must consider including a mechanism that prohibits a telecommunications carrier from requiring a customer to pay charges related to universal service support contributions if the customer is considered unserved or underserved with respect to broadband internet access. </p>

tv_txt: I 117th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 4905 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES August 3, 2021 Mr. Bergman introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To direct the Federal Communications Commission to promulgate regulations to collect regulatory fees from large technology platforms.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Big Tech Accountability for Broadband Act . 2. Collection of regulatory fees from large technology platforms (a) Regulations (1) In general Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commission shall, notwithstanding subsection (d) of section 254 of the Communications Act of 1934 ( 47 U.S.C. 254 ), promulgate regulations to require covered businesses to contribute to the Federal universal service support mechanism under such section. (2) Fee structure Such regulations shall include a fee structure to be assessed on covered businesses. (b) Considerations In promulgating regulations under subsection (a), the Commission shall consider including in such regulations a mechanism to prohibit a telecommunications carrier from levying on a customer of such carrier charges relating to the required contributions of such carriers to Federal universal service support mechanism under section 254(d) of the Communications Act of 1934 ( 47 U.S.C. 254 ), if such customer is considered by the Commission to be unserved or underserved with respect to broadband internet access service. (c) Definitions In this Act: (1) Broadband internet access service The term broadband internet access service has the meaning of that term under section 8.1(b) of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations. (2) Commission The term Commission means the Federal Communications Commission. (3) Covered business The term covered business — (A) means a business offering an online platform which— (i) in any month during the most recently completed 12-month period— (I) more than 30,000,000 users in the United States accessed, without regard to the means by which the users accessed the service; or (II) more than 300,000,000 users worldwide accessed, without regard to the means by which the users accessed the service; and (ii) during the most recently completed taxable year, had more than $10,000,000,000 in global revenue; and (B) does not include an organization described in section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that is exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of such Code. (4) Online platform The term online platform means a website, online or mobile application, mobile operating system, digital assistant, or online service that is designed primarily to— (A) enable a user to generate content that can be viewed by other users on the platform or to interact with other content on the platform; (B) facilitate the offering, sale, purchase, payment, or shipping of products or services, including software applications, between and among consumers or businesses not controlled by the platform operator; or (C) enable user searches or queries that access or display a large volume of information.