DIGITAL Reservations Act
Latest action · Aug 21, 2020 Referred to the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJul 24, 2020
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Deploying the Internet by Guaranteeing Indian Tribes Autonomy over Licensing on Reservations Act or the DIGITAL Reservations Act
This bill grants Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations with exclusive rights to all available or unlicensed electromagnetic spectrum over their tribal lands and prohibits the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from taking specified actions related to spectrum licenses over tribal lands. It also requires the FCC to establish a fund to support tribal access to broadband and telecommunications services.
Cosponsors 2
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Sep 15, 2020.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-HI | Ed Case | Sep 15, 2020 | |
| D-GU | Michael F. Q. San Nicolas | Sep 15, 2020 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred Jul 24, 2020 |
| House | Natural Resources Committee | Referred Jul 24, 2020 |
| Indian and Insular Affairs Subcommittee | Referred Aug 21, 2020 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Aug 21, 2020Referred to the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States.
- Jul 24, 2020Introduced in House
- Jul 24, 2020Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 166, no. 131, July 24, 2020, page H3859.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 4331 | DIGITAL Reservations Act | Identical bill | Jul 27, 2020 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To preserve Indian Tribes' and Native Hawaiian organizations' autonomy of access to spectrum over Tribal lands and expedite immediate deployment of telecommunications services for critical government services, including national emergencies, natural disasters, public health and biohazard threats, safety, education, opportunity to participate in the broadband economy, self-governance, access to Federal, State, and Tribal voting and elections, and the Federal census count, for the protection of life and property in furtherance of the Federal trust responsibility, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- DIGITAL Reservations Act
- Deploying the Internet by Guaranteeing Indian Tribes Autonomy over Licensing on Reservations Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Native Americans.
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Alaska Natives and Hawaiians
- Census and government statistics
- Computers and information technology
- Congressional oversight
- Disaster relief and insurance
- Economic development
- Educational facilities and institutions
- Elections, voting, political campaign regulation
- Emergency communications systems
- Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- Federal-Indian relations
- Government trust funds
- Health facilities and institutions
- Indian lands and resources rights
- Internet and video services
- Internet, web applications, social media
- Land use and conservation
- Libraries and archives
- Licensing and registrations
- Native Americans
- Natural disasters
- Public contracts and procurement
- Radio spectrum allocation
- Telecommunication rates and fees
- Telephone and wireless communication
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jul 24, 2020Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
