S.Amdt. 3123

SA 3123. Mr. CARDIN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill S. 4638, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2025 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of subtitle F of title XII, add the following:

SEC. 1291. DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY IN THE PACIFIC ISLANDS.

(a) In General.--The Secretary of State and the
Administrator for the United States Agency for International
Development, in coordination with other relevant Federal
departments and agencies, shall develop and implement a
digital connectivity initiative specific to Pacific Island
countries.

[[Page S5436]]

(b) Elements and Conduct of Pacific Islands Digital
Connectivity Initiative.--The initiative developed pursuant
to subsection (a) shall--
(1) include an assessment of opportunities to coordinate
with regional allies, including through the United States-
Japan Global Digital Connectivity Partnership and the United
States-Japan-Australia Trilateral Infrastructure Partnership;
(2) identify and address country-driven digital
transformation priorities;
(3) conduct an assessment of the digital ecosystem of
Pacific Island countries, such as through the United States
Agency for International Development's (USAID) Digital
Ecosystem Country Assessments, to identify opportunities and
risks;
(4) seek to develop human and institutional capacity and
infrastructure to catalyze private sector investments in
Pacific Island countries' digital ecosystem;
(5) assist in the development of digital policy and
regulatory schemes in Pacific Island countries, including
information and communications technology (ICT) regulations
and procurement best practices and relevant reforms;
(6) advance digital platforms and solutions for the
delivery of public services and enhance digital skills and
literacy;
(7) seek to expand access to open, interoperable, reliable,
and secure internet for Pacific Island communities;
(8) identify roles that digital technologies can play in
addressing important challenges for Pacific Island countries,
including the environment, sustainable fishing, readiness,
including in response to tsunami warnings;
(9) identify ways to support women-owned enterprises in the
digital ecosystem of Pacific Island countries;
(10) seek to expand the availability of and access to
secure and reliable subsea cable systems;
(11) regularly assess opportunities for which United States
businesses, or those of other like-minded partners, would be
competitive;
(12) promote exports of United States ICT goods and
services to advance a secure ICT supply chain and increase
United States company market share in Pacific Island digital
markets;
(13) support the development and expand availability of
telehealth services for Pacific Island country communities;
and
(14) build digital connectivity among educational
institutions within the region as well as with educational
institutions in the United States.
(c) Pacific Island Countries Defined.--In this section, the
term ``Pacific Island countries'' means the Cook Islands, the
Republic of Fiji, the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of
the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the
Republic of Nauru, Niue, the Republic of Palau, the
Independent State of Papua New Guinea, the Independent State
of Samoa, the Solomon Islands, the Kingdom of Tonga, Tuvalu,
and the Republic of Vanuatu.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated $3,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2025
through 2029 to carry out this section.
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