The United States Senate has passed S.2585, which is known as either the “Modernization, Accountability, and Planning for Broadband Funding Act” (or the “MAP for Broadband Funding Act”). It is an effort to study and, if necessary, improve oversight in federal funding for broadband infrastructure.
The bipartisan bill, which was introduced about a year ago by Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), tasks the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) with collecting data in order to most effectively use federal funds for broadband deployment and avoid inefficient use of and fragmentation of funding.
The bill mandates that an FCC notice of inquiry exploring optimal functionality and transparency be conducted within 270 days of the bill’s enactment. Any FCC commissioner can ask for a vote on the inquiry.
The bill lays out six evaluation parameters. It instructs the FCC to look at the adequacy of federal agencies’ collection of broadband data; the usability of the data; the timeliness of updates from federal agencies; whether an expansion of data collected for the map is justified; and whether third party mapping or FCC mapping tools be used to augment or streamline the process.
The bill also mandates that the General Accountability Office (GAO) conduct a study looking at the “roles, responsibilities, and progress to date” of federal agencies regarding the broadband map. The study must be conducted no later than 180 days after the act’s enactment.
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