#aaeth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #bcdc ,,an ,,act ,to require the ,federal ,communications ,commission to establish a task force for meeting the connectivity and technology needs of precision agriculture in the ,united ,states4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,precision ,agriculture ,connectivity ,act of #bjah4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,precision agriculture technologies and practices allow farmers to significantly increase crop yields1 eliminate overlap in operations1 and reduce inputs such as seed1 fertilizer1 pesticides1 water1 and fuel4 7#b7 ,these technologies allow farmers to collect data in real time about their fields1 automate field management1 and maximize resources4 7#c7 ,studies estimate that precision agriculture technologies can reduce agricultural operation costs by up to #be dollars per acre and increase farm yields by up to #gj percent by #bjej4 7#d7 ,the critical cost savings and productivity benefits of precision agriculture cannot be realized without the availability of reliable broadband ,internet access service delivered to the agricultural land of the ,united ,states4 7#e7 ,the deployment of broadband ,internet access service to unserved agricultural land is critical to the ,united ,states economy and to the continued leadership of the ,united ,states in global food production4 7#f7 ,despite the growing demand for broadband ,internet access service on agricultural land1 broadband ,internet access service is not consistently available where needed for agricultural operations4 7#g7 ,the ,federal ,communications ,commission has an important role to play in the deployment of broadband ,internet access service on unserved agricultural land to promote precision agriculture4 #c4 ,task force 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section-- 7#a7 the term broadband ,internet access service has the meaning given the term in section #h4b of title #dg1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations1 or any successor regulation2 7#b7 the term ,commission means the ,federal ,communications ,commission2 7#c7 the term ,department means the ,department of ,agriculture2 7#d7 the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,agriculture2 and 7#e7 the term ,task ,force means the ,task ,force for ,reviewing the ,connectivity and ,technology ,needs of ,precision ,agriculture in the ,united ,states established under subsection 7b74 7b7 ,establishment ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,commission shall establish the ,task ,force for ,reviewing the ,connectivity and ,technology ,needs of ,precision ,agriculture in the ,united ,states4 7c7 ,duties 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,task ,force shall consult with the ,secretary1 or a designee of the ,secretary1 and collaborate with public and private stakeholders in the agriculture and technology fields to-- 7,a7 identify and measure current gaps in the availability of broadband ,internet access service on agricultural land2 7,b7 develop policy recommendations to promote the rapid1 expanded deployment of broadband ,internet access service on unserved agricultural land1 with a goal of achieving reliable capabilities on #ie percent of agricultural land in the ,united ,states by #bjbe2 7,c7 promote effective policy and regulatory solutions that encourage the adoption of broadband ,internet access service on farms and ranches and promote precision agriculture2 7,d7 recommend specific new rules or amendments to existing rules of the ,commission that the ,commission should issue to achieve the goals and purposes of the policy recommendations described in subparagraph 7,b72 7,e7 recommend specific steps that the ,commission should take to obtain reliable and standardized data measurements of the availability of broadband ,internet access service as may be necessary to target funding support1 from future programs of the ,commission dedicated to the deployment of broadband ,internet access service1 to unserved agricultural land in need of broadband ,internet access service2 and 7,f7 recommend specific steps that the ,commission should consider to ensure that the expertise of the ,secretary and available farm data are reflected in future programs of the ,commission dedicated to the infrastructure deployment of broadband ,internet access service and to direct available funding to unserved agricultural land where needed4 7#b7 ,no duplicate data reporting ,in performing the duties of the ,commission under paragraph 7#a71 the ,commission shall ensure that no provider of broadband ,internet access service is required to report data to the ,commission that is1 on the day before the date of enactment of this ,act1 required to be reported by the provider of broadband ,internet access service4 7#c7 ,hold harmless ,the ,task ,force and the ,commission shall not interpret the phrase future programs of the ,commission1 as used in subparagraphs 7,e7 and 7,f7 of paragraph 7#a71 to include the universal service programs of the ,commission established under section #bed of the ,communications ,act of #aicd 7#dg ,u4,s4,c4 #bed74 7#d7 ,consultation ,the ,secretary1 or a designee of the ,secretary1 shall explain and make available to the ,task ,force the expertise1 data mapping information1 and resources of the ,department that the ,department uses to identify cropland1 ranchland1 and other areas with agricultural operations that may be helpful in developing the recommendations required under paragraph 7#a74 7#e7 ,list of available ,federal programs and resources ,not later than #ahj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary and the ,commission shall jointly submit to the ,task ,force a list of all ,federal programs or resources available for the expansion of broadband ,internet access service on unserved agricultural land to assist the ,task ,force in carrying out the duties of the ,task ,force4 7d7 ,membership 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,task ,force shall be-- 7,a7 composed of not more than #ae voting members who shall-- 7i7 be selected by the ,chairman of the ,commission2 and 7ii7 include-- 7,i7 agricultural producers representing diverse geographic regions and farm sizes1 including owners and operators of farms of less than #ajj acres2 7,,ii7 an agricultural producer representing tribal agriculture2 7,,iii7 ,internet service providers1 including regional or rural fixed and mobile broadband ,internet access service providers and telecommunications infrastructure providers2 7,,iv7 representatives from the electric cooperative industry2 7,v7 representatives from the satellite industry2 7,,vi7 representatives from precision agriculture equipment manufacturers1 including drone manufacturers1 manufacturers of autonomous agricultural machinery1 and manufacturers of farming robotics technologies2 and 7,,vii7 representatives from ,state and local governments2 and 7,b7 fairly balanced in terms of technologies1 points of view1 and fields represented on the ,task ,force4 7#b7 ,period of appointment2 vacancies 7,a7 ,in general ,a member of the ,committee appointed under paragraph 7#a77;,a7 shall serve for a single term of #b years4 7,b7 ,vacancies ,any vacancy in the ,task ,force-- 7i7 shall not affect the powers of the ,task ,force2 and 7ii7 shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment4 7#c7 ,ex-officio member ,the ,secretary1 or a designee of the ,secretary1 shall serve as an ex-officio1 nonvoting member of the ,task ,force4 7e7 ,reports ,not later than #a year after the date on which the ,commission establishes the ,task ,force1 and annually thereafter1 the ,task ,force shall submit to the ,chairman of the ,commission a report1 which shall be made public not later than #cj days after the date on which the ,chairman receives the report1 that details-- 7#a7 the status of fixed and mobile broadband ,internet access service coverage of agricultural land2 7#b7 the projected future connectivity needs of agricultural operations1 farmers1 and ranchers2 and 7#c7 the steps being taken to accurately measure the availability of broadband ,internet access service on agricultural land and the limitations of current1 as of the date of the report1 measurement processes4 7f7 ,termination ,the ,commission shall renew the ,task ,force every #b years until the ,task ,force terminates on ,january #a1 #bjbe4 ,passed the ,senate ,december #f1 #bjah4,secretary