H.R. 5497 — Introduced in House

I 115th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 5497 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 12, 2018 Mr. Peterson (for himself and Mr. Cramer) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To direct the Federal Communications Commission to establish the Office of Rural Telecommunications, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Office of Rural Telecommunications Act. 2. Office of Rural Telecommunications (a) Establishment Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commission shall establish an Office of Rural Telecommunications. (b) Duties The Office shall have the following duties: (1) Coordinate efforts with the Rural Utilities Service of the Department of Agriculture and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to ensure the mutual and complementary success of the Commission’s initiatives and the programs overseen by these other agencies. (2) Coordinate with the Universal Service Administrative Company to maintain updated information regarding Connect America Fund programs that deploy rural broadband. (3) Coordinate with other agencies to remove barriers to broadband deployment. (4) Assess and publish the impact of the actions of the Commission on rural consumers before the actions are voted upon or taken. (5) Measure broadband adoption rates in rural areas. (6) Coordinate with other bureaus and offices of the Commission and other agencies to ensure consistency and updating of broadband mapping in rural areas. (7) Not less frequently than annually, report to Congress on the efforts of the Office to promote and sustain quality and affordable rural communications, including voice and broadband. (8) Dedicate a representative to address stakeholder questions and concerns. (c) No additional reporting requirements Nothing in this section shall create any additional reporting requirement for a broadband provider. (d) Definitions In this section: (1) Agency The term agency has the meaning given that term in section 551 of title 5, United States Code. (2) Broadband The term broadband means— (A) a mass-market retail service by wire or radio that provides the capability to transmit data to and receive data from all or substantially all internet endpoints, including any capabilities that are incidental to and enable the operation of the communications service, but excluding dial-up internet access service; and (B) any service that the Commission finds to be providing a functional equivalent of the service described in subparagraph (A). (3) Commission The term Commission means the Federal Communications Commission. (4) Office The term Office means the Office of Rural Telecommunications established pursuant to subsection (a). (5) Rural area The term rural area means any area other than— (A) a city, town, or incorporated area that has a population of more than 20,000 inhabitants; or (B) an urbanized area contiguous and adjacent to a city or town that has a population of more than 50,000 inhabitants.