H.R. 1044 — Introduced in House

I 117th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1044 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 15, 2021Ms. Craig introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To create a task force at the Federal Communications Commission to ensure the policy and funding decisions of the Commission are informed by data collection and analysis required in title VIII of the Communications Act of 1934, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Broadband - Measuring Availability and Aligning Policies Task Force Act or the Broadband MAPS Act. 2. Broadband MAAPS Task Force (a) Establishment Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this section, the Commission shall establish the Broadband MAAPS Task Force. (b) Chair The Commission shall designate a Chair of the Task Force. (c) Membership The members of the Task Force shall include designees selected by the Commission from bureaus and offices of the Commission. (d) Responsibilities The Task Force shall be responsible for the following: (1) Coordinate, monitor, and oversee the work of the bureaus and offices to implement title VIII of the Communications Act (47 U.S.C. 641 et seq.) and the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 (47 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), including creating and updating the broadband availability maps. (2) Identify any ongoing and anticipated Commission action, including any report, rulemaking, and funding program, such as the Universal Service Fund programs, that should be informed by the broadband availability maps. (3) Ensure that any relevant ongoing and anticipated Commission action, including any report, rulemaking, and funding program, such as the Universal Service Fund programs, is informed by the broadband availability maps. (4) Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this section, provide the committees of jurisdiction an estimate of the ongoing cost associated with maintaining the broadband availability maps. (5) Provide any recommendation, if necessary, to the committees of jurisdiction to ensure that the Commission can produce accurate broadband availability maps with sufficient granularity to allow the Commission to determine the areas in the United States that lack broadband internet access service. (e) Definitions In this section: (1) Broadband availability maps The term broadband availability maps means the maps required under section 802 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 642). (2) Broadband internet access service The term broadband internet access service has the meaning given that term in section 8.1(b) of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor regulation. (3) Commission The term Commission means the Federal Communications Commission. (4) Committees of jurisdiction The term committees of jurisdiction means the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. (5) Task force The term Task Force means the Broadband MAAPS Task Force established pursuant to subsection (a). (6) Universal Service Fund program The term Universal Service Fund program means any program authorized in section 254(h) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254(h)).