Community Broadband Mapping Act

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 2400 To allow Rural Utilities Service telecommunications grants to be made for the collection of broadband infrastructure data by local governments, economic development or other community organizations, electric or tele- phone cooperatives, and small internet providers. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 8, 2021 Mr. DELGADO (for himself and Mr. MCKINLEY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provi- sions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To allow Rural Utilities Service telecommunications grants to be made for the collection of broadband infrastructure data by local governments, economic development or other community organizations, electric or telephone co- operatives, and small internet providers. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Community Broadband 4 Mapping Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:13 May 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2400.IH H2400 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 2400 IH SEC. 2. RURAL BROADBAND ACCESS GRANTS. 1 Section 601 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 2 (7 U.S.C. 950bb) is amended by adding at the end the 3 following: 4 ‘‘(l) AUTHORITY TO MAKE GRANTS TO CERTAIN EN- 5 TITIES TO COLLECT BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE 6 DATA.—Notwithstanding any other provision of this sec- 7 tion, the Secretary may make a grant under this section 8 to a unit of local government, an economic development 9 or other community organization, an electric cooperative 10 (as defined in section 3 of the Federal Power Act) that 11 sells electric energy to persons in rural areas, a telephone 12 cooperative, or an internet service provider that has not 13 more than 100,000 subscribers, for the purpose of ena- 14 bling the collection of data relating to where broadband 15 infrastructure is located and which homes are provided 16 with non-satellite broadband service, without regard to 17 any household service percentage requirement, and in de- 18 termining the eligibility of any such entity for such a 19 grant, the term ‘rural area’ means an area that is not in 20 an urbanized area or urban cluster with a population of 21 25,000 or more as determined by the Bureau of the Cen- 22 sus.’’. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:13 May 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2400.IH H2400 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 2400 IH SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF MIDDLE MILE INFRASTRUCTURE 1 INTO RURAL AREAS GRANTS. 2 Section 602 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 3 (7 U.S.C. 950bb–1) is amended by adding at the end the 4 following: 5 ‘‘(h) AUTHORITY TO MAKE GRANTS TO CERTAIN 6 ENTITIES TO COLLECT BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE 7 DATA.—Notwithstanding any other provision of this sec- 8 tion, the Secretary may make a grant under this section 9 to a unit of local government, an economic development 10 or other community organization, an electric cooperative 11 (as defined in section 3 of the Federal Power Act) that 12 sells electric energy to persons in rural areas, a telephone 13 cooperative, or an internet service provider that has not 14 more than 100,000 subscribers, for the purpose of ena- 15 bling the collection of data relating to where broadband 16 infrastructure is located and which homes are provided 17 with non-satellite broadband service, without regard to 18 any household service percentage requirement, and in de- 19 termining the eligibility of any such entity for such a 20 grant, the term ‘rural area’ means an area that is not in 21 an urbanized area or urban cluster with a population of 22 25,000 or more as determined by the Bureau of the Cen- 23 sus.’’. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:13 May 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2400.IH H2400 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 2400 IH SEC. 4. INNOVATIVE BROADBAND ADVANCEMENT GRANTS. 1 Section 603 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 2 (7 U.S.C. 950bb–2) is amended by adding at the end the 3 following: 4 ‘‘(f) AUTHORITY TO MAKE GRANTS TO CERTAIN EN- 5 TITIES TO COLLECT BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE 6 DATA.—Notwithstanding any other provision of this sec- 7 tion, the Secretary may make a grant under this section 8 to a unit of local government, an economic development 9 or other community organization, an electric cooperative 10 (as defined in section 3 of the Federal Power Act) that 11 sells electric energy to persons in rural areas, a telephone 12 cooperative, or an internet service provider that has not 13 more than 100,000 subscribers, for the purpose of ena- 14 bling the collection of data relating to where broadband 15 infrastructure is located and which homes are provided 16 with non-satellite broadband service, without regard to 17 any household service percentage requirement, and in de- 18 termining the eligibility of any such entity for such a 19 grant, the term ‘rural area’ means an area that is not in 20 an urbanized area or urban cluster with a population of 21 25,000 or more as determined by the Bureau of the Cen- 22 sus.’’. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:13 May 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2400.IH H2400 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 2400 IH SEC. 5. COMMUNITY CONNECT GRANTS. 1 Section 604 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 2 (7 U.S.C. 950bb–3) is amended by adding at the end the 3 following: 4 ‘‘(h) AUTHORITY TO MAKE GRANTS TO CERTAIN 5 ENTITIES TO COLLECT BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE 6 DATA.—Notwithstanding any other provision of this sec- 7 tion, the Secretary may make a grant under this section 8 to a unit of local government, an economic development 9 or other community organization, an electric cooperative 10 (as defined in section 3 of the Federal Power Act) that 11 sells electric energy to persons in rural areas, a telephone 12 cooperative, or an internet service provider that has not 13 more than 100,000 subscribers, for the purpose of ena- 14 bling the collection of data relating to where broadband 15 infrastructure is located and which homes are provided 16 with non-satellite broadband service, without regard to 17 any household service percentage requirement, and in de- 18 termining the eligibility of any such entity for such a 19 grant, the term ‘rural area’ means an area that is not in 20 an urbanized area or urban cluster with a population of 21 25,000 or more as determined by the Bureau of the Cen- 22 sus.’’. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:13 May 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2400.IH H2400 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 2400 IH SEC. 6. DISTANCE LEARNING AND TELEMEDICINE GRANTS. 1 Section 2333 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation 2 and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 950aaa–2) is amended 3 by adding at the end the following: 4 ‘‘(j) AUTHORITY TO MAKE GRANTS TO CERTAIN EN- 5 TITIES TO COLLECT BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE 6 DATA.—Notwithstanding any other provision of this sec- 7 tion, the Secretary may make a grant under this section 8 to a unit of local government, an economic development 9 or other community organization, an electric cooperative 10 (as defined in section 3 of the Federal Power Act) that 11 sells electric energy to persons in rural areas, a telephone 12 cooperative, or an internet service provider that has not 13 more than 100,000 subscribers, for the purpose of ena- 14 bling the collection of data relating to where broadband 15 infrastructure is located and which homes are provided 16 with non-satellite broadband service, without regard to 17 any household service percentage requirement, and in de- 18 termining the eligibility of any such entity for such a 19 grant, the term ‘rural area’ means an area that is not in 20 an urbanized area or urban cluster with a population of 21 25,000 or more as determined by the Bureau of the Cen- 22 sus.’’. 23 SEC. 7. RECONNECT GRANTS. 24 Section 779 of division A of the Consolidated Appro- 25 priations Act, 2018 (132 Stat. 399; Public Law 115–141) 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:13 May 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2400.IH H2400 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 2400 IH is amended by inserting ‘‘: Provided further, That, not- 1 withstanding any other provision of this section, the Sec- 2 retary may make a grant under this section to a unit of 3 local government, an economic development or other com- 4 munity organization, an electric cooperative (as defined in 5 section 3 of the Federal Power Act) that sells electric en- 6 ergy to persons in rural areas, a telephone cooperative, 7 or an internet service provider that has not more than 8 100,000 subscribers, for the purpose of enabling the col- 9 lection of data relating to where broadband infrastructure 10 is located and which homes are provided with non-satellite 11 broadband service, without regard to any household serv- 12 ice percentage requirement, and in determining the eligi- 13 bility of any such entity for such a grant, the term ‘rural 14 area’ means an area that is not in an urbanized area or 15 urban cluster with a population of 25,000 or more as de- 16 termined by the Bureau of the Census’’ before the period. 17 SEC. 8. EFFECTIVE DATE. 18 The amendments made by this Act shall take effect 19 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act. 20 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:13 May 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H2400.IH H2400 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS