,,ii #aaeth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #bcdc ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,january #be1 #bjah,mr4 ,wicker 7for himself1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 ,mr4 ,daines1 and ,mr4 ,tester7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation ,a ,,bill ,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 cropland and ranchland of the ,united ,states4 7#e7 ,the deployment of broadband ,internet access service to unserved and underserved cropland and ranchland 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 cropland and ranchland1 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 infrastructure on unserved and underserved cropland and ranchland to promote precision agriculture4 #c4 ,task force 7a7 ,definitions 7#a7 ,in general ,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 ,meeting the ,connectivity and ,technology ,needs of ,precision ,agriculture in the ,united ,states1 as established under subsection 7b74 7#b7 ,agricultural terms ,for purposes of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall define the terms agricultural operations1 cropland1 and ranchland4 7b7 ,establishment ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,commission shall establish the ,task ,force for ,meeting the ,connectivity and ,technology ,needs of ,precision ,agriculture in the ,united ,states4 7c7 ,duties 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,task ,force shall collaborate with the ,secretary and public and private stakeholders in the agriculture and technology fields to-- 7,a7 identify and measure current gaps in broadband ,internet access service coverage of cropland and ranchland2 7,b7 assemble a comprehensive guide of all ,federal programs or resources working to expand broadband ,internet access service on unserved cropland and ranchland2 7,c7 develop policy recommendations to promote the rapid1 expanded deployment of fixed and mobile broadband ,internet access service on unserved croplands and ranchlands1 with a goal of achieving reliable service on #ie percent of croplands and ranchlands in the ,united ,states by #bjbe2 7,d7 promote effective policy and regulatory solutions that encourage the adoption of broadband ,internet access service on farms and ranches and promote precision agriculture2 7,e7 propose new rules of the ,commission or amendments to existing rules of the ,commission to achieve the goals and purposes described in subparagraph 7,c72 7,f7 recommend specific steps that the ,commission and other ,federal agencies should take to obtain reliable and standardized data measurements of broadband ,internet access service coverage as may be necessary to target funding support to unserved croplands and ranchlands in need of broadband ,internet access service2 and 7,g7 recommend specific steps that the ,commission should take to ensure that the expertise of the ,secretary and available farm data are reflected in developing ,federal programs to deploy broadband ,internet access service infrastructure and to direct available funding to unserved croplands and ranchlands where needed4 7#b7 ,consultation ,the ,task ,force shall consult with the ,secretary to develop recommendations for the ,commission that utilize the expertise1 data mapping information1 and resources of the ,department that the ,department uses to identify croplands1 ranchlands1 and other areas with agricultural operations4 7d7 ,membership ,the ,task ,force shall be-- 7#a7 composed of not more than #ae members who shall-- 7,a7 be selected by the ,chairman of the ,commission in consultation with appropriate staff of the ,commission and with the ,secretary2 and 7,b7 include-- 7i7 agricultural producers representing diverse geographic regions and farm sizes1 including owners and operators of farms of less than #ajj acres2 7ii7 ,internet service providers1 including regional or rural fixed and mobile broadband ,internet access service providers and telecommunications infrastructure providers2 7iii7 representatives from the satellite industry2 7iv7 representatives from precision agriculture equipment manufacturers1 including drone manufacturers1 manufacturers of autonomous agricultural machinery1 and manufacturers of farming robotics technologies2 and 7v7 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 7e7 ,reports ,not later than #a year after the date on which the ,commission establishes the ,task ,force1 and annually thereafter1 the ,commission shall submit to ,congress a report that details-- 7#a7 the status of fixed and mobile broadband ,internet access service coverage of croplands and ranchlands2 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 high speed broadband ,internet access service on croplands and ranchlands and the limitations of current1 as of the date of the report1 measurement processes4 7f7 ,existing funds ,the ,commission shall use existing funds of the ,commission to carry out the ,task ,force and the duties of the ,commission under this section4 7g7 ,termination ,the ,task ,force shall terminate on ,january #a1 #bjbe4