NET Act
The NET Act directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to evaluate how the availability of telecommunications network equipment has affected the deployment of advanced telecommunications capability (broadband/universal service) during each reporting period. It limits that assessment to data the FCC already has access to and explicitly does not force providers to submit more information than currently required.
Key Points
- 1Adds a requirement to Section 13(b) of the Communications Act for the FCC to assess, as data allow, how equipment supply issues have impacted broadband deployment.
- 2Clarifies the assessment must use only data available to the Commission and does not create new reporting obligations for providers.
- 3Makes technical renumbering and conforming edits to the existing statutory language.
The Network Equipment Transparency (NET) Act directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to evaluate whether and how the availability of telecommunications network equipment has affected the deployment of advanced telecommunications services (broadband and other advanced capabilities) during each reporting period. It amends the FCC’s existing reporting duties to add this supply‑chain assessment, while clarifying the agency should use only data it already has and cannot compel providers to supply more information than current law requires. The bill does not itself impose new sanctions, funding, or procurement rules — it requires study and consideration to inform future policy. The likely impact is informational and analytic: the FCC will explicitly consider equipment availability (for example, shortages, export controls, or supplier restrictions) when reporting on progress toward universal service and advanced service deployment. That can shape future FCC decisions, policy proposals, and funding priorities aimed at improving network deployment, resilience, and security.
Key Points
- 1Adds a new reporting requirement to Section 13(b) of the Communications Act: the FCC must assess, using available data, how the availability of network equipment may have impacted deployment of advanced telecommunications capability during the reporting period.
- 2Includes a rule of construction that prevents the amendment from forcing providers to submit more information than they were already required to provide under existing law.
- 3Limits the FCC’s assessment to data “to the extent that data is available,” so the duty is constrained by current data holdings and reporting processes.
- 4Makes only technical and conforming renumbering edits to Section 13 (relabeling existing paragraphs so the new paragraph fits cleanly into current text).
- 5The bill is focused on study and transparency (evaluation and consideration) rather than prescribing specific regulatory or funding actions.