Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 122.djvu/1988

 12 2 STA T . 1 965PUBLIC LA W 11 0– 2 4 6 —J U NE 1 8, 2008 (B)ispend in go n th ed a teo f ena c t m ent of this A ct o r ( 2 ) a petition for reconsideration of a decision on an app l ica - tion descri b ed in paragraph ( 1 ) .SEC.61 11. NATIO NA L CENTE RF ORR U RAL TELECO M MUNICATIONS ASSESSMENT. T itle VI of the Ru ral E lectrification Act of 1 936 ( 7U . S . C . 9 50 bbetse q .) is amended b y adding at the end the follo w ing

‘SEC. 6 02 . NATIONAL CENTER FOR RURAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS ASSESSMENT. ‘ ‘(a) DESIGNAT I O NO F CENTE R . — The Secretary shall designate an entity to ser v easthe N ational Center for Rural Telecommuni- cations Assessment (referred to in this section as the ‘Center ’ ). ‘‘(b) CRITERIA.—In designating the Center under subsection (a) , the Secretary shall ta k e into consideration the following criteria: ‘‘(1) The Center shall be an entity that demonstrates to the Secretary— ‘‘(A) a focus on rural policy research; and ‘‘(B) a minimum of 5 years of e x perience relating to rural telecommunications research and assessment. ‘‘(2) The Center shall be capable of assessing broadband services in rural areas. ‘‘(3) The Center shall have significant experience involving other rural economic development centers and organi z ations with respect to the assessment of rural policies and the formula- tion of policy solutions at the F ederal, State, and local levels. ‘‘(c) BOAR D OF DIRE C TORS.—The Center shall be managed by a board of directors, which shall be responsible for the duties of the Center described in subsection (d). ‘‘(d) D U TIES.—The Center shall— ‘‘(1) assess the effectiveness of programs carried out under this title in increasing broadband penetration and purchase in rural areas, especially in rural communities identified by the Secretary as having no broadband service before the provi- sion of a loan or loan guarantee under this title; ‘‘(2) work with existing rural development centers selected by the Center to identify policies and initiatives at the Federal, State, and local levels that have increased broadband penetra- tion and purchase in rural areas and provide recommendations to Federal, State, and local policymakers on effective strategies to bring affordable broadband services to residents of rural areas, particularly residents located outside of the municipal boundaries of a rural city or town; and ‘‘(3) develop and publish reports describing the activities carried out by the Center under this section. ‘‘(e) RE P ORTING RE Q UIRE M ENTS.—Not later than December 1 of each applicable fiscal year, the board of directors of the Center shall submit to Congress and the Secretary a report describing the activities carried out by the Center during the preceding fiscal year and the results of any research conducted by the Center during that fiscal year, including— ‘‘(1) an assessment of each program carried out under this title; and ‘‘(2) an assessment of the effects of the policy initiatives identified under subsection (d)(2). Publicat i on.Rep o r t s . 7USC950 bb –1.

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