Senate passes bill to assess and perhaps adjust the National Broadband Map

The United States Senate has passed S.2585, which is known as either the “Modernization, Accountability, and Planning for Broadband Funding Act.” It is an effort to study and, if necessary, improve oversight in federal funding for broadband infrastructure. The bipartisan bill, which was introduced about a year ago by Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), tasks the Federal Communications Commission and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration with collecting data in order to most effectively use federal funds for broadband deployment and avoid inefficient use of and fragmentation of funding. The bill mandates that an FCC notice of inquiry exploring optimal functionality and transparency be conducted within 270 days of the bill’s enactment. Any FCC commissioner can ask for a vote on the inquiry.