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Legislative SummaryPart C.
Assistance to Bridge the Digital Divide Section. 131 Digital Bridge
Trust Fund (a)
Establishment- The
Treasury of the United States will establish the Digital Bridge Trust
Fund. The amounts appropriated or credited based on (pursuant to)
subsection (b) or (d). (b)
Transfer
of Amounts Equivalent to Certain Taxes- The Fund shall receive
funding through 100 percent of taxes received from a communications tax
after September 30, 2000.
(c)
Expenditures-
The Fund will provide financial assistance to rural and urban areas, and
Native Americans who lack technology resources and education.
Also, it will be responsible for fairly allocating these
resources between these communities. (d)
Treatment
as Trust Fund- Under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, (subchapter
B of chapter 98) the Digital Bridge Trust Fund qualifies to be treated
as a trust fund.
Section. 132 Board of
Trustees. (a)
Establishment-
The Board of Trustees of the Digital Bridge Trust Fund (also referred to
as the “Board’) will be established by the Department of Commerce.
(b)
Duties-
The Board will be responsible for 1.
the allocation of resources, under the requirements of section
133. 2.
Decide the allocation of assistance from the trust fund to
subsections (b) (2) and (c) of section 133 3.
when making decisions, consult with different foundations and
non-governmental organizations involve in either promoting or providing
education or training regarding information technology 4.
The preparation and submission of annual reports. (c)
Membership
- The Board of Trustees will consist of 11 members from five different
government departments:
1.
Secretary of Commerce or secretary’s designee- will be
chairperson of the BD. 2.
2 from the Department of Commerce’s officers and employees,
appointed Secretary of Commerce 3.
2 from the Department of Education officers and employees,
appointed by the Secretary of Education 4.
2 from the Department of Labor officers and employees, appointed
by the Secretary of Labor 5.
2 from the Department of Health and Human Service officers and
employees, appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Service 6.
2 from the Department of Housing and Urban Development officers
and employees, appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Service 7.
The initial members shall be appointed within the six-months of
the enactment of the Digital Bridge Trust Fund Act. (d)
Terms 1.
The term of the Board of Trustees will be for 3 years.
2.
However, if a person was chosen to fill a vacancy, that
individual can only remain on the board for the duration of that term.
(e)
Prohibition
of Compensation- The Board is prohibited from receiving any kind of
pay, allowances, or benefits for their service on the board.
(f)
Support
Services and Facilities-Upon request of the Board, the Secretary of
Commerce will provide to the Board any facilities, administrative, and
other support services necessary for the Board to carry out its
responsibilities.
(g)
Annual
Reports-And finally, the Board is responsible for preparing and
submitting an annual report to the President and the Congress regarding
its expenditures and the impact of these programs. Section 133 Provision of
Digital Bridge Assistance. (a)
Allocation
of Assistance- when providing assistance the board shall ensure that
(aside from subsection b), all assistance 1.
made available benefit rural, native and Native American in that
it targets areas, communities and populations (including low-income
families and individuals) that are underserved with information
technology needs, employment ad education.
2.
Ensure that assistance is allocated so each area is treated
fairly by the amounts. (b)
Required
Minimum Assistance- the board shall fund the following activities in
the following amounts. Except as provided in subsections (c) and (d)
under section 135 for each fiscal years 2001 through 2010, 1.
Teacher Training- $300M - training teachers to use
technology effectively in the classroom. (section 3122 of Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965) 2.
Community Technology Centers- $200M - establishing
community centers to provide technological tools and training to those
who cannot afford access to computers. 3.
Neighborhood Network Learning Centers- $200M-
public/private partnerships to establish neighborhood learning centers
to help residents of federally assisted housing to learn critical
computer skills. 4.
Technology Development Fund- $200M - provide loans and
investment capital to small businesses to stimulate new technological
growth and development, promote universal service and enhance the
delivery of telecommunications services to underserved and rural areas. 5.
Technology Opportunity Program- $145M -matching funds to
state, local and tribal governments and nonprofit organizations to
extend benefits of information technology to all American. 6.
Rural, Urban and Native American Technology Training-
$300M - For preparing residents of rural, urban and Native Americans for
careers in information technology 7.
Broadband Network Deployment- $100M for assistance
deploying broadband networks. Except a.
$2M for research at the National Telecommunications and
Information Administration (NTIA)
regarding deployment of broadband technology in support of
next-generation Internet. b.
$98M -only for assistance under Public Works and Economic
Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3121 et seq.) 8.
Home Internet Access Program-$100M for grants under
Department of Commerce (NTIA) Internet Access Program to assist
public-private partnerships to address the needs of low-income
individuals and families. 9.
Falling Through The Net Survey- Only for fiscal years
2004-2007, $500K for NTIA to conduct surveys to determine the extent to
which Americans have access to telephones, computers and the Internet. (c)
Assistance Allocated at Discretion of Board
– The board shall use any excess amounts for assistance under
subsection (b) to provide 1.
assistance to the above listed programs, in addition to amounts
required or 2.
other programs the Board determines appropriate to serve or
improve the information technology educational or employment
opportunities for residents of rural, urban areas and Native Americans. The Board has complete
authority to make amounts available (under this paragraph) for purposes
the Board determines appropriate. (d)
Authority
to Reduce Required Assistance in Second Five Years- In fiscal years
2006-2010. The board with a vote of 8 or more, within three months of
the beginning of the fiscal year can cut funding to any of the programs
in subsection (b) it determine. The amounts now available, shall be
treated as excess and can be used as described in subsection (c).
(e)
Prohibited
Activities- Funds shall not be used for the construction,
rehabilitation, or acquisition of any structure in which training or
other information technology services are to be provided. Section 134: Regulations. The Secretary of Commerce
may issue regulations as necessary to carry out the provisions of part
C. Section 135:
Authorization of Appropriations. For each of fiscal years
2001 through 2010, funds equal to the amount deposited in the Digital
Bridge Trust Fund (pursuant to section 131) for such fiscal year are
authorized to carry out part C. (b):
Repeal. Effective October 1, 2010,
part C—Assistance to Bridge the Digital Divide—of the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act is
repealed. Section 3.
Reduction of Excise Tax on Telephone and Other Communications
Services. (a):
Reduction. The Internal Revenue Code of
1986 is amended to reduce the federal telephone excise tax from 3% to
1.5%. The new amount is to be applied to bills first rendered after
September 30, 2000. (b):
Effective Date. Authorization for the
federal telephone excise tax is to be repealed with respect to bills
rendered on or after October 1, 2010. (c):
Sense of Congress. It is the sense of Congress
that communication service providers should not increase rates based on
any cut in the federal telephone excise tax.
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