Sec. 102. Interagency working group
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The Assistant Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture shall jointly establish a working group to be known as the Tribal Broadband Interagency Working Group to carry out the duties described in subsection (c). The Assistant Secretary and the Administrator shall serve as co-chairs of the Working Group. The Assistant Secretary and the Administrator, in consultation with the Tribal Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee established under section 105, shall determine the membership and staffing of the Working Group.
The Working Group shall— serve as a forum for improving coordination across Federal broadband programs that are available to Tribal entities; reduce regulatory barriers to broadband deployment on Tribal land; promote awareness of the value and availability of Federal support for broadband deployment on Tribal land; and develop common Federal goals, performance measures, and plans to deploy affordable broadband to Tribal land; not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, and biennially thereafter, issue a strategic plan regarding Tribal broadband deployment activities, priorities, and objectives; promote coordination of the activities of Federal agencies on Tribal broadband deployment activities, including the activities of— the Department of Agriculture; the Department of Commerce; the Department of Education; the Department of Health and Human Services; the Department of Housing and Urban Development; the Department of the Interior; the Department of Labor; the Commission; the Institute of Museum and Library Services; and any other Federal agency that the Working Group considers appropriate; provide technical assistance for the development of Tribal broadband deployment plans to meet the Tribal broadband benchmark; under section 104, develop a streamlined and standardized application process for grants and other financial assistance to advance the deployment of broadband on Tribal land; promote information exchange between Federal agencies— to identify and document Federal and non-Federal programs and funding opportunities that support Tribal broadband deployment; and if practicable, to leverage existing programs by encouraging joint solicitations, block grants, and matching programs with non-Federal entities; and develop a standardized form that identifies all applicable Federal statutory provisions, regulations, policies, or procedures that the Working Group determines are necessary to adhere to in order to implement a Tribal broadband deployment plan.