Connecting Minority Communities Act of 2020
This bill establishes the Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives, the Connecting Minority Communities Task Force, and the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program to facilitate, foster, and fund broadband internet access service and digital literacy in minority communities.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4422 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4422
To establish the Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives within the
National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
August 4, 2020
Mr. Wicker (for himself and Mr. Scott of South Carolina) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives within the
National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 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 ``Connecting Minority Communities Act
of 2020''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act--
(1) the term ``anchor community'' means any area that--
(A) is not more than 30 miles from a historically
Black college or university, a Tribal College or
University, or a Hispanic-serving institution; and
(B) has an estimated median annual household income
of not more than 250 percent of the poverty line, as
that term is defined in section 673(2) of the Community
Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2));
(2) the term ``Assistant Secretary'' means the Assistant
Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information;
(3) the term ``broadband internet access service'' has the
meaning given the term in section 8.1(b) of title 47, Code of
Federal Regulations, or any successor regulation;
(4) the term ``Commission'' means the Federal
Communications Commission;
(5) the term ``connected device'' means a laptop computer,
tablet computer, or similar device that is capable of
connecting to broadband internet access service;
(6) the term ``Director'' means the Director of the Office;
(7) the term ``eligible equipment'' means--
(A) a Wi-Fi hotspot;
(B) a modem;
(C) a router;
(D) a device that combines a modem and router;
(E) a connected device; or
(F) any other equipment used to provide access to
broadband internet access service;
(8) the term ``eligible recipient'' means--
(A) a historically Black college or university;
(B) a Tribal College or University;
(C) a Hispanic-serving institution; or
(D) a consortium led by a historically Black
college or university, a Tribal College or University,
or a Hispanic-serving institution that also includes--
(i) an elementary or secondary school;
(ii) a library;
(iii) a minority business enterprise; or
(iv) an organization described in section
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986
and exempt from tax under section 501(a) of
such Code;
(9) the term ``Hispanic-serving institution'' has the
meaning given the term in section 502(a) of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a(a));
(10) the term ``historically Black college or university''
has the meaning given the term ``part B institution'' in
section 322 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1061);
(11) the term ``minority business enterprise'' has the
meaning given the term in section 1400.2 of title 15, Code of
Federal Regulations, or any successor regulation;
(12) the term ``Office'' means the Office of Minority
Broadband Initiatives established pursuant to section 3(a);
(13) the term ``Pilot Program'' means the Connecting
Minority Communities Pilot Program established under the rules
promulgated by the Assistant Secretary under section 5(a);
(14) the term ``Task Force'' means the Connecting Minority
Communities Task Force established under section 4(a); and
(15) the term ``Tribal College or University'' has the
meaning given the term in section 316(b) of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)).
SEC. 3. OFFICE OF MINORITY BROADBAND INITIATIVES.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary shall establish within
the National Telecommunications and Information Administration the
Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives.
(b) Director.--The Office shall be headed by the Director of the
Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives, who shall be appointed by the
Assistant Secretary.
(c) Duties.--The Office, acting through the Director, shall--
(1) collaborate with Federal agencies that carry out
broadband internet access service support programs to determine
how to expand access to broadband internet access service and
other digital opportunities in anchor communities;
(2) collaborate with State, local, and Tribal governments,
historically Black colleges or universities, Tribal Colleges or
Universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and stakeholders
in the telecommunications, education, business, and technology
fields to--
(A) promote--
(i) initiatives relating to broadband
internet access service connectivity for anchor
communities; and
(ii) digital opportunities for anchor
communities;
(B) develop recommendations to promote the rapid,
expanded deployment of broadband internet access
service to unserved historically Black colleges or
universities, Tribal Colleges or Universities,
Hispanic-serving institutions, and anchor communities,
including to senior citizens and veterans who live in
anchor communities;
(C) promote activities that would accelerate the
adoption of broadband internet access service
(including any associated equipment or personnel
necessary to access and use that service, such as
modems, routers, devices that combine a modem and a
router, Wi-Fi hotspots, and connected devices)--
(i) by historically Black colleges or
universities, Tribal Colleges or Universities,
and Hispanic-serving institutions; and
(ii) within anchor communities;
(D) upon request, provide assistance to
historically Black colleges or universities, Tribal
Colleges or Universities, Hispanic-serving
institutions, and leaders from anchor communities with
respect to navigating Federal programs dealing with
broadband internet access service;
(E) promote digital literacy skills, including by
providing opportunities for virtual or in-person
digital literacy training and education; and
(F) explore how to leverage investment in
infrastructure with respect to broadband internet
access service to--
(i) expand connectivity with respect to
that service in anchor communities;
(ii) encourage investment in communities
that have been designated as qualified
opportunity zones under section 1400Z-1 of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986; and
(iii) serve as a catalyst for adoption of
that service, so as to promote job growth and
economic development and deployment of advanced
mobile technologies;
(3) assume any functions carried out under the Minority
Broadband Initiative of the National Telecommunications and
Information Administration, as of the day before the date of
enactment of this Act; and
(4) perform other duties, as designated by the Assistant
Secretary.
(d) Reports.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date on
which the Assistant Secretary establishes the Office under
subsection (a), and annually thereafter, the Assistant
Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Energy
and Commerce of the House of Representatives a report that--
(A) for the year covered by the report, details the
work of the Office in expanding access to fixed and
mobile broadband internet access service coverage--
(i) at historically Black colleges or
universities, Tribal Colleges or Universities,
and Hispanic-serving institutions; and
(ii) within anchor communities; and
(B) identifies barriers to providing broadband
internet access service--
(i) at historically Black colleges or
universities, Tribal Colleges or Universities,
and Hispanic-serving institutions; and
(ii) within anchor communities.
(2) Public availability.--Not later than 30 days after the
date on which the Assistant Secretary submits a report under
paragraph (1), the Assistant Secretary shall, to the extent
feasible, make that report publicly available.
SEC. 4. TASK FORCE.
(a) In General.--The Assistant Secretary shall establish the
Connecting Minority Communities Task Force to advise the Office on
matters relating to expanding broadband internet access service to
historically Black colleges or universities, Tribal Colleges or
Universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and anchor communities.
(b) Membership.--
(1) In general.--The Task Force shall--
(A) be composed of not more than 15 voting
members--
(i) who, subject to subparagraph (B), shall
be selected by the Assistant Secretary; and
(ii) 1 of whom shall be designated by the
Assistant Secretary as the Chair of the Task
Force; and
(B) include representatives (who shall be fairly
balanced with respect to technologies, points of view,
and fields represented) from--
(i) historically Black colleges or
universities;
(ii) Tribal Colleges or Universities;
(iii) Hispanic-serving institutions;
(iv) anchor communities;
(v) minority business enterprises;
(vi) internet service providers, including
regional or rural fixed and mobile broadband
internet access service providers and
telecommunications infrastructure providers;
(vii) the electric cooperative industry;
(viii) the satellite industry;
(ix) State and local governments; and
(x) civil rights organizations.
(2) Period of appointment; vacancies.--
(A) In general.--Each member of the Task Force
shall serve for a single term of 2 years.
(B) Vacancy.--Any vacancy in the Task Force--
(i) shall not affect the powers of the Task
Force; and
(ii) shall be filled in the same manner as
the original appointment.
(C) Ex-officio member.--The Chairman of the
Commission, or a designee of the Chairman, shall serve
as an ex-officio, nonvoting member of the Task Force.
(c) Applicability of Federal Advisory Committee Act.--The Federal
Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply with respect to
the Task Force or the activities of the Task Force.
SEC. 5. CONNECTING MINORITY COMMUNITIES PILOT PROGRAM.
(a) Rules Required.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary shall promulgate
rules establishing the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot
Program, the purpose of which shall be to provide grants to
eligible recipients in anchor communities for the purchase of
broadband internet access service or any eligible equipment, or
to hire information technology personnel--
(A) to facilitate educational instruction and
learning, including through remote instruction;
(B) in the case of an eligible recipient described
in section 2(8)(D)(iii), to operate the minority
business enterprise; or
(C) in the case of an eligible recipient described
in section 2(8)(D)(iv), to operate the organization.
(2) Content.--The rules promulgated under paragraph (1)
shall--
(A) establish a method for identifying which
eligible recipients in anchor communities have the
greatest unmet financial needs;
(B) ensure that grants under the Pilot Program are
made--
(i) to eligible recipients identified under
the method established under subparagraph (A);
and
(ii) in a manner that best achieves the
purposes of the Pilot Program;
(C) provide that a recipient of a grant under the
Pilot Program--
(i) shall use eligible equipment for a
purpose that the recipient considers to be
appropriate, subject to any restriction
provided in those rules (or any successor
rules);
(ii) if the recipient lends, or otherwise
provides, eligible equipment to students or
patrons, shall prioritize lending or providing
to such individuals that the recipient believes
do not have access to that equipment, subject
to any restriction provided in those rules (or
any successor rules); and
(iii) may not sell or otherwise transfer
eligible equipment in exchange for any thing
(including a service) of value; and
(D) include audit requirements that--
(i) ensure that a recipient of a grant made
under the Pilot Program uses grant funds in
compliance with the requirements of this
section and the overall purpose of the Pilot
Program; and
(ii) prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in the
operation of the Pilot Program.
(b) Fund.--
(1) Establishment.--There is established in the Treasury of
the United States a fund to be known as the Connecting Minority
Communities Fund.
(2) Use of fund.--Amounts in the Connecting Minority
Communities Fund established under paragraph (1) shall be
available to the Assistant Secretary to provide support under
the rules promulgated under subsection (a).
(c) Interagency Coordination.--When making grants under the Pilot
Program, the Assistant Secretary shall coordinate with other Federal
agencies, including the Commission and the Department of Education.
(d) Audits.--
(1) In general.--For each of fiscal years 2021 and 2022,
the Inspector General of the Department of Commerce shall
conduct an audit of the Pilot Program according to the
requirements established under subsection (a)(2)(D).
(2) Report.--After completing each audit conducted under
paragraph (1), the Inspector General of the Department of
Commerce shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Energy
and Commerce of the House of Representatives a report that
details the findings of the audit.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to the Connecting Minority Communities Fund established
under subsection (b) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2020, which shall
remain available until expended.
(f) Termination.--The Pilot Program, including all reporting
requirements under this section (except for the report required under
subsection (g)), shall terminate on the date on which the amounts made
available to carry out the Pilot Program are fully expended.
(g) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date on which the
Pilot Program terminates under subsection (f), the Assistant Secretary,
after consulting with the Task Force and eligible recipients that
received grants under the Pilot Program, shall submit to the Committee
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the
Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a
report that--
(1) describes the manner in which the Pilot Program was
carried out;
(2) identifies each eligible recipient that received a
grant under the Pilot Program; and
(3) contains--
(A) information regarding the effectiveness of the
Pilot Program;
(B) recommendations regarding how the capacity of
the Pilot Program could be expanded, including an
expansion to include as institutions that are eligible
to receive grants under the Pilot Program--
(i) Alaska Native-serving institutions and
Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, as those
terms are defined in section 317(b) of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1059d(b)); and
(ii) Asian American and Native American
Pacific Islander-serving institutions, as that
term is defined in section 320(b) of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059g(b)); and
(C) an estimate of the cost of funding the
expansion described in subparagraph (B).
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
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