S. 2585 — MAP for Broadband Funding Act

This section defines terms used in the Act, including "(1) appropriate congressional committees," meaning the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce; "(2) Broadband Funding Map," meaning the Deployment Locations Map established by the FCC under 47 U.S.C. 1704(a) as the centralized, public source of information on federal broadband infrastructure funding; "(3) broadband infrastructure," having the meaning given in 47 U.S.C. 1704(a) (i.e., permanent infrastructure capable of providing advanced telecommunications capability for internet access); "(4) Commission," meaning the Federal Communications Commission; and "(5) NTIA," meaning the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

This section requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in coordination with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), to collect Broadband Funding Map data submitted by relevant federal agencies on a reasonable and timely basis pursuant to 47 U.S.C. 1704 to promote efficient use of federal broadband deployment funds and prevent redundant overbuilding. (As background, the Broadband Funding Map—established under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act—is an FCC online tool serving as the centralized, public source of geographic and programmatic data on federal broadband infrastructure projects funded by multiple agencies.) It further directs the FCC to (1) initiate, not later than 270 days after enactment, a notice of inquiry evaluating the map's functionality, transparency, data quality, completeness, usability, update timeliness, programmatic scope, and potential integration with existing FCC mapping tools; and (2) complete the inquiry not later than 120 days after initiation.

This section directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on federal agencies' roles, responsibilities, and progress to date in maintaining the Broadband Funding Map—established under section 60105 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (47 U.S.C. 1704) as a centralized database tracking federal broadband infrastructure funding to prevent duplication—and ensuring its completeness and relevance; and to submit a report with findings and conclusions to the appropriate congressional committees within 180 days of enactment. In conducting the study, the Comptroller General shall review (1) eligible agencies' compliance with data submission requirements under 47 U.S.C. 1704, including best practices and challenges; (2) the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) management proficiency and interagency collaboration; (3) the FCC's authority to collect necessary data; (4) the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) data collection under the ACCESS BROADBAND Act (47 U.S.C. 1307) and 47 U.S.C. 1704; (5) coordination effectiveness among the FCC, NTIA, and other agencies providing broadband funding (e.g., Departments of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, and Institute of Museum and Library Services) under 47 U.S.C. 1704(g); and (6) potential taxpayer savings from enhanced map usage.