ACCESS BROADBAND Act
Latest action. Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Advancing Critical Connectivity Expands Service, Small Business Resources, Opportunities, Access, and Data Based on Assessed Need and Demand Act or the ACCESS BROADBAND Act
(Sec. 2) This bill requires the Department of Commerce to establish the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
(Sec. 3) The office shall:
connect with communities that need access to high-speed Internet and improved digital inclusion efforts,
hold regional workshops to share best practices and effective strategies for promoting broadband access and adoption,
develop targeted broadband training and presentations for various demographic communities through media,
develop and distribute publications providing guidance to communities for expanding broadband access and adoption, and
track construction and use of and access to any broadband infrastructure built using federal support.
The office must report annually: (1) a description of the office's work, (2) the number of U.S. residents who received broadband as result of federal broadband programs and the Universal Service Fund program, and (3) an estimate of the economic impact of such broadband deployment efforts on the local economy.
(Sec. 4) The office shall consult with any agency offering a federal broadband support program in order to streamline the application process for financial assistance or grants and create one application that may be submitted to apply for all federal broadband support programs.
(Sec. 5) The office, any agency that offers a federal broadband support program, and the Federal Communications Commission through the Universal Service Fund shall coordinate to ensure that broadband support is being distributed in an efficient, technology-neutral, and financially sustainable manner.
(Sec. 7) No additional funds are authorized to carry out this bill.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed House amended" stage on July 23, 2018. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on July 24, 2018: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 115th Congress (2017-18), 442 of the 11,421 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Paul Tonko (D-NY) introduced it on October 6, 2017, and 17 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 10 Democrats, 7 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on October 6, 2017, 3261 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 2970 days ago, on July 24, 2018.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 115th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2019 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers