This summary reflects the original text of the The Broadband Census of America Act of 2007. The bill was changed and approved at an October 10, 2007 House Telecom Subcommittee meeting.
The legislation seeks to address the lack of accurate information about the nature and extent of broadband service across America in order to pave the way for the development and implementation of a comprehensive national broadband strategy.
The bill would:
1. Define "high-speed" Internt access as 2 megabits per second for downloading and 1 megabit per second for uploading. Currently, the Federal Communications Commission defines high-speed as 200 kilobits per second.
2. Discontinue the FCC practise of claiming an entire US zip code has broadband access if just one resident in that zip code has access.
3. Require the FCC to compare broadband deployment with that of other nations.
4. Requite the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to provide a comprehensive nationwide inventory of existing broadband service and infrastructure.
5. Allow the NTIA to make grants to states and local governments to assist the NTIA in collecting the data needed for the broadband availability map.
6. Direct the FCC to conduct surveys on the prices, advertised and actual speeds, and availability of broadband services.
7. Authorize twelve million dollars per year in fiscal years 2008, 2009 and 2010 to carry out the provisions of this legislation. No less than eight million dollars per year would be reserved for the grants to state and local governments.