S 1780 ISCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

112th CONGRESSCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

1st SessionCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

S. 1780CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to consolidate the reporting obligations of the Federal Communications Commission in order to improve congressional oversight and reduce reporting burdens.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATESCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

November 2, 2011CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Mr. HELLER introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and TransportationCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

A BILLCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to consolidate the reporting obligations of the Federal Communications Commission in order to improve congressional oversight and reduce reporting burdens.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘Federal Communications Commission Consolidated Reporting Act of 2011’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 2. COMMUNICATIONS MARKETPLACE REPORT.

Title I of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 151 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

‘SEC. 13. COMMUNICATIONS MARKETPLACE REPORT.

‘(a) In General- In the last quarter of every even-numbered year, the Commission shall publish on its Web site and submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report on the state of the communications marketplace.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(b) Contents- Each report required by subsection (a) shall--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) assess the state of competition in the communications marketplace, including competition to deliver voice, video, and data services among providers of telecommunications, providers of commercial mobile service (as defined in section 332), multichannel video programming distributors (as defined in section 602), broadcast stations, providers of satellite communications, Internet service providers, and other providers of communications services;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) assess the state of deployment of communications capabilities, including advanced telecommunications capability (as defined in section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (47 U.S.C. 1302)), regardless of the technology used for such deployment, including whether advanced telecommunications capability is being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(3) assess whether laws, regulations, or regulatory practices (whether those of the Federal Government, States, political subdivisions of States, Indian tribes or tribal organizations (as such terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b)), or foreign governments) pose a barrier to competitive entry into the communications marketplace or to the competitive expansion of existing providers of communications services;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(4) describe the agenda of the Commission for the next 2-year period for addressing the challenges and opportunities in the communications marketplace that were identified through the assessments under paragraphs (1) through (3); andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(5) describe the actions that the Commission has taken in pursuit of the agenda described pursuant to paragraph (4) in the previous report submitted under this section.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(c) Special Requirements-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) ASSESSING COMPETITION- In assessing the state of competition under subsection (b)(1), the Commission shall consider the effect of intermodal competition, facilities-based competition, and competition from new and emergent communications services, including the provision of content and communications using the Internet.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) ASSESSING DEPLOYMENT- In assessing the state of deployment under subsection (b)(2), the Commission shall compile a list of geographical areas that are not served by any provider of advanced telecommunications capability.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(3) INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS AND DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION- The Commission may use readily available data to draw appropriate comparisons between the United States communications marketplace and the international communications marketplace and to correlate its assessments with demographic information.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 3. CONSOLIDATION OF REDUNDANT REPORTS; CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

(a) ORBIT Act Report- Section 646 of the Communications Satellite Act of 1962 (47 U.S.C. 765e; 114 Stat. 57) is repealed.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(b) Satellite Competition Report- Section 4 of Public Law 109-34 (47 U.S.C. 703) is repealed.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(c) International Broadband Data Report- Section 103 of the Broadband Data Improvement Act (47 U.S.C. 1303) is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) by striking subsection (b); andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) by redesignating subsections (c) through (e) as subsections (b) through (d), respectively.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(d) Status of Competition in the Market for the Delivery of Video Programming Report- Section 628 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 548) is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) by striking subsection (g); andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) by redesignating subsection (j) as subsection (g).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(e) Report on Cable Industry Prices-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) IN GENERAL- Section 623 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 543) is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) by striking subsection (k); andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) by redesignating subsections (l) through (n) as subsections (k) through (m), respectively.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT- Section 613(a)(3) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 533(a)(3)) is amended by striking ‘623(l)’ and inserting ‘623(k)’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(f) Triennial Report Identifying and Eliminating Market Entry Barriers for Entrepreneurs and Other Small Businesses- Section 257 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 257) is amended by striking subsection (c).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(g) Section 706 Report- Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (47 U.S.C. 1302) is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) in subsection (b)--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) in the last sentence, by striking ‘If the Commission’s determination is negative, it’ and inserting ‘If the Commission determines in its report under section 13 of the Communications Act of 1934 that advanced telecommunications capability is not being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion, the Commission’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) by striking the first and second sentences;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) by striking subsection (c);CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) in subsection (d), by striking ‘this subsection’ and inserting ‘this section’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(4) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (c).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(h) State of Competitive Market Conditions With Respect to Commercial Mobile Radio Services- Section 332(c)(1)(C) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 332(c)(1)(C)) is amended by striking the first and second sentences.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(i) Previously Eliminated Annual Report-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) IN GENERAL- Section 4 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 154) is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) by striking subsection (k); andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) by redesignating subsections (l) through (o) as subsections (k) through (n), respectively.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS- The Communications Act of 1934 is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) in section 9(i), by striking ‘In the Commission’s annual report, the Commission shall prepare an analysis of its progress in developing such systems and’ and inserting ‘The Commission’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) in section 309(j)(8)(B), by striking the last sentence.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(j) Additional Outdated Reports- The Communications Act of 1934 is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) in section 4--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) in subsection (b)(2)(B)--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(i) in clause (i), by striking ‘(i) The Commission’ and inserting ‘The Commission’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(ii) by striking clause (ii); andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) in subsection (g), by striking paragraph (2);CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) in section 215--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) by striking subsection (b); andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (b);CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) in section 227(e), by striking paragraph (4);CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(4) in section 309(j)--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) by striking paragraph (12); andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) in paragraph (15)(C), by striking clause (iv);CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(5) in section 331(b), by striking the last sentence;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(6) in section 336(e), by amending paragraph (4) to read as follows:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(4) REPORT- The Commission shall annually advise the Congress on the amounts collected pursuant to the program required by this subsection.’;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(7) in section 339(c), by striking paragraph (1);CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(8) in section 396--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) by striking subsection (i);CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) in subsection (k)--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(i) in paragraph (1), by striking subparagraph (F); andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(ii) in paragraph (3)(B)(iii), by striking subclause (V);CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(C) in subsection (l)(1)(B), by striking ‘shall be included’ and all that follows through ‘The audit report’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(D) by striking subsection (m);CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(9) in section 398(b)(4), by striking the third sentence;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(10) in section 624A(b)(1)--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) by striking ‘REPORT; REGULATIONS’ and inserting ‘REGULATIONS’;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) by striking ‘Within 1 year after’ and all that follows through ‘on means of assuring’ and inserting ‘The Commission shall issue such regulations as are necessary to assure’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(C) by striking ‘Within 180 days after’ and all that follows through ‘to assure such compatibility.’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(11) in section 713, by striking subsection (a).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 4. EFFECT ON AUTHORITY.

Nothing in this Act or the amendments made by this Act shall be construed to expand or contract the authority of the Federal Communications Commission.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink