So in funny news I wrote out a huge amendment which tried to deal with the previous bill and work the two before realising that I could basically just have this as a top up bill- the previous one by Ted was an amendment to the 1930s federal communications act, which removed any strict caps (in the way that I read it) on spending & this just clarifies the amount spent.
The only major cross over is having another commission; I considered removing it but I thought since we're spending such a large amount of money & trying to do something quite ambitious it would be better to have more oversight of it.
SENATE BILL
To expand access to broadband
Be it enacted in Both Houses of Congress Assembled,
Lets Get Wired (LGW) Act
1.) This Act hereby recognises the importance of broadband and data access for communities across Atlasia, and recognises that too many communities still lack reliable, affordable and high quality broadband. This act takes the following steps to remedy this inequality.
2.) The Lets Get Wired Task-Force is hereby created
to work alongside existing commissions , with an NPC chairman and 5 other representatives appointed by the President, along with one representative from each of Atlasia's region. This taskforce is hereby empowered to expand, improve and introduce high-speed broadband across Atlasia and its regions.
3.) $20 billion shall hereby be appropriated over the next 5 years to aims and objectives of the LGW Act. The $20 billion is hereby broken down in the following areas.
3A.) $10 billion of this funding is for the up-front cost of installing new broadband route in areas currently not receiving an connection of least 25 megabits per second, an upload speed of at least 3 megabits per second.
3B.) $5 billion is hereby granted to the regions of Atlasia to spend on the improving and expanding broadband access.
3C.) $2 billion is hereby allocated for the installation of broadband for rural areas and areas under the oversight of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
3D.) $1 billion is hereby allocated for a federal jobs training and apprenticeship scheme designed to train employees for the skills needed in the installation of broadband infrastructure.
3E.) $1 billion is hereby allocated for public schools and libraries to improve and expand broadband access.
3F.) $500 million is hereby allocated for hospitals and other medical facilities to invest, expand and improve tele-health programs for patients, with the funding designated for improving services for patients with historic difficulty in accessing broadband connections.
3EG) $500 million is hereby allocated to be granted to small business (those with less than 10 employees) to improve internet accessibility for the business, and for employees working from home. The maximum grant amount shall be capped at $5,000 per company.