[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3361 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3361
To direct the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and
Information to submit a report on the digital divide and to update the
Indicators of Broadband Need mapping application, and for other
purposes.
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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 16, 2023
Mr. Cardenas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
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A BILL
To direct the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and
Information to submit a report on the digital divide and to update the
Indicators of Broadband Need mapping application, 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. REPORT ON DIGITAL DIVIDE.
(a) Report Required.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for the subsequent 10-
year period, the Assistant Secretary, in consultation with the Federal
Communications Commission, shall submit to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and make publicly available
on the website of the NTIA, a report on the state of the digital
divide, which shall include the following:
(1) Information on and an analysis of--
(A) barriers to, and trends regarding, broadband
access, adoption, and affordability;
(B) the connection between--
(i) broadband access, adoption, and
affordability; and
(ii) various socioeconomic indicators; and
(C) the impact of Federal programs on broadband
access, adoption, and affordability.
(2) An assessment of the sufficiency of existing data
collection and data sets with respect to the analysis described
in paragraph (1) and, if necessary, recommendations for NTIA
actions to improve data quality.
(3) Recommendations for legislative action to facilitate
closure of the digital divide.
(b) Assembly Process.--In assembling each report required by
subsection (a), the Assistant Secretary shall--
(1) utilize all available and relevant data, including data
associated with the Indicators of Broadband Need mapping
application of the NTIA and published research and data from
individuals and entities other than the NTIA;
(2) solicit public comment;
(3) hold public meetings with relevant stakeholders; and
(4) consult with experts on and representatives of
communities that are unserved or underserved with respect to
broadband.
SEC. 2. INDICATORS OF BROADBAND NEED MAPPING APPLICATION.
(a) Update Required.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter, the Assistant
Secretary shall update the Indicators of Broadband Need mapping
application of the NTIA to ensure that such application incorporates,
and includes display layers with respect to, the following:
(1) Data from the Broadband Data Collection system of the
Federal Communications Commission, including data on
availability and subscription rates for broadband tiers with a
download speed of more than 25 megabits per second and an
upload speed of more than 3 megabits per second.
(2) Third-party data on the results of mobile network speed
and signal strength tests.
(3) The identification of--
(A) areas of persistent poverty (as such term is
defined in section 6702(a) of title 49, United States
Code);
(B) historically disadvantaged communities (as such
term is used in section 6702 of title 49, United States
Code);
(C) areas impacted by previous redlining practices
(as determined using maps produced by the Home Owners'
Loan Corporation); and
(D) congressional districts.
(4) Data on eligibility and enrollment with respect to the
Affordable Connectivity Program established under section
904(b) of division N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act,
2021 (47 U.S.C. 1752).
(b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be construed
to limit the authority of the Assistant Secretary to incorporate, as
part of the Indicators of Broadband Need mapping application of the
NTIA, elements in addition to the elements identified in subsection
(a).
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Assistant secretary.--The term ``Assistant Secretary''
means the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications
and Information.
(2) NTIA.--The term ``NTIA'' means the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration.
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