Comprehensive Rural Telecommunications Act

Summary

Comprehensive Rural Telecommunications Act - Title I: Rural Telework - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Rural Utility Service, to establish a National Centers for Distance Working Program to provide grants to eligible organizations for the Federal share of establishing National Centers for Distance Working in rural areas. Directs a recipient Center to use grants for five-year projects to: (1) identify needed skills and provide training and employment-related services to persons in rural areas and Indian tribes to support the use of teleworking (the use of telecommunications to perform work functions over a distance) in technology fields; and (2) recruit employers and provide for high-speed employer-employee communications. Authorizes the Secretary to make limited grants for teleworking studies, including development of best practices for businesses that employ teleworkers. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Rural Telecommunications Modernization - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish the rural telecommunications facilities investment tax credit. Title III: Rural Broadband Enhancement - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to direct the Federal Communications Commission to initiate a proceeding to provide Federal universal service support for the deployment of broadband telecommunications service (high speed voice, data, graphic, and video telecommunications) to eligible rural communities (communities not located in an area designated as a metropolitan area by the Office of Management and Budget). Amends the National Telecommunications and Information Administrative Organization Act to direct the Rural Utilities Service of the Department of Agriculture to make loans or other credit extensions to eligible telecommunications carrier providers, or to companies that accept the obligations of such carriers, to finance the deployment of broadband service to eligible rural communities. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2001 through 2005.

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3 official files

• Introduced in House (text)

  Introduced in House · EN · 27 July 2000

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• Introduced in House (PDF)

  Introduced in House · EN · 27 July 2000

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• Introduced in House

  summary · EN · 27 July 2000

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