[Senate Report 115-342]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 615
115th Congress } { REPORT
SENATE
2d Session } { 115-342
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PRECISION AGRICULTURE CONNECTIVITY ACT OF 2018
__________
R E P O R T
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
ON
S. 2343
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
October 2 (legislative day, September 28), 2018.--Ordered to be printed
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
WASHINGTON : 2018
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SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
one hundred fifteenth congress
second session
JOHN THUNE, South Dakota, Chairman
ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi BILL NELSON, Florida
ROY BLUNT, Missouri MARIA CANTWELL, Washington
TED CRUZ, Texas AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota
DEB FISCHER, Nebraska RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut
JERRY MORAN, Kansas BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii
DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts
DEAN HELLER, Nevada TOM UDALL, New Mexico
JAMES M. INHOFE, Oklahoma GARY C. PETERS, Michigan
MIKE LEE, Utah TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin
RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois
SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia MARGARET WOOD HASSAN, New Hampshire
CORY GARDNER, Colorado CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO, Nevada
TODD C. YOUNG, Indiana JON TESTER, Montana
Nick Rossi, Staff Director
Adrian Arnakis, Deputy Staff Director
Jason Van Beek, General Counsel
Kim Lipsky, Democratic Staff Director
Christopher Day, Democratic Deputy Staff Director
Calendar No. 615
115th Congress } { REPORT
SENATE
2d Session } { 115-342
======================================================================
PRECISION AGRICULTURE CONNECTIVITY ACT OF 2018
_______
October 2 (legislative day, September 28), 2018.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Thune, from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 2343]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to
which was referred the bill (S. 2343) to require the Federal
Communications Commission to establish a task force for meeting
the connectivity and technology needs of precision agriculture
in the United States, having considered the same, reports
favorably thereon with an amendment (in the nature of a
substitute) and recommends that the bill (as amended) do pass.
Purpose of the Bill
S. 2343 would require the Federal Communications Commission
(``FCC'' or ``Commission'') to establish a task force to make
recommendations to the Commission and others on gaps in
broadband availability on agricultural lands and ways to close
those gaps in order to support precision agriculture
technologies.
Background and Needs
Precision agriculture practices allow farmers to
significantly increase crop yields, eliminate overlap in
operations, and reduce inputs such as seed, fertilizer,
pesticides, water, and fuel. They allow farmers to collect data
in real-time about their fields, automate field management, and
maximize resources. These practices generally encompass the use
of mobile devices, robotics, field sensors, remote monitoring,
and other Internet of Things technologies. They enable farmers
and growers to better manage their fields by obtaining more
data about the weather, soil, air quality, crop maturity,
equipment, labor costs, and resource availability. In turn,
these precision agriculture technologies empower farmers to
make smarter decisions about field management and increase the
efficiency and productivity of their operations. Studies
estimate that precision agriculture technologies can reduce
agricultural operation costs by up to $25 per acre and increase
farm yields by up to 70 percent by 2050.\1\
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\1\Profiles in Innovation: Precision Farming: Cheating Malthus with
Digital Agriculture, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., at 4 (https://
docdrop.org/static/drop-pdf/GSR_agriculture-N1sH6.pdf).
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The critical cost savings and productivity benefits of most
precision agriculture technologies cannot be realized without
the availability of reliable broadband delivered to
agricultural lands. Despite the growing demand for broadband on
agricultural land, though, many suggest that broadband is not
consistently available where needed to support precision
agricultural operations.\2\ And the Federal Government to date
largely has not studied the unique broadband needs stemming
from the increased use of precision agriculture. Most current
Federal broadband support mechanisms focus on promoting
broadband availability based on population. Ensuring broadband
connectivity on agricultural lands and precision agriculture,
though, may require adjustments in the way the Commission, the
Department of Agriculture, and other Federal agencies review
and promote broadband deployment and adoption. A task force
would be useful in studying and making recommendations on these
issues.
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\2\See, e.g., Ensuring Intermodal USF Support for Rural America,
Testimony of Darrington Seward before the Subcommittee on
Communications, Technology, Innovation and the Internet, Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, February 4, 2016,
at 5 (https://www.commerce.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/86a9b24c-
e124-4b4b-a701-f0fe165be074/
F3297DD6CC57D51B9EA2A54F209F07E3.darrington-seward-testimony.pdf).
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Legislative History
S. 2343 was introduced on January 25, 2018, by Senator
Wicker (for himself and Senators Klobuchar, Daines, and Tester)
and was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate. Senators McCaskill, Gardner,
Hoeven, Blunt, Smith, Baldwin, Thune, Fischer, King, and
Heitkamp are also cosponsors of the bill. On April 25, 2018,
the Committee met in open Executive Session and by voice vote
ordered S. 2343 to be reported favorably with an amendment (in
the nature of a substitute).
On January 25, 2018, similar legislation to S. 2343, H.R.
4881, was introduced in the House of Representatives by
Representative Latta (for himself and Representative Loebsack).
On January 26, 2018, that bill was referred to the Subcommittee
on Communications and Technology, Committee on Energy and
Commerce of the House of Representatives. Representatives
Hartzler, Luetkemeyer, Blum, Cramer, Brooks (of Indiana), Young
(of Iowa), Blackburn, Griffith, and Walden are also cosponsors
of that bill. On July 18, 2018, that bill was reported as
amended by that committee, and on July 23, 2018, that bill was
passed by the House of Representatives by a vote of 378 to 4.
On July 24, 2018, that bill was referred to the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate.
Estimated Costs
In accordance with paragraph 11(a) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate and section 403 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee provides the
following cost estimate, prepared by the Congressional Budget
Office:
S. 2343--Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act of 2018
S. 2343 would direct the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) to establish the Task Force for Reviewing the
Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture in
the United States and select 15 members to serve two-year
terms. The task force would be required to recommend rules and
steps the FCC should take to expand broadband Internet access
to unserved agricultural land and to report annually to the
FCC. The task force would terminate on January 1, 2025. Under
the bill, the FCC and the Department of Agriculture (USDA)
would be required to provide information to the task force on
all federal programs and resources available for the expansion
of broadband Internet access to unserved agricultural land.
Using information from the FCC, CBO estimates that
implementing S. 2343 would cost $1 million over the 2018-2023
period for the agency to oversee and appoint members to serve
on the task force and to produce the required reports. However,
under current law, the FCC is authorized to collect fees
sufficient to offset the costs of its regulatory activities
each year; therefore, CBO estimates that the net cost to the
FCC to implement the bill would be negligible, assuming
appropriation actions consistent with that authority. CBO
estimates that the costs to USDA to coordinate with the task
force and produce the required report would not be significant.
Enacting S. 2343 would not affect direct spending or
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
CBO estimates that enacting S. 2343 would not increase net
direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029.
S. 2343 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Stephen Rabent.
The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
Regulatory Impact Statement
In accordance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee provides the
following evaluation of the regulatory impact of the
legislation, as reported:
number of persons covered
The bill would have no effect on the number or types of
individuals and businesses regulated in the United States.
economic impact
S. 2343, as reported, is not expected to have a negative
impact on the Nation's economy.
privacy
S. 2343, as reported, is not expected to have an adverse
impact on the personal privacy of individuals.
paperwork
While the Committee does not anticipate a major increase in
paperwork burdens resulting from the passage of this
legislation, the Committee notes that the task force created by
the legislation could recommend new data collection
requirements for the FCC to adopt. The task force also would be
directed to collaborate with the Secretary of Agriculture and
others to identify and measure gaps in broadband access on
agricultural land. The legislation also would direct the task
force created by the bill to submit a report to the FCC
regarding its activities.
Congressionally Directed Spending
In compliance with paragraph 4(b) of rule XLIV of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee provides that no
provisions contained in the bill, as reported, meet the
definition of congressionally directed spending items under the
rule.
Section-by-Section Analysis
Section 1. Short title
This section provides that this bill may be cited as the
``Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act of 2018.''
Section 2. Findings
This section includes findings regarding the benefits of
precision agriculture and the need for broadband Internet
access service in unserved and underserved agriculture land in
order to further those benefits. The findings would further
note that broadband service is not consistently available where
needed for agricultural operations in the United States.
Finally, the section would find that the FCC has an important
role to play in the deployment of broadband Internet access
service.
Section 3. Task Force
Subsection (a) of this section would set out definitions
used in the bill. In particular, it would provide that the term
``broadband Internet access service'' has the meaning given the
term in section 8.2 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations,
or any successor regulation.
Subsection (b) of this section would direct the FCC to
establish, within a year of enactment, the Task Force for
Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision
Agriculture in the United States (Task Force).
Subsection (c) of this section would set out the duties of
the Task Force. Specifically, the Task Force, in consultation
with the Secretary of Agriculture (or designee), and in
collaboration with public and private stakeholders, would be
required to do the following: (1) identify and measure current
gaps in the availability of broadband Internet access service
on agricultural land; (2) develop policy recommendations to
promote the rapid, expanded deployment of broadband Internet
access service on unserved agricultural land, with a goal of
achieving reliable capabilities on 95 percent of agricultural
land in the United States by 2025; (3) promote effective policy
and regulatory solutions that encourage the adoption of
broadband Internet access service on farms and ranches and
promote precision agriculture; (4) recommend rules or
amendments to rules of the Commission to achieve the bill's
goals and purposes; (5) recommend specific steps that the
Commission should take to obtain reliable and standardized data
measurements of the availability of broadband Internet access
service as may be necessary to target broadband funding
support, from existing or future programs of the Commission
dedicated to the deployment of broadband Internet access
service, to unserved agricultural land; and (6) recommend
specific steps that the Commission should consider to ensure
that the expertise of the Secretary and available farm data are
reflected in existing or future programs of the Commission
dedicated to the infrastructure deployment of broadband
Internet access service and to direct available funding to
unserved agricultural land where needed.
Subsection (c) would further require that the Commission,
in performing duties under this section, ensure that no
provider of broadband Internet access service be required to
provide duplicates of data that the provider is already
required to report.
Subsection (c) also would direct the Task Force and the
Commission not to interpret the phrase ``future programs of the
Commission'' as used in this section to include future
operations of extant universal service programs of the
Commission established under section 254 of the Communications
Act of 1934.
Subsection (c) also would require the Secretary of
Agriculture (or a designee), to make available to the Task
Force, the expertise, data mapping information, and resources
of the Department of Agriculture. Further, it would require
that, within 180 days of enactment, the Secretary and the
Commission jointly submit to the Task Force a list of all
Federal programs or resources available for the expansion of
broadband Internet access service on unserved agricultural
land.
Subsection (d) of this section would set forth various
operational specifics for the Task Force. It would be composed
of not more than 15 voting members who would be selected by the
FCC Chairman and would be required to include representatives
of various named stakeholder groups. The subsection also would
specify that the Task Force should be fairly balanced in terms
of technologies, points of view, and fields represented on the
Task Force. The Committee recommends, given the
responsibilities of the Task Force, that the FCC Chairman
consider including representatives on the Task Force with
relevant expertise in broadband network data collection,
geospatial analysis, and coverage mapping. Finally, the
subsection would specify the treatment of appointments to and
vacancies on the Task Force, including persons who would serve
as ex officio members of the Task Force.
Subsection (e) of this section would require that, not
later than 1 year after it is established, and annually
thereafter, the Task Force submit to the FCC Chairman a report
on its activities, which would be made public not later than 30
days after its receipt. The report would detail the following:
(1) the status of fixed and mobile broadband Internet access
service coverage of agricultural land; (2) the projected future
connectivity needs of agricultural operations, farmers, and
ranchers; and (3) the steps being taken to accurately measure
the availability of broadband Internet access service on
agricultural land and the limitations of current measurement
processes.
Subsection (f) of this section would require that the
Commission renew the Task Force every 2 years until the Task
Force terminates on January 1, 2025.
Changes in Existing Law
In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee states that the
bill as reported would make no change to existing law.
[all]