[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2805 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2805
To direct the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and
Information to develop a National Strategy to Close the Digital Divide,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 9, 2025
Mr. Walberg (for himself and Mr. Peters) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and
Information to develop a National Strategy to Close the Digital Divide,
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 ``Proper Leadership to Align Networks
for Broadband Act'' or the ``PLAN for Broadband Act''.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL STRATEGY TO CLOSE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE.
(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary, in consultation with
the heads of the covered agencies, shall develop and submit to the
appropriate committees of Congress a National Strategy to Close the
Digital Divide to--
(1) support better management of Federal broadband programs
to deliver on the goal of providing high-speed, affordable
broadband internet access service to all individuals in the
United States;
(2) synchronize interagency coordination among covered
agencies for Federal broadband programs;
(3) synchronize interagency coordination regarding the
process for approving the grant of an easement, right of way,
or lease to, in, over, or on a building or any other property
owned by the Federal Government for the right to install,
construct, modify, or maintain infrastructure with respect to
broadband internet access service; and
(4) reduce barriers, lower costs, and ease administrative
burdens for State, local, and Tribal governments to participate
in Federal broadband programs.
(b) Required Contents.--The Strategy shall--
(1) list all--
(A) Federal broadband programs; and
(B) programs that exist at the State and local
levels that are directly or indirectly intended to
increase the deployment of, access to, the
affordability of, or the adoption of broadband internet
access service;
(2) describe current, as of the date on which the Strategy
is submitted, Federal efforts to coordinate Federal broadband
programs;
(3) identify gaps and limitations, including laws, that
hinder, or may hinder, coordination across Federal broadband
programs;
(4) establish clear roles and responsibilities for the
heads of the covered agencies, as well as clear goals,
objectives, and performance measures, for--
(A) the management of all Federal broadband
programs; and
(B) interagency coordination efforts with respect
to Federal broadband programs;
(5) address the cost of the Strategy, the sources and types
of resources and investments needed to carry out the Strategy,
and where those resources and investments should be targeted
based on balancing risk reductions with costs;
(6) address factors that increase the costs and
administrative burdens for State, local, and Tribal governments
with respect to participation in Federal broadband programs;
(7) recommend incentives, legislative solutions, and
administrative actions to help State, local, and Tribal
governments more efficiently--
(A) distribute, and effectively administer, funding
received from Federal broadband programs; and
(B) resolve conflicts with respect to the funding
described in subparagraph (A);
(8) recommend incentives, legislative solutions, and
administrative actions to--
(A) improve the coordination and management of
Federal broadband programs; and
(B) eliminate duplication with respect to Federal
broadband programs;
(9) describe current, as of the date on which the Strategy
is submitted, efforts by covered agencies to streamline the
process for granting access to an easement, right of way, or
lease to, in, over, or on a building or any other property
owned by the Federal Government for the right to install,
construct, modify, or maintain infrastructure with respect to
broadband internet access service;
(10) identify gaps and limitations with respect to allowing
regional, interstate, or cross-border economic development
organizations to participate in Federal broadband programs; and
(11) address specific issues relating to closing the
digital divide on Tribal lands.
(c) Public Consultation.--In developing the Strategy, the Assistant
Secretary shall consult with--
(1) groups that represent consumers or the interests of the
public, including economically or socially disadvantaged
individuals;
(2) subject matter experts;
(3) providers of broadband internet access service;
(4) Tribal entities; and
(5) State and local agencies and entities.
SEC. 3. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
(a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date on which
the Assistant Secretary submits the Strategy to the appropriate
committees of Congress under section 2(a), the Assistant Secretary
shall develop and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress an
implementation plan for the Strategy.
(b) Required Contents.--The Implementation Plan shall, at a
minimum--
(1) provide a plan for implementing the roles,
responsibilities, goals, objectives, and performance measures
for the management of Federal broadband programs and
interagency coordination efforts identified in the Strategy;
(2) provide a plan for holding the covered agencies
accountable for the roles, responsibilities, goals, objectives,
and performance measures identified in the Strategy;
(3) describe the roles and responsibilities of the covered
agencies, and the interagency mechanisms, to coordinate the
implementation of the Strategy;
(4) provide a plan for regular meetings among the heads of
the covered agencies to coordinate the implementation of the
Strategy and improve coordination among Federal broadband
programs and for permitting processes for infrastructure with
respect to broadband internet access service;
(5) provide a plan for regular engagement with interested
members of the public to evaluate Federal broadband programs,
permitting processes for infrastructure with respect to
broadband internet access service, and progress in implementing
the Strategy;
(6) with respect to the awarding of Federal funds or
subsidies to support the deployment of broadband internet
access service, provide a plan for the adoption of--
(A) common data sets regarding those awards,
including a requirement that covered agencies use the
maps created under title VIII of the Communications Act
of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 641 et seq.); and
(B) applications regarding those awards, as
described in section 903(e) of the ACCESS BROADBAND Act
(47 U.S.C. 1307(e));
(7) provide a plan to monitor and reduce waste, fraud, and
abuse in Federal broadband programs, including wasteful
spending resulting from fragmented, overlapping, and
unnecessarily duplicative programs;
(8) require consistent obligation and expenditure reporting
by covered agencies for Federal broadband programs, which shall
be consistent with section 903(c)(2) of the ACCESS BROADBAND
Act (47 U.S.C. 1307(c)(2));
(9) provide a plan to increase awareness of, and
participation and enrollment in, Federal broadband programs
relating to the affordability and adoption of broadband
internet access service; and
(10) describe the administrative and legislative action
that is necessary to carry out the Strategy.
(c) Public Comment.--Not later than 30 days after the date on which
the Assistant Secretary submits the Strategy to the appropriate
committees of Congress under section 2(a), the Assistant Secretary
shall seek public comment regarding the development and implementation
of the Implementation Plan.
SEC. 4. BRIEFINGS AND IMPLEMENTATION.
(a) Briefing.--Not later than 21 days after the date on which the
Assistant Secretary submits the Implementation Plan to the appropriate
committees of Congress under section 3(a), the Assistant Secretary, and
appropriate representatives from the covered agencies involved in the
formulation of the Strategy, shall provide a briefing on the
implementation of the Strategy to the appropriate committees of
Congress.
(b) Implementation.--
(1) In general.--The Assistant Secretary shall--
(A) implement the Strategy in accordance with the
terms of the Implementation Plan; and
(B) not later than 90 days after the date on which
the Assistant Secretary begins to implement the
Strategy, and not less frequently than once every 90
days thereafter until the date on which the
Implementation Plan is fully implemented, brief the
appropriate committees of Congress on the progress in
implementing the Implementation Plan.
(2) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this subsection may
be construed to affect the authority or jurisdiction of the
Federal Communications Commission or confer upon the Assistant
Secretary or any executive agency the power to direct the
actions of the Federal Communications Commission, either
directly or indirectly.
SEC. 5. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE STUDY AND REPORT.
(a) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall
conduct a study that shall--
(1) examine the efficacy of the Strategy and the
Implementation Plan in closing the digital divide; and
(2) make recommendations regarding how to improve the
Strategy and the Implementation Plan.
(b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date on which the
Assistant Secretary submits the Implementation Plan to the appropriate
committees of Congress under section 3(a), the Comptroller General
shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the
results of the study conducted under subsection (a).
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the
House of Representatives.
(2) Assistant secretary.--The term ``Assistant Secretary''
means the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications
and Information.
(3) Covered agencies.--The term ``covered agencies''
means--
(A) the Federal Communications Commission;
(B) the Department of Agriculture;
(C) the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration;
(D) the Department of Health and Human Services;
(E) the Appalachian Regional Commission;
(F) the Delta Regional Authority;
(G) the Economic Development Administration;
(H) the Department of Education;
(I) the Department of the Treasury;
(J) the Department of Transportation;
(K) the Institute of Museum and Library Services;
(L) the Northern Border Regional Commission;
(M) the Department of Housing and Urban
Development; and
(N) the Department of the Interior.
(4) Federal broadband program.--The term ``Federal
broadband program'' means any program administered by a covered
agency that is directly or indirectly intended to increase the
deployment of, access to, the affordability of, or the adoption
of broadband internet access service.
(5) Implementation plan.--The term ``Implementation Plan''
means the implementation plan developed under section 3(a).
(6) State.--The term ``State'' means each State of the
United States, the District of Columbia, and each commonwealth,
territory, or possession of the United States.
(7) Strategy.--The term ``Strategy'' means the National
Strategy to Close the Digital Divide developed under section
2(a).
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