Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 119.djvu/1841

 PUBLIC LAW 109–59—AUG. 10, 2005

119 STAT. 1823

(2) PARTNERSHIP.—The Secretary may establish the program in partnership with appropriate nongovernmental institutions. (b) PARTICIPATION.—An operating administration of the Department and the Office of Inspector General may participate in the scholarship program. (c) FUNDING.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary may use funds available to an operating administration or from the Office of Inspector General of the Department for the purpose of carrying out this section. SEC. 5506. COMMERCIAL REMOTE SENSING PRODUCTS AND SPATIAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES.

23 USC 502 note.

(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish and carry out a program to validate commercial remote sensing products and spatial information technologies for application to national transportation infrastructure development and construction. (b) PROGRAM.— (1) NATIONAL POLICY.—The Secretary shall establish and maintain a national policy for the use of commercial remote sensing products and spatial information technologies in national transportation infrastructure development and construction. (2) POLICY IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary shall develop new applications of commercial remote sensing products and spatial information technologies for the implementation of the national policy established and maintained under paragraph (1). (c) COOPERATION.—The Secretary shall carry out this section in cooperation with a consortium of university research centers. (d) FUNDING.—Of the amounts made available by section 5101(a)(1) of this Act, $7,750,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2009 shall be available to carry out this section. SEC. 5507. RURAL INTERSTATE CORRIDOR COMMUNICATIONS STUDY.

(a) STUDY.—The Secretary, in cooperation with the Secretary of Commerce, State departments of transportation, and other appropriate State, regional, and local officials, shall conduct a study on the feasibility of installing fiber optic cabling and wireless communication infrastructure along multistate Interstate System route corridors for improved communications services to rural communities along such corridors. (b) CONTENTS OF STUDY.—In conducting the study, the Secretary shall identify— (1) impediments to installation of the infrastructure described in subsection (a) along multistate Interstate System route corridors and to connecting such infrastructure to the rural communities along such corridors; (2) the effective geographic range of such infrastructure; (3) potential opportunities for the private sector to fund, wholly or partially, the installation of such infrastructure; (4) potential benefits fiber optic cabling and wireless communication infrastructure may provide to rural communities along such corridors, including the effects of the installation of such infrastructure on economic development, deployment of intelligent transportation systems technologies and applications, homeland security precaution and response, and education and health systems in those communities;

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