§1303 Improving Federal data on broadband

Summary

Require the FCC to add to its regular report a comparison of broadband service in 75 communities across at least 25 countries. The comparison must show speeds and prices for each of the speed tiers the FCC uses. The FCC must pick communities that, as much as possible, match U.S. places by population, density, land features, and people. The selection must cover different world regions and include capital cities. For each place, the FCC must note similarities and differences in market setup, number of competitors and providers, the technologies used, the services those technologies enable, how broadband is regulated, how businesses and homes use it, and other media people can get. The FCC must also run surveys, in urban, suburban, and rural areas and in large business, small business, and home markets, to find what technology people use, how much they pay monthly, actual speeds, common apps and services, reasons people do not subscribe, other sources they rely on, and any other useful facts. The survey results must be published at least once per year. The Secretary of Commerce, with the FCC, must add questions to the American Community Survey to ask households (including on native lands) about computer use, Internet subscriptions, and whether service is dial-up or broadband. Nothing in the law removes the FCC’s duty to protect or to withhold proprietary information.