§ 19174 — Nist Engagement With Rural Communities

(a) Pursuant to section 3719 of title 15, the Secretary of Commerce shall carry out a program to award prizes competitively to stimulate research and development of creative technologies to support the deployment of affordable and reliable broadband connectivity in rural communities, including unserved rural communities. (b) Each proposal submitted pursuant to subsection (a) shall include a proposed plan for deployment of the technology that is the subject of such proposal. (c) In carrying out the program under subsection (a), the Secretary may award not more than a total of $5,000,000 to one or more winners of the prize competition. (d) Not later than 60 days after the date on which a prize is awarded under the prize competition, the Secretary shall submit to the relevant committees of Congress a report that describes the winning proposal of the prize competition. (e) In carrying out the program under this section, the Secretary shall consult with the Federal Communications Commission and the heads of relevant departments and agencies of the Federal Government.