Connecting America
Broadband Policy Issues and Options for State Legislatures

Meeting Minutes

Connecting America Foundation for State Legislatures Partners Project
Business Meeting
NCSL Fall Forum, Phoenix, Arizona
November 28, 2007
8:00 - 9:00 am

Meeting Minutes

Attendees:
Michelle Conn, Cisco
Representative H. Paul Dennert, South Dakota
Adam Goldberg, AARP
Senator Jim DeCesare, Kentucky
Senator Bob Deig, Indiana
Senator Carol Fukunaga, Hawaii
Representative Pryor Gibson, North Carolina
Senator John W. Goedde, Idaho
Michael Grover, Cox Communications
Representative Doris Kelley, Iowa
Representative Brian P. Kennedy, Rhode Island
Senator Pat Kreitlow, Wisconsin
Tom McCullough, Embarq
Senator David Nething, North Dakota
Anne Neville, California Broadband Task Force
Greg Saphier, NCTA
Bill Schroeder, Intermountain Rural Electric Assn., Colorado
Representative Rod Scott, Alabama
Representative Tom Sloan, Kansas
Senator Orville Smidt, South Dakota
Senator John C. Still, Delaware
Mike Sunseri, Kentucky
Representative John Thomas, New Hampshire
Dan Youmans, AT&T, Washington
NCSL Staff:
Caroline Carlson, NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures
JoAnne Bourquard, NCSL
Bob Boerner, NCSL
Pam Greenberg, NCSL

Presiding: Senator Orville Smidt, South Dakota and Senator Carol Fukunaga, Hawaii

Senator Smidt opened the meeting with a discussion about the previous day's tour and briefing at Cisco. Michelle Conn of Cisco described the tour, which included a briefing at the TelePresence Center which brought in participants from San Jose and Washington D.C. As part of the briefing, Dr. Elizabeth Cowboy, medical director of the Via Christi Health System, Kansas, the importance of broadband for telehealth and eCare programs. The briefing also introduced attendees to the NextGenWeb site, which includes a blog and links to resources about broadband issues. Attendees also heard about Cisco's Interoperability and Communications System (IPICS), which facilitates interoperability among law enforcement and emergency response agencies. In addition, attendees heard from Arizona Speaker Jim Weiers about the legislature's implementation of Voice over IP (VoIP) and the cost savings it has provided the state. Carolyn Purcell of Cisco spoke about trends driving broadband, such as the tremendous impact of video on the Internet.

NCSL staff described the accomplishments of the Connecting America project over the past year.

The group also discussed the proposed Phase II of the Connecting America project. In 2008, the project proposes to offer a meeting specifically targeted for chairs and vice chairs of information technology committees, regulated industries committees and telecommunications committees. The project also would include two site visits, two LegisBriefs and a project Web site incorporating the information and resources gathered from the project.

Steering committee members made a number of suggestions for Phase II of the project. For example, the project could involve health providers, who have an interest in broadband for telehealth programs, and in related issues such as insurance coverage for telehealth programs. The project could look at subsidy structures for deployment and initial costs for rural deployment. Other suggestions included inviting an FCC Commissioner to speak to the group and having a futurist speak about trends related to broadband.

NCSL staff thanked all the private sector partners and other members of the Connecting America Steering Committee for their support and participation in the project.

Connecting America Foundation for State Legislatures Partners Project
Conference Call
October 17, 2007
11:00 am Mountain Time

Meeting Minutes

Attendees:
Senator Carol Fukunaga, Hawaii, Co-Chair
Senator Orville Smidt, South Dakota, Co-Chair
Assemblymember Upendra J. Chivukula, New Jersey
Mary Galligan, Kansas
Rick Cimerman, NCTA
Lana Hoskins, Time-Warner Cable
Pete Poynter, AT&T
Greg Saphier, NCTA
Walter White, Verizon
Michelle Wright-Conn, Cisco
Jo Anne Bourquard, NCSL, Denver
Bob Boerner, NCSL, Denver
Pam Greenberg, NCSL, Denver
Caroline Carlson, NCSL, Denver

The conference call began with introductions and a review and approval of the minutes of the last project business meeting.

NCSL staff reminded conference call participants of the 8:00 am to 8:30 am Connecting America project business meeting to be held in Phoenix, Arizona on Wednesday, November 28.

Committee members discussed the 9:00 am broadband case studies session (on November 28) that will focus on California's Broadband Task Force and suggested that NCSL staff provide a handout at the session summarizing broadband task forces in other states. It was also suggested that the title of the session include “broadband case studies” to provide continuity with the case studies sessions that were held at previous meetings.

The conference call participants discussed potential faculty for the 10:15 am digital entertainment session (on November 28), including legislators from states that have passed legislation creating digital media tax credits, such as New York and New Jersey. Assemblymember Chivukula agreed to speak about New Jersey's legislation and an NBC/Universal representative also has been confirmed as speaker for the session. Several committee members mentioned the importance of national gaming contests as a potential “sales point” or driver for broadband sales.

Committee members also asked if there are examples of how these digital content applications have caused deployment of broadband to areas that otherwise wouldn't have broadband, such as rural areas. It was suggested by another conference call participant that Louisiana’s Optical Networking Initiative (LONI) is one example.

The conference call participants discussed the 3:00 pm demonstration and tour of Cisco Systems' TelePresence Center in Phoenix, Arizona (on November 27). One suggestion was to bring in a representative remotely from the Alliance for Public Technology to discuss their “broadband changed my life” campaign or to show-case all the technologies using broadband for health care, public safety and education applications.

NCSL staff discussed ways that the tour and sessions will be publicized to legislators and also agreed to keep committee members informed about tour and session times and faculty.

Connecting America Foundation for State Legislatures Partners Project
Conference Call
September 11, 2007
11 am Mountain Time

Meeting Minutes

Attendees:
Senator Orville Smidt, South Dakota, Co-Chair
Representative Carol Fukunaga, Hawaii, Co-Chair
Representative Tom Sloan, Kansas
Walter White, Verizon
Bret Perkins, Comcast
Pete Poynter, AT&T
Mary Galligan, Kansas
Jonathan McGee, Ohio Cable Television Association
Michelle Conn, Cisco
Rick Cimerman, NCTA
Mike Sunseri, Kentucky
Jo Anne Bourquard, NCSL, Denver
Bob Boerner, NCSL, Denver
Pam Greenberg, NCSL, Denver
Caroline Carlson, NCSL, Denver

The conference call began with a review and minor changes to the minutes of the last project business meeting. Senator Fukunaga asked NCSL staff to report on an online survey that had been sent to legislators who were invited and attended the pre-conference invitational seminar in Boston. NCSL staff will provide a summary of survey responses to the Steering Committee by the end of September.

The committee discussed possible topics for the final project session to be held in conjunction with the NCSL Fall Forum meeting in Phoenix, Arizona on Nov. 28-30. NCSL staff suggested some possible Phoenix-area participants for the session to discuss Arizona initiatives, such as the Arizona Broadband Development Authority, an Arizona Dept. of Commerce report, and the Arizona Telecommunications and Information Council. They also discussed the possibility of inviting a representative of the California Broadband Task Force to speak. Michelle Wright Conn suggested that Cisco's Chief Development Officer, who co-chairs the California Task Force, and Senator Christine Kehoe of California, who serves on the Task Force, might be interested in speaking at the session.

A focus on broadband applications, such as digital media applications and content creation on the entertainment side was suggested. For example, legislation in some states (e.g., New Jersey, Louisiana and Texas ) would provide incentives for content creation and tie into workplace development efforts.

Other committee members also commented about the importance of providing a full range of services--both entertainment and telephony--to attract rural customers to broadband.

Committee members also discussed the possibility of a tour of Cisco's converged network and/or telepresence unit at the Fall Forum meeting in Phoenix. The group emphasized the importance of having an interactive briefing and/or tour that would demonstrate applications, such as a tele-health demonstration.

The final deliverable for the project is a State Legislatures article that will capture information learned throughout the various project sessions and briefings. NCSL staff explained that some of the partners originally part of the project had not participated or paid, which could impact the scope and length of the article and the final work of the project. The article will appear in State Legislatures magazine in late 2007 or early 2008.

NCSL staff agreed that all project materials from past meetings would be posted on the project Web site at http://www.ncsl.org/programs/lis/ConnectAmerica.htm before the Fall Forum meeting.

NCSL staff also agreed to send all steering committee members a summary of options for the Fall Forum meeting to discuss and finalize during the next call.

The next steering committee conference call is scheduled for Tuesday, October 9 at 7:00 am Hawaii / 10:00 am Pacific / 11:00 am Mountain / noon Central / 1:00 pm Eastern.

Connecting America Foundation for State Legislatures Partners Project
Business Meeting
NCSL Annual Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts
August 7, 2007
5:00 - 6:00 pm

Meeting Minutes

Attendees:
Senator Orville Smidt, South Dakota, Co-Chair
Senator Carol Fukunaga, Hawaii, Co-Chair
Representative Tom Sloan, Kansas
Walter White, Verizon
Pete Poynter, AT&T
Lisa Wallmeyer, Virginia
Dave Larson, Kansas
Mary Galligan, Kansas
Greg Saphier, NCTA
Michelle Conn, Cisco
Edward Kozelek, Time Warner Cable
Bret Perkins, Comcast
Jo Anne Bourquard, NCSL, Denver
Bob Boerner, NCSL, Denver
Pam Greenberg, NCSL, Denver

Senator Smidt opened the meeting with a review of the Connecting America pre-conference invitational meeting held earlier in the week. Attendees commented that the sessions were very good and that the meeting overall was a success. Some attendees indicated that the tour of the Center for Connected Health was less successful than the meeting overall, since it was a presentation, not a tour, and it could have been held at the hotel or convention center. There was concern about whether legislators who led relevant committees in their states were invited to attend the meeting.

Suggestions for getting additional legislators involved included designating a private sector "broadband liaison" for each state to identify the key legislators and getting members of the Communications, Financial Services and Interstate Commerce Committee more involved in the broadband partnership. The group also discussed the need for additional industry representation.

Members suggested that future sessions should provide more specific information, for example, information about various state incentives for deployment—who got them, how did they get them, and how did they get the provider there? A focus on kinds of applications was also suggested, such as educational applications and digital media tax credits to help create content.

Others also noted the importance of e-government efforts to provide content to help promote demand for high speed internet.

Members discussed the option of continuing the project an additional year in order to explore broadband solutions in greater depth.

Other suggestions for future meeting topics included:

providing more information about specific parts of the country that are without broadband (mapping those areas)
focusing more on the demand versus the access side of broadband issues and what it takes to close the last gap
having representatives of small telcos discuss models that could be applicable on a broader level
offering examples of funding sources, including federal funding and dovetailing state efforts with federal actions

The next meeting of the project steering committee will be by conference call on Tuesday, September 11, at 7:00 am Hawaii / 10:00 am Pacific / 11:00 am Mountain / noon Central / 1:00 pm Eastern.

Connecting America Foundation for State Legislatures Partners Project
Conference Call
Thursday, May 31, 2007
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. MDT

Conference Call Participants:
Senator Orville Smidt, South Dakota, Co-Chair
Rick Cimerman, National Cable & Telecommunications Association, Washington, D.C.
Mary Galligan, Kansas
Representative Tom Sloan, Kansas
Pete Poynter, AT & T, Georgia
Greg Saphier, National Cable & Telecommunications Association, Washington, D.C.
Rick Smotkin, Comcast, Pennsylvania
Mike Sunseri, Kentucky
Lisa Wallmeyer, Virginia
Walter White, Verizon
Bob Boerner, NCSL, Denver
Jo Anne Bourquard, NCSL, Denver
Caroline Carlson, NCSL, Denver
Pam Greenberg, NCSL, Denver

Senator Smidt opened the meeting with greetings and introductions.

Senator Smidt asked NCSL staff to provide an update on the status of invitations to legislators for the pre-conference invitational meeting. Pam Greenberg reported that legislators in 49 legislative chambers had been invited to participate and that in 24 of those chambers, leadership had designated a legislator to participate. In those cases, invitations to the selected legislators were sent out, and as of May 30, two legislators were confirmed to participate in the meeting. Leadership in four chambers had declined the invitation to participate.

Some members of the Steering Committee expressed concerns about chambers that had declined to participate and concerns about attendance. They agreed to let NCSL staff know first by June 15 if they planned to contact leadership about the invitational meeting.

The committee then reviewed the agenda for the Connecting America invitational meeting. Bob Boerner summarized revisions to the agenda made after the last committee conference call. Jo Anne Bourquard described the three tours being considered: Verizon's research facility, Cisco's facility in Boxborough, and the Center for Connected Health or Massachusetts General Hospital. Walter White indicated that he was still trying to confirm whether Verizon could sponsor a tour. NCSL staff will be contacting the Center for Connected Health to determine whether they would be able to host tour attendees.

Regarding the plenary luncheon, Jo Anne indicated that at an earlier meeting Cisco had expressed interest in providing their CEO as a speaker. She was waiting to hear back from Michelle Wright Conn to determine if Cisco wanted to sponsor the opening or closing lunch for the partnership. Jo Anne also noted that the project budget only provides enough funding for a reception and an opening lunch, but that there was interest in a closing plenary lunch as well, if funding were obtained. She noted that if one of the partners was not interested in sponsoring the lunch, it might be possible to obtain funding from another organization. For example, CTIA--The Wireless Association, had expressed interest in sponsoring a lunch for the Communications, Financial Services and Interstate Commerce Committee, and that the luncheon could be held jointly as a closing plenary with the Connecting America invitational seminar. Members of the Steering Committee were asked if they were agreeable to having a company that was not a project partner sponsor the luncheon, if no partner agreed to sponsor the event, and all conference call participants agreed that it would be acceptable.

The group then reviewed the other sessions and possible speakers listed on the agenda. For the International program, committee members suggested George Ford of the Phoenix Center for Advanced Legal & Economic Public Policy Studies as a possible speaker, and Link Hoewing from Verizon. All agreed the session would be talk show Q & A format -- no set presentations. For the case studies sessions, each participant would provide a brief 5 -10 minute talk, then move into a talk show Q & A. It was suggested that the moderator and speakers for sessions should discuss the issues and various questions to address early on to coordinate responses and make sure important issues are covered. In addition, a pre-release could be prepared in advance to post on the web site and to give legislators factual and informative information and ideas they can take home with them at the end of the meeting.

NCSL staff and conference call participants agreed that a strong moderator would be essential to the success of the sessions using the talk show format. Suggestions for all potential conference speakers and moderators were requested by June 15.

Connected Tennessee was suggested as a possible case study, and Matt Kizmer as a possible participant.

For the breakfast roundtables, suggested topics included public safety, education, health care, environmental sustainability, economic development, and digital divide. Members also suggested that session speakers be invited to attend the breakfast so they could serve as a resource at the roundtables. NCSL staff will develop a list of topics and send it to the committee partners asking for volunteers to host a table.

It was agreed that the rural issues session was not the right fit for the Fort Wayne mayor to speak at, but that he would be a good speaker for a different session. Illinois was suggested as a possible state to include in the rural issues session, as the Lt. Governor is a proponent of a broadband measure.

For the regulators and industry session, committee members suggested that the FCC person should address what areas are left to the states to address versus those the federal government controls.

The conference call participants also discussed the possibility of a federal lawmaker addressing the seminar, and noted a preference to include more than one lawmaker, or to include an FCC person who could speak to the interplay between the federal government and the states.

The committee asked NCSL staff to provide regular updates about legislators who have been confirmed as attending the invitational seminar.

Pam Greenberg discussed the additional NCSL resources that have been added to the Connecting America Web Site (located at http://www.ncsl.org/programs/lis/ConnectAmericaPubs.htm ).

The conference call participants discussed whether another conference call would be necessary before the Spring Forum business meeting. The participants agreed that necessary business could be conducted by email and that a conference call would likely not be necessary. The next business meeting of the Steering Committee will be held at the NCSL Annual Meeting on Tuesday, August 7 from 5:15 pm to 6:15 pm.

Connecting America Foundation for State Legislatures Partners Project
Business Meeting
NCSL Spring Forum, Washington, D.C.
April 19, 2007

Meeting Minutes

Attendees:
Senator Orville Smidt, South Dakota, Co-Chair
Representative Tom Sloan, Kansas
Walter White, Verizon
Pete Poynter, AT&T
Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, New Jersey
Lisa Wallmeyer, Virginia
Dave Larson, Kansas
Lana Hoskins, Time Warner Cable, Texas
Ron McMillan, Time Warner Cable, Texas
Rick Smotkin, Comcast
Rick Cimerman, NCTA
Greg Saphier, NCTA
Jo Anne Bourquard, NCSL, Denver
Bob Boerner, NCSL, Denver
Pam Greenberg, NCSL, Denver
Caroline Carlson, NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures, Denver

Senator Smidt opened the meeting with greetings and introductions.

The group discussed the Spring Forum session, Delivering Broadband: Technology Options, Costs and Funding and most indicated the speakers did a good job, stayed within set times, and provided good information. However, for future sessions we should adopt a format that encourages more dialogue and exchange between speakers and the audience. A talk-show / "tennis match" type of format that will engage legislators and encourage them to share ideas and discuss issues that are critical to policy decisions would be more useful. In addition, covering more substantive areas, such as telemedicine, would be helpful.

Members next discussed the Connecting America pre-conference invitational meeting at the NCSL Annual Meeting in Boston (August 4-5, 2007) and how decisions about who to invite will be made. The preliminary list of states to focus on that was sent to committee members in March was discussed. States listed included Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Nevada, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Tennessee. NCSL staff explained that these states were selected because they did not have any broadband related legislation or other initiatives.

Next, the group discussed the draft agenda for the pre-conference invitational meeting. For the tours, it was decided that all three tours should be offered, since space on each tour may be limited. The group discussed the opening plenary lunch, and thought a kickoff speaker like John Chambers, CEO of Cisco, would be a good choice if the presentation is targeted to non-technical broadband issues. For the Broadband Case Studies and Best Practices session, it was suggested that each state/case study should have a uniform set of criteria or series of questions to address.

The Broadband Regulatory Environment: Legislators and Regulators Discuss What Works and What Doesn't session should be changed to Industry and Regulators Discuss What Works and What Doesn't and should be held in a town-hall roundtable format so that legislators in the audience can be actively engaged in the session.

The Bringing Broadband to Rural Communities session should also be considered for a town-hall roundtable format.

The Broadband in Other Countries: Can America Catch Up? session should be shortened and moved to the beginning of the meeting and the title should be changed to Broadband: Is America Falling Behind? to reflect the differing perspectives about where the U.S. stands.

Steering Committee members agreed to help NCSL staff to identify individuals who would be strong and knowledgeable candidates for moderators for the town hall format sessions.

The meeting ended with a review of draft 50-state summaries of state broadband initiatives (steering committee members agreed to forward any changes or additions to NCSL staff) and a quick discussion about the State Legislatures article that will be written after the pre-conference invitational meeting.

Connecting America Foundation for State Legislatures Partners Project
Conference Call
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. MDT

Meeting Minutes

Conference Call Participants:
Senator Carol Fukunaga, Hawaii, Chair
Senator Orville Smidt, South Dakota, Chair

Representative Tom Sloan, Kansas
Mike Sunseri, Kentucky
Rick Smotkin, Comcast, Pennsylvania
Pete Poynter, AT & T, Georgia
Rick Cimerman, National Cable & Telecommunications Association, Washington, D.C.
Jim Cuneen, Cisco,California
Caroline Carlson, NCSL, Denver
Jo Anne Bourquard, NCSL, Denver
Pam Greenberg, NCSL, Denver
Bob Boerner, NCSL, Denver

Senator Smidt opened the meeting with greetings and introductions.

Senator Smidt asked if the steering committee members on the call had had an opportunity to review the following materials that NCSL staff had sent by email prior to the call:

Draft Meeting Minutes from the December 2006 Business Meeting
Draft agenda for the proposed project broadband session at the upcoming Spring Forum meeting in D.C.
Draft agenda for the Partners Business Meeting at the upcoming Spring Forum meeting in D.C.
List of issues raised in previous conference calls, for prioritization by Steering Committee members

Senator Smidt asked if there were any changes or additions to the business meeting minutes. There being none, the December 2006 meeting minutes were adopted.

The group next discussed the 2007 NCSL Spring Forum meeting and possible tours and topics for a session on broadband issues. Tours had been proposed by Comcast and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, and representatives of those two groups agreed to develop a short description of a proposed tour to forward to NCSL staff. For a broadband session at the Spring Forum, NCSL staff presented two options for sessions, based on steering committee recommendations from previous sessions: 1) a session on funding alternatives for broadband deployment, or 2) a session exploring the various means of offering broadband services, such as over power lines or by satellite. The committee members asked NCSL staff to combine the two ideas to provide presentations describing various types of broadband technology, then touch on the costs and funding sources for each. Senator Fukunaga suggested providing additional detail and resources for this session on the Connecting America Web site, and providing those resources as handouts at the meeting. Members expressed continued interest in an FCC tour and in having members of Congress speak at the Spring Forum meeting or later meetings. The group also approved the proposed date of April 19 for the tour, session and Steering Committee Business Meeting.

The group then discussed the invitational meeting to be held in conjunction with the NCSL Annual Meeting in Boston. NCSL staff explained that the invitational meeting will be a pre-conference seminar on August 4 and 5, 2007 and also explained the process for identifying key states and inviting legislators to attend the seminar. Members of the steering committee were asked to forward to NCSL staff suggestions for key states to consider and legislators who should be invited to the seminar.

NCSL staff explained the list of broadband issues that was sent to steering committee members. The list was developed from topics proposed by steering committee members. All steering committee members were asked to review the list and provide any additions or changes to the topics listed to NCSL staff by ~~January 30~~ February 6, 2007. Once the list has been finalized, NCSL staff will develop an online survey so that all committee members may rank the topics by priority, from "Not at all important" to address (low priority issue) to "Very important" to address (high priority issue).

The group set the next Steering Committee conference call for Wed., February 28^th at 11:00 am Hawaii time / 1:00 pm Pacific time / 2:00 pm Mountain time / 3:00 pm Central time and 4:00 pm Eastern time.

Connecting America Foundation for State Legislatures Partners Project
Business Meeting
NCSL Fall Forum, San Antonio, Texas
December 6, 2006

Meeting Minutes

Attendees:
Senator Carol Fukunaga, Hawaii, Co-Chair
Senator Orville Smidt, South Dakota, Co-Chair

Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, New Jersey
Mike Sunseri, Kentucky
Lisa Wallmeyer, Virginia
Mary Galligan, Kansas
Dave Larson, Kansas
Wayne Fonteix, AT&T, New Jersey
Jim Cuneen, Cisco Systems, California
Ed Kozelek, Time Warner Cable, Ohio
Lana Hoskins, Time Warner Cable, Texas
Tom Worley, Comcast, Delaware
Steve Proper, Comcast, Utah
John Sutich, Comcast, Massachusetts
Andrew Hendry, Comcast, New Jersey
Bob Ryon, Comcast, Illinois
Dave Anderson, Washington, D.C.
Jo Anne Bourquard, NCSL, Denver
Bob Boerner, NCSL, Denver
Pam Greenberg, NCSL, Denver
Caroline Carlson, NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures, Denver

Senator Smidt opened the meeting with greetings and introductions.

Caroline Carlson named the eight partners that have joined the Connecting America Partners Project to date: AT&T, Cisco Systems, Comcast, Dell, eBay, National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA), Time Warner Cable and Verizon.

Caroline Carlson raised the possibility of extending the end date of the partners project from August 2007 to December 2007, in order to give some of the partners who only recently joined the project full participation. After some discussion, the group reached a consensus to extend the partnership to December and to hold a wrap-up session for the project at the December Fall Forum meeting to be held at the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa in Phoenix, Arizona.

Some committee members present expressed concern about restrictions on attendance at tours or briefings sponsored by partners. For future meetings, companies will either place no restrictions on who attends tours or briefings or companies that sponsor tours or briefings will communicate any restrictions or limitations on attendance to NCSL staff well in advance of the tour or briefing date.

Attendees reviewed the "Benefits of Broadband" session that was held earlier in the day and discussed potential topics for future sessions, including:

A look at broadband in other countries and why the U.S. lags in broadband penetration
Possible collaboration with the Pacific Telecommunications Council (PTC) conference or speakers
Alternative technologies available to provide broadband-type capabilities
Practical measures state government can take to remove barriers to deployment, such as providing advance notice of road construction to allow industry to lay conduit in advance, providing bond funding that is contingent upon right of way access, and empowering CIOs in state agencies to take coordinated action.
Ways government can help to create demand for broadband
Innovative solutions and possible funding sources for broadband, including federal funds
Telework initiatives
Technology-neutral state incentives for broadband
Exploring an advocacy role for states about how federal funds for broadband should be allocated
Possible site visit to Boston Teaching Hospital in August in conjunction with the NCSL Annual Meeting

The group also provided specific suggestions for session topics and tours at the Spring Forum meeting, to be held April 19-21 in Washington D.C., including:

Tours to the Federal Communications Commission or inviting an FCC representative to speak at a session
Tour of Comcast facilities in Alexandria, Virginia
Tour of NCTA's cutting edge "demo room"
Presentation about federal broadband funding available for states
Invitation to members of Congress to speak, e.g., from Virginia and Massachusetts

The group discussed the wide range of issues identified at this meeting and previous meetings and the limited time available to address them all. NCSL staff agreed to develop a list of the issues identified to be provided to steering committee members to prioritize.

The next meeting (by conference call) of the Steering Committee will be on ~~Friday. January 12, 2007 at 10 am Hawaii / Noon Pacific / 1 pm Mountain / 2 pm Central / 3 pm Eastern~~. [Rescheduled to Tuesday, January 16, 2007 at 11:00 am Hawaii time / 1:00 pm Pacific time / 2:00 pm Mountain time / 3:00 pm Central time and 4:00 pm Eastern time.] NCSL staff will prepare proposed meeting / tour agendas for upcoming meetings.

Connecting America Foundation for State Legislatures Partners Project
Conference Call
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. MDT

Meeting Minutes

Conference Call Participants:
Senator Carol Fukunaga, Hawaii, Project Co-Chair
Senator Orville Smidt, South Dakota, Project Co-Chair
Sheridan Balmeo (for Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, New Jersey)
Lisa Wallmeyer, Virginia
Mary Galligan, Kansas
Wayne Fonteix, AT&T, New Jersey
Rick Smotkin and Bret Perkins, Comcast, Pennsylvania
Michelle Wright Conn, Cisco Systems, California
Walter White, Verizon, Washington, D.C.
Caroline Carlson, NCSL, Denver
Jo Anne Bourquard, NCSL, Denver
Pam Greenberg, NCSL, Denver
Bob Boerner, NCSL, Denver

Senator Fukunaga and Senator Smidt opened the meeting with greetings and introductions.

Caroline Carlson named all of the partners that now belong to the Connecting America Partners Project: AT&T, Cisco Systems, Comcast, Dell, eBay and Verizon.

Senator Fukunaga informed the group about the work of the Pacific Telecommunications Council (PTC) (see http://www.ptc.org/) and discussed the possibility of the Connecting America Partners Project steering committee members and other interested NCSL attendees participating in a start-up meeting with PTC at its 2007 conference, which begins January 14, 2007. This collaboration could begin with an initial meeting with 3-7 PTC attendees who could help us connect with other Asia/Pacific broadband experts during 2007 (e.g., for an NCSL meeting planned for mid- to late-2007) or possible broader NCSL participation during the 2008 PTC conference.

Wayne Fonteix described the AT&T Tour and Briefing that will take place in conjunction with the NCSL Fall Forum in San Antonio, Texas on Wednesday, December 6, from 8:00 am to 11:45 am. The tour will be held at the AT&T headquarters and will demonstrate AT&T's Internet Protocol TV service and its efforts in the deployment of broadband over DSL to facilitate IPTV.

NCSL staff described the session planned for the Fall Forum, titled “The Benefits of Broadband,” which will take place on Wednesday, December 6, from 1:30 pm to 2:45 pm. The session will be cosponsored by the NCSL Communications, Financial Services and Interstate Commerce Committee and the Connecting America Partners project. The session will offer an opportunity to showcase how broadband is used by end-users, such as those in medical care facilities, educational settings and rural or underserved areas of the country.

NCSL staff asked for suggestions for speakers and end-user projects to highlight at project sessions. Suggestions included inviting Fort Wayne, Indiana Mayor Graham Richard to describe that city's initiative to use broadband to deliver government-to-government services more efficiently, such as in the public safety sector.

Other suggestions included:

exploring specific policy options and policy infrastructure needs that are required to assist rural communities with the challenges they face in getting access to broadband.
highlighting state initiatives such as California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's recent executive order on broadband deployment in the state, Virginia's new office of Telework Assistance and Broadband Promotion, and New Hampshire's proposed broadband development authority.
including regulators and organizations like NARUC, along with representatives of newer technologies to provide perspectives and lessons on what has and has not worked in the legacy regulatory environment.
presenting information from researchers such as Ted Rappaport of the University of Texas at Austin and the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
presenting case studies and best practices from communities that have implemented broadband detailing how they did it – e.g., via a public/private partnership, on their own, with legislative tax incentives, etc.

NCSL staff and project members discussed possible timing and locations for the project’s Invitational Meeting, and noted that it could take place immediately prior to the NCSL Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts in August 2007.

The group also discussed possible site visits for the project that could be held in conjunction with the NCSL Annual Meeting in Boston, including tours and briefings at Verizon's research facility in Waltham and Cisco's facility in Boxborough, Massachusetts, and Comcast offices near Boston. Comcast also has a facility in Alexandria, Virginia that might be a host site for the project during the NCSL Spring Forum meeting.

NCSL staff noted the next Connecting America Partners Business Meeting will take place at the NCSL Fall Forum meeting in San Antonio, Texas on Wednesday, December 6, from 5:15 pm to 6:15 pm at the Hyatt Regency San Antonio.

Connecting America Foundation for State Legislatures Partners Project
Business Meeting
Friday, August 18, 2006, 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Nashville, Tennessee

Meeting Minutes

Attendees:
Senator Carol Fukunaga, Hawaii
Senator Orville Smidt, South Dakota
Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, New Jersey
Representative Pryor Gibson, North Carolina
Lisa Wallmeyer, Virginia
Rich Higgins, Embarq, Missouri
Bret Perkins, Comcast, Pennsylvania
Pete Poynter, BellSouth, Georgia
Michelle Wright Conn, Cisco Systems, California
Caroline Carlson, NCSL, Denver
Jo Anne Bourquard, NCSL, Denver
Pam Greenberg, NCSL, Denver
Bob Boerner, NCSL, Denver
Lisa Sims, NCSL, Washington, D.C.

Senator Fukunaga and Senator Smidt opened the meeting with greetings and introductions. Senator Fukunaga outlined the goals of the Connecting America Partners Project including assisting state legislators in understanding broadband and outlining for lawmakers the various policy options that can facilitate the deployment of broadband throughout the states. Senator Fukunaga and Senator Smidt highlighted the benefits of broadband services.

Caroline Carlson described the relationship of the Foundation for State Legislatures with the National Conference of State Legislatures. And, she outlined the benefits Partners receive by joining the Connecting America Partners Project.

Pete Poynter recommended including other “players” for future Connecting America Partners Project meetings. His list included representatives from the small telecos; small cable companies; satellite and wireless companies; NCTA; USTA and OPASTCO.

Project members recommended sending invitation letters to the other “players” who will likely be at the NCSL Fall Forum Meeting in San Antonio, including regulators, in order to get more “buy-in” on the project. They also suggested partnering with the National Governors Association and other organizations on this project.

Pete Poynter suggested that for the Invitational Meeting the private sector offer their input in identifying state legislator invitees. He also stated that the ALEC meeting occurs at the same time as the NCSL Fall Forum and suggested NCSL could hold the Connecting America Partners Project meeting the day before or after the NCSL Fall Forum. Finally, he noted that AT&T headquarters are located in San Antonio.

Project members discussed the importance of framing the broadband issue in terms of the benefits it can bring (e.g., educational, health and consumer benefits) and recommended creating an “inventory” of success in broadband deployment (for example, Connect Kentucky) and placing it on the Connecting America Partners Project Web page. They also stated that a link to the TechNet report would also be a useful feature.

At the spring 2006 scoping meeting about the partnership project (held in Washington, D.C.), there was discussion about the feasibility of a FSL partner hosting the Invitational Meeting. NCSL staff stated that the Invitational Meeting may be held at the front end of the 2007 NCSL Annual Meeting in Boston. And, the NCSL staff mentioned that the scope and size of the meeting will be determined in part by funding alternatives.

NCSL staff were asked to set up a conference call with state legislators, state legislative staff and private sector partners to discuss the 2006 NCSL Fall Forum agenda and begin planning for the 2006-2007 partnership year.

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Connecting AmericaBroadband Policy Issues and Options for State Legislatures

Meeting Minutes

Connecting America
Broadband Policy Issues and Options for State Legislatures