OLL15090 S.L.C.

114

TH

CONGRESS 1

ST

S

ESSION

 

S.

 ll

To promote competition, to preserve the ability of local governments to provide  broadband capability and services, and for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 llllllllll

Mr. B

OOKER

(for himself, Mr. M

 ARKEY 

, and Mrs. M

C

C

 ASKILL

) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on

 llllllllll

A BILL

To promote competition, to preserve the ability of local gov-ernments to provide broadband capability and services, and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-

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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Community Broadband

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 Act of 2015’’.

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SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

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In this Act—

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(1) the term ‘‘advanced telecommunications ca-

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pability’’ has the meaning given the term in section

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OLL15090 S.L.C.

706(d)(1) of the Telecommunications Act of 1996

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(47 U.S.C. 1302(d)(1));

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(2) the term ‘‘advanced telecommunications ca-

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pability or services’’ means—

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(A) advanced telecommunications capa-

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 bility; or

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(B) services using advanced telecommuni-

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cations capability;

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(3) the term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ has the meaning

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given the term in section 4(e) of the Indian Self-De-

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termination and Education Assistance Act (25

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U.S.C. 450b(e));

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(4) the term ‘‘public provider’’ means—

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(A) a State or political subdivision thereof;

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(B) any agency, authority, or instrumen-

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tality of a State or political subdivision thereof;

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(C) an Indian tribe; or

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(D) any entity that is owned by, controlled

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 by, or otherwise affiliated with—

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(i) a State or political subdivision

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thereof;

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(ii) an agency, authority, or instru-

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mentality of a State or political subdivision

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thereof; or

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(iii) an Indian tribe; and

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OLL15090 S.L.C.

(5) the term ‘‘telecommunications service’’ has

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the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Com-

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munications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 153).

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SEC. 3. LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROVISION OF TELE-

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COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE AND ADVANCED

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS CAPABILITY AND

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SERVICES.

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No statute, regulation, or other legal requirement of

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a State or local government may prohibit, or have the ef-

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fect of prohibiting or substantially inhibiting, any public

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provider from providing telecommunications service or ad-

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 vanced telecommunications capability or services to any

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person or any public or private entity.

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SEC. 4. SAFEGUARDS.

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(a) A 

DMINISTRATION

.—To the extent any public pro-

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 vider regulates competing providers of telecommunications

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services or advanced telecommunications capability or

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services, the public provider shall apply its ordinances,

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rules, and policies, including those relating to the use of

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public rights-of-way, permitting, performance bonding,

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and reporting, without discrimination in favor of—

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(1) the public provider; or

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(2) any other provider of telecommunications

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service or advanced telecommunications capability or

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