United States Code/Title 47/Chapter 12/Section 1303

§ 1303. Improving Federal data on broadband

(a) [Omitted] (b) International comparison.  In general. As part of the assessment and report required by section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (47 U.S.C. 157), the Federal Communications Commission shall include information comparing the extent of broadband service capability (including data transmission speeds and price for broadband service capability) in a total of 75 communities in at least 25 countries abroad for each of the data rate benchmarks for broadband service utilized by the Commission to reflect different speed tiers. Contents. The Commission shall choose communities for the comparison under this subsection in a manner that will offer, to the extent possible, communities of a population size, population density, topography, and demographic profile that are comparable to the population size, population density, topography, and demographic profile of various communities within the United States. The Commission shall include in the comparison under this subsection--  a geographically diverse selection of countries; and communities including the capital cities of such countries.  Similarities and differences. The Commission shall identify relevant similarities and differences in each community, including their market structures, the number of competitors, the number of facilities-based providers, the types of technologies deployed by such providers, the applications and services those technologies enable, the regulatory model under which broadband service capability is provided, the types of applications and services used, business and residential use of such services, and other media available to consumers. (c) Consumer survey of broadband service capability.  In general. For the purpose of evaluating, on a statistically significant basis, the national characteristics of the use of broadband service capability, the Commission shall conduct and make public periodic surveys of consumers in urban, suburban, and rural areas in the large business, small business, and residential consumer markets to determine--</li> <ol style="list-style-type:upper-alpha"> <li>the types of technology used to provide the broadband service capability to which consumers subscribe;</li> <li>the amounts consumers pay per month for such capability;</li> <li>the actual data transmission speeds of such capability;</li> <li>the types of applications and services consumers most frequently use in conjunction with such capability;</li> <li>for consumers who have declined to subscribe to broadband service capability, the reasons given by such consumers for declining such capability;</li> <li>other sources of broadband service capability which consumers regularly use or on which they rely; and</li> <li>any other information the Commission deems appropriate for such purpose.</li> </ol> <li>Public availability. The Commission shall make publicly available the results of surveys conducted under this subsection at least once per year.</li> </ol> (d) Improving census data on broadband. The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Federal Communications Commission, shall expand the American Community Survey conducted by the Bureau of the Census to elicit information for residential households, including those located on native lands, to determine whether persons at such households own or use a computer at that address, whether persons at that address subscribe to Internet service and, if so, whether such persons subscribe to dial-up or broadband Internet service at that address. (e) Proprietary information. Nothing in this title shall reduce or remove any obligation the Commission has to protect proprietary information, nor shall this title be construed to compel the Commission to make publicly available any proprietary information.