#aaeth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #fjj ,,an ,,act ,to promote ,internet access in developing countries and update foreign policy toward the ,internet1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,digital ,global ,access ,policy ,act of #bjag or the ,digital ,,gap ,act4 #b4 ,purpose ,the purpose of this ,act is to-- 7#a7 encourage the efforts of developing countries to improve mobile and fixed access to the ,internet in order to catalyze innovation1 spur economic growth and job creation1 improve health1 education1 and financial services1 reduce poverty and gender inequality1 mitigate disasters1 promote democracy and good governance1 and strengthen cybersecurity2 7#b7 promote build once policies and approaches and the multi-stakeholder approach to ,internet governance2 and 7#c7 ensure the effective use of ,united ,states foreign assistance resources toward this end4 #c4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the number of ,internet users worldwide has more than tripled from #a billion to #c4b billion since #bjje1 yet the growth rate of ,internet access is slowing4 ,an estimated #d4b billion people1 or #fj percent of the world's population1 remain offline1 an estimated #ge percent of the offline population lives in just #bj countries1 and rural1 female1 elderly1 illiterate1 and low-income populations are being left behind4 7#b7 ,studies suggest that women across the developing world are disproportionately affected by a digital gap1 and that bringing an additional #fjj million women online would contribute #ac billion to #ah billion to annual ,,gdp across #add developing countries4 7#c7 ,internet access in developing countries is most often hampered by a lack of infrastructure and a poor regulatory environment for investment4 7#d7 ,build once policies and approaches1 which seek to coordinate public and private sector investments in roads and other critical infrastructure1 can minimize the number and scale of excavation and construction activities when installing telecommunications infrastructure in rights-of-way1 thereby reducing installation costs for high-speed ,internet networks and serving as a development best practice4 #d4 ,statement of policy ,congress declares that it is the policy of the ,united ,states to consult1 partner1 and coordinate with the governments of foreign countries1 international organizations1 regional economic communities1 businesses1 civil society1 and other stakeholders in a concerted effort to close the digital gap by promoting-- 7#a7 first-time ,internet access to mobile or broadband ,internet for at least #a4e billion people in developing countries by #bjbj in both urban and rural areas2 7#b7 ,internet deployment and related coordination1 capacity building1 and build once policies and approaches in developing countries1 including actions to encourage-- 7,a7 standardization of build once policies and approaches for the inclusion of broadband conduit in rights-of-way projects that are funded1 co-funded1 or partially financed by the ,united ,states or any international organization that includes the ,united ,states as a member1 in consultation with telecommunications providers1 unless a cost-benefit analysis determines that the cost of such approach outweighs the benefits2 7,b7 adoption and integration of build once policies and approaches into the development and investment strategies of national and local government agencies of developing countries and donor governments and organizations that will enhance coordination with the private sector for road building1 pipe laying1 and other major infrastructure projects2 and 7,c7 provision of increased financial support by international organizations1 including through grants1 loans1 and technical assistance1 to expand information and communications access and ,internet connectivity2 7#c7 policy changes that encourage first-time affordable access to the ,internet in developing countries1 including actions to encourage-- 7,a7 integration of universal and gender-equitable ,internet access goals1 to be informed by the collection of related gender disaggregated data1 and ,internet tools into national development plans and ,united ,states ,government country-level development strategies2 7,b7 reforms of competition laws and spectrum allocation processes that may impede the ability of companies to provide ,internet services2 and 7,c7 efforts to improve procurement processes to help attract and incentivize investment in ,internet infrastructure2 7#d7 the removal of tax and regulatory barriers to ,internet access2 7#e7 the use of the ,internet to increase economic growth and trade1 including-- 7,a7 policies and strategies to remove restrictions to e-commerce1 cross-border information flows1 and competitive marketplaces2 and 7,b7 entrepreneurship and distance learning enabled by access to technology2 7#f7 use of the ,internet to bolster democracy1 government accountability1 transparency1 and human rights1 including through the establishments of policies1 initiatives1 and investments that-- 7,a7 support the development of national ,internet plans that are consistent with ,united ,states human rights goals1 including freedom of expression1 religion1 assembly1 and association2 7,b7 expand online access to government information and services to enhance government accountability and service delivery1 including for areas in which government may have limited presence2 7,c7 advance the principles of responsible ,internet governance1 including commitments to maintain open and equitable access2 and 7,d7 support programs1 research1 and technologies that safeguard human rights and fundamental freedoms online1 and enable political organizing and activism1 free speech1 and religious expression that are in compliance with international human rights standards2 7#g7 ,internet access and inclusion into ,internet policymaking for women1 people with disabilities1 minorities1 low-income and marginalized groups1 and underserved populations2 7#h7 cybersecurity and data protection1 including international use of the ,national ,institute of ,standards and ,technology 7,,nist7 ,framework for ,improving ,critical ,infrastructure ,cybersecurity1 that are industry-led and globally recognized cybersecurity standards and best practices2 and 7#i7 inter-agency coordination and cooperation across all executive branch agencies regarding the construction and promotion of ,internet initiatives as a greater part of ,united ,states foreign policy4 #e4 ,leveraging international support ,in pursuing the policy described in section #d1 the ,president should direct ,united ,states representatives to appropriate international bodies to use the influence of the ,united ,states1 consistent with the broad development goals of the ,united ,states1 to advocate that each such body-- 7#a7 commit to increase efforts and coordination to promote affordable and gender-equitable ,internet access1 in partnership with stakeholders and consistent with host countries' absorptive capacity2 7#b7 integrate affordable and gender-equitable ,internet access data into existing economic and business assessments1 evaluations1 and indexes such as the ,millennium ,challenge ,corporation constraints analysis1 the ,doing ,business ,report1 ,international ,monetary ,fund ,article ,,iv assessments and country reports1 the ,open ,data ,barometer1 and the ,affordability ,drivers ,index2 7#c7 standardize inclusion of broadband conduit as part of highway or comparable construction projects in developing countries1 in consultation with telecommunications providers1 unless such inclusion would create an undue burden1 is not necessary based on the availability of existing broadband infrastructure1 or a cost-benefit analysis determines that the cost outweighs the benefits2 7#d7 provide technical assistance to the regulatory authorities in developing countries to remove unnecessary barriers to investment in otherwise commercially viable projects and strengthen weak regulations or develop new regulations to support market growth and development2 7#e7 utilize clear1 accountable1 and metric-based targets1 including targets with gender-disaggregated data1 to measure the effectiveness of efforts to promote ,internet access2 and 7#f7 promote and protect human rights online1 such as the freedoms of expression1 religion1 assembly1 and association1 through resolutions1 public statements1 projects1 and initiatives1 and advocate that other member states of such bodies are held accountable when major violations are uncovered4 #f4 ,department of ,state organization 7a7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that the ,secretary of ,state should seek to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of ,united ,states foreign assistance efforts to carry out the policies and objectives established by this ,act1 including by redesignating an existing ,assistant ,secretary position in the ,department of ,state to be the ,assistant ,secretary for ,cyberspace to lead the ,department's diplomatic cyberspace policy generally1 including for cybersecurity1 ,internet access1 ,internet freedom1 and to promote an open1 secure1 and reliable information and communications technology infrastructure4 7b7 ,activities ,in recognition of the added value of technical knowledge and expertise in the policymaking and diplomatic channels1 the ,secretary of ,state shall-- 7#a7 update existing training programs relevant to policy discussions2 7#b7 promote the recruitment of candidates with technical expertise into the ,civil ,service and the ,foreign ,service2 and 7#c7 work to improve inter-agency coordination and cooperation on cybersecurity and ,internet initiatives4 7c7 ,offset ,to offset any costs incurred by the ,department of ,state to carry out the designation of an ,assistant ,secretary for ,cyberspace in accordance with subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of ,state shall eliminate such positions within the ,department of ,state1 unless otherwise authorized or required by law1 as the ,secretary determines to be necessary to fully offset such costs4 7d7 ,rule of construction ,the redesignation of the ,assistant ,secretary position in the ,department of ,state described in subsection 7a7 may not be construed as increasing the number of ,assistant ,secretary positions at the ,department above the current level of #bd as authorized in section #a7;c77#a7 of the ,state ,department ,basic ,authorities ,act of #aief 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bfea;a7c77#a774 #g4 ,,usaid ,it is the sense of ,congress that the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development should-- 7#a7 integrate efforts to expand ,internet access1 develop appropriate technologies1 and enhance digital literacy into the education1 development1 and economic growth programs of the agency1 where appropriate2 7#b7 expand the utilization of information and communications technologies in humanitarian aid and disaster relief responses and ,united ,states operations involving stabilization and security to improve donor coordination1 reduce duplication and waste1 capture and share lessons learned1 and augment disaster preparedness and risk mitigation strategies2 and 7#c7 establish and promote guidelines for the protection of personal information of individuals served by humanitarian1 disaster1 and development programs implemented directly through the ,united ,states ,government1 through contracts funded by the ,united ,states ,government1 and by international organizations4 #h4 ,peace ,corps ,section #c of the ,peace ,corps ,act 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bejb7 is amended by-- 7#a7 redesignating subsection 7h7 as subsection 7e72 and 7#b7 adding at the end the following new subsections3 7f7 ,it is the sense of ,congress that access to technology can transform agriculture1 community economic development1 education1 environment1 health1 and youth development which are the sectors in which ,peace ,corps currently develops positions for ,volunteers4 7g7 ,in giving attention to the programs1 projects1 training1 and other activities referred to in subsection 7f71 the ,peace ,corps should develop positions for ,volunteers that are focused on leveraging technology for development1 education1 and social and economic mobility4 4 #i4 ,partnership framework ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,president shall transmit to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate plans to promote partnerships by ,united ,states development agencies1 including the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development and the ,millennium ,challenge ,corporation1 and international agencies funded by the ,united ,states ,government with the private sector and other stakeholders to expand affordable and gender equitable access to the ,internet in developing countries1 including the following elements3 7#a7 ,methods for stakeholders to partner with such agencies in order to provide ,internet access or ,internet infrastructure in developing countries4 7#b7 ,methods of outreach to stakeholders to explore partnership opportunities for expanding ,internet access or ,internet infrastructure1 including coordination with the private sector1 when financing roads and telecommunications infrastructure4 7#c7 ,methods for early consultation with stakeholders concerning projects in telecommunications and road construction to provide ,internet access or ,internet infrastructure4 #aj4 ,reporting requirement on implementation efforts ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,president shall transmit to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate a report on efforts to implement the policies specified in this ,act and a discussion of the plans and existing efforts by the ,united ,states ,government in developing countries to accomplish the following3 7#a7 ,developing a technical and regulatory road map for promoting ,internet access in developing countries and a path to implementing such road map4 7#b7 ,identifying the regulatory barriers that may unduly impede ,internet access1 including regulation of wireline broadband deployment or the infrastructure to augment wireless broadband deployment4 7#c7 ,strengthening and supporting development of regulations that incentivize market growth and sector development4 7#d7 ,encouraging further public and private investment in ,internet infrastructure1 including broadband networks and services4 7#e7 ,increasing gender-equitable ,internet access and otherwise encourage or support ,internet deployment1 competition1 and adoption4 7#f7 ,improving the affordability of ,internet access4 7#g7 ,promoting technology and cybersecurity capacity building efforts and consult technical experts for advice regarding options to accelerate the advancement of ,internet deployment1 adoption1 and usage4 7#h7 ,promoting ,internet freedom globally and include civil society and the private sector in the formulation of policies1 projects1 and advocacy efforts to protect human rights online4 7#i7 ,promoting and strengthening the multi-stakeholder model of ,internet governance and actively participate in multi-stakeholder international fora1 such as the ,internet ,governance ,forum4 7#aj7 ,advancing a strategy to promote-- 7,a7 global cybersecurity policy consistent with the ,national ,institute of ,standards and ,technology 7,,nist7 ,framework for ,improving ,critical ,infrastructure ,cybersecurity2 7,b7 global ,internet freedom principles1 such as the freedoms of expression1 religion1 assembly1 and association1 while combating efforts to impose restrictions on such freedoms2 and 7,c7 improved inter-agency coordination and cooperation on cybersecurity and ,internet initiatives4 #aa4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,broadband ,the term broadband means an ,internet ,protocol-based transmission service that enables users to send and receive voice1 video1 data1 graphics1 or a combination thereof4 7#b7 ,broadband conduit ,the term broadband conduit means a conduit for fiber optic cables that support broadband or wireless facilities for broadband service4 7#c7 ,build once policies and approaches ,the term build once policies and approaches means policies or practices that minimize the number and scale of excavation and construction activities when installing telecommunications infrastructure in rights-of-way4 7#d7 ,cyberspace ,the term cyberspace means the interdependent network of information technology infrastructures1 and includes the ,internet1 telecommunications networks1 computer systems1 and embedded processors and controllers in critical industries1 and includes the virtual environment of information and interactions between people4 7#e7 ,stakeholders ,the term stakeholders means the private sector1 the public sector1 cooperatives1 civil society1 the technical community that develops ,internet technologies1 standards1 implementation1 operations1 and applications1 and other groups that are working to increase ,internet access or are impacted by the lack of ,internet access in their communities4 ,passed the ,house of ,representatives ,january #bd1 #bjag4;,clerk4