[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 774 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 774
To require the Comptroller General of the United States to submit a
report to Congress on the effectiveness of the Federal Communications
Commission's universal service reforms.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 22, 2013
Mr. Begich (for himself and Mrs. Fischer) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Comptroller General of the United States to submit a
report to Congress on the effectiveness of the Federal Communications
Commission's universal service reforms.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. GAO REPORT ON UNIVERSAL SERVICE REFORMS.
(a) Purpose.--The purpose of the report required under subsection
(b) is to aid Congress in monitoring and measuring the effects of a
series of reforms by the Federal Communications Commission (in this Act
referred to as the ``FCC'') intended to promote the availability and
affordability of broadband service throughout the United States.
(b) Report.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall
prepare a report providing detailed measurements, statistics, and
metrics with respect to--
(1) the progress of implementation of the reforms adopted
in the FCC's Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking adopted on October 27, 2011 (FCC 11-161) (in this
Act referred to as the ``Order'');
(2) the effects, if any, of such reforms on retail end user
rates during the applicable calendar year for--
(A) local voice telephony services (including any
subscriber line charges and access recovery charges
assessed by carriers upon purchasers of such services);
(B) interconnected VoIP services;
(C) long distance voice services;
(D) mobile wireless voice services;
(E) bundles of voice telephony or VoIP services
(such as local and long distance voice packages);
(F) fixed broadband Internet access services; and
(G) mobile broadband Internet access services;
(3) any disparities or trends detectable during the
applicable calendar year with respect to the relative average
(such as per-consumer) retail rates charged for each of the
services listed in paragraph (2) to consumers (including both
residential and business users) located in rural areas and
urban areas;
(4) any disparities or trends detectable during the
applicable calendar year with respect to the relative average
(such as per-consumer) retail rates charged for each of the
services listed in paragraph (2) as between incumbent local
exchange carriers subject to price cap regulation and those
subject to rate-of-return regulation;
(5) the effects, if any, of those reforms adopted in the
Order on average fixed and mobile broadband Internet access
speeds, respectively, available to residential and business
consumers, respectively, during the applicable calendar year;
(6) any disparities or trends detectable during the
applicable calendar year with respect to the relative average
fixed and mobile broadband Internet access speeds,
respectively, available to residential and business consumers,
respectively, in rural areas and urban areas;
(7) the effects, if any, of those reforms adopted in the
Order on the magnitude and pace of investments in broadband-
capable networks in rural areas, including such investments
financed by the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities
Service under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C.
901 et seq.);
(8) any disparities or trends detectable during the
applicable calendar year with respect to the relative magnitude
and pace of investments in broadband-capable networks in rural
areas and urban areas;
(9) any disparities or trends detectable during the
applicable calendar year with respect to the magnitude and pace
of investments in broadband-capable networks in areas served by
carriers subject to price cap regulation and areas served by
carriers subject to rate-of-return regulation;
(10) the effects, if any, of those reforms adopted in the
Order on adoption of broadband Internet access services by end
users; and
(11) the effects, if any, of such reforms on State
universal service funds or other State universal service
initiatives, including carrier-of-last-resort requirements that
may be enforced by any State.
(c) Timing.--On or before December 31, 2013, and annually
thereafter for the following 5 calendar years, the Comptroller General
shall submit the report required under subsection (b) to the following:
(1) The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
of the Senate.
(2) The Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
of the Senate.
(3) The Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representatives.
(4) The Committee on Agriculture of the House of
Representatives.
(d) Data Inclusion.--The report required under subsection (b) shall
include all data that the Comptroller General deems relevant to and
supportive of any conclusions drawn with respect to the effects of the
FCC's reforms and any disparities or trends detected in the items
subject to the report.
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