Alabama |
SB 81
|
This bill requires each broadband service provider operating in the state to submit a report containing its broadband network area coverage map to the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and would provide the department with rulemaking authority relating to the submission of those reports.
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Governance and Mapping
|
Alaska |
SB 74 Signed by governor 3/25/20, Chapter 5
|
Relates to funding for internet services for school districts.
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Education/Schools and Funding
|
Alaska |
SB 81 Passed Senate 3/4/20
|
Relates to electric and telephone cooperatives; relates to telephone service and related telecommunications services.
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Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Arizona |
HB 2262
|
Appropriates $5 million from the state General Fund for each of the fiscal years, FY 2021, FY 2022 and FY 2023, to the Arizona Commerce Authority to provide broadband grants.
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Funding
|
Arizona |
HB 2386 Passed House 2/25/20
|
Allows a county free library district to offer or provide funding for: Providing literacy promotion programs for all age groups, with emphasis on early literacy, school readiness, adult literacy, digital literacy and workforce development.
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Digital literacy
|
Arizona |
HB 2814
|
Allows a county, city or town to establish and adopt a rural economic development improvement program and prescribes project certification criteria for a program. Allows a certified project that meets eligibility requirements to receive a qualified facilities tax credit provided that qualifications for the tax credit are met. Includes broadband in project definition.
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Funding
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Arizona |
SB 1223
|
Relates to appropriation; relates to rural broadband grants.
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Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Arizona |
SB 1460 Signed by governor 6/5/20, Chapter 84
|
Authorizes the formation of an electric cooperative nonprofit membership corporation or a nonprofit electric generation and transmission cooperative for the purposes of providing broadband service. Prescribes requirements for the cooperative in providing broadband service on property.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Arkansas |
SB 6 Signed by governor 4/20/20, Act 103
|
Provides that effective July 1, 2020, the balance of the appropriation provided in Item (J) of §6 of Act 351 of 2019, for broadband expansion and rural fiber deployment for research stations, the National Center for Toxicological Research, and member branch campuses, in a sum not to exceed $525,000 and the balance of the appropriation provided in Item (K) of §6 of Act 351 of 2019, for broadband expansion and rural fiber deployment in Mena, De Queen, and West Helena, in a sum not to exceed $500,000.
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Funding
|
Arkansas |
SB 42 Signed by governor 4/20/20, Act 139
|
Appropriates monies to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, to be payable from the Rural Broadband I.D. Expenses Trust Fund, for rural broadband grants by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Institute for Digital Health and Innovation for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021. States intent of the General Assembly to provide funds to local entities to defray expenses for broadband due-diligence business studies in connection with preparation for federal grant and loan applications for broadband development programs administered by the Federal Communications Commission, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or other federal agency to spur federally-defined broadband development in rural Arkansas.
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Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
California |
AB 570 Passed Assembly 5/29/19
|
This bill authorizes local educational agencies to report to the department their pupils’ estimated needs for computing devices and internet connectivity adequate for at-home learning. The bill requires the department, in consultation with the Public Utilities Commission, to compile that information and to annually post that compiled information on the department’s internet website. This bill authorizes the board of supervisors of a county to acquire, construct, improve, maintain, or operate broadband internet access service, and any other communications service necessary to obtain federal or state support for the acquisition, construction, improvement, maintenance, or operation of broadband internet access service, and requires a board that does so to take certain actions regarding the accessing of content on the internet by end users of that service. This bill requires the Office of Planning and Research, on or before June 30, 2021, to develop recommendations and a model for streamlined local land use approval and construction permit processes for projects related to broadband infrastructure deployment and connectivity and to adopt, and post on its internet website, the recommendations and model, as specified. This bill requires that the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) program promote remote learning and telehealth, in addition to economic growth, job creation, and the substantial social benefits of advanced information and communications technologies. The bill requires the commission, in approving CASF infrastructure projects, to instead prioritize projects that reach the greatest number of unserved and underserved households, as defined, and to further prioritize projects based on other specified attributes. The bill authorizes the commission, beginning with the calendar year starting on Jan. 1, 2023, and continuing through the 2029 calendar year to collect a surcharge in an amount between $66 million and $125 million each year and would require that revenues from the surcharge be deposited into the CASF, subject to appropriation by the Legislature. The bill requires the commission to ensure that the existing and new surcharges are collected through all providers of telecommunications service, as defined, regardless of the technology over which the service is delivered. The bill revises, among other things, the eligibility criteria for grants awarded from each account in the CASF, as specified. The bill repeals the requirement that moneys in the Broadband Public Housing Account not awarded by Dec. 31, 2020, be transferred back to the Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account. The bill establishes the Loan-Loss Reserve Account in the CASF to support costs related to financing the deployment of broadband infrastructure by a local government agency or nonprofit organization. The bill establishes the State Agency Direct Allocation Account in the CASF for specified purposes relating to the deployment of broadband infrastructure. The bill requires the commission to improve the efficiency of the administration of the CASF program to ensure for the most cost-effective and timely achievement of the goal of the program. The bill authorizes the commission to convene a peer review panel to review grant applications submitted under the CASF program. This bill requires the commission to engage all relevant state agencies to facilitate planning and accelerate deployment of broadband infrastructure through both projects funded pursuant to the CASF program and other infrastructure construction projects that can incorporate high-speed broadband. This bill requires the commission, beginning April 1, 2023, to annually conduct a financial and performance audit of the CASF, as specified, and to report the findings to the Legislature by each April 1. The bill repeals these requirements on Jan. 1, 2033. Existing law requires the commission, until April 1, 2023, to annually provide a report to the Legislature with specified information relating to the CASF, as specified. This bill requires the commission to report that information each April 1 until April 1, 2032, and repeals these requirements on Jan. 1, 2033. This bill authorizes the commission to require each internet service provider, as defined, to report specified information regarding each affordable internet service plan advertised by the provider. Existing law requires the commission to require interconnected voice over internet protocol (VoIP) service providers to collect and remit surcharges on their California intrastate revenues in support of specified public purpose program funds, including the CASF. Existing law authorizes an interconnected VoIP service provider to use specified methodologies to identify intrastate revenues for that purpose. This bill deletes that authorization.
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Education/Schools, Funding, Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
California |
AB 659 Died pursuant to Art. IV, §10(c) of the Constitution 2/3/20
|
Establishes the California Smart City Challenge Grant Program to enable municipalities to compete for grant funding for emerging transportation technologies to serve their transportation system needs, and specifies certain program goals. Requires the California Transportation Commission to form the California Smart City Challenge Workgroup to guide the commission on program matters.
|
Smart Communities
|
California |
AB 1409 Died pursuant to Art. IV, §10(c) of the Constitution 2/3/20
|
Appropriates moneys for purposes of the Digital Divide Grant Program. Requires the commission to implement the grant program upon the commission projecting an account balance of $500,000 in the following calendar year. Defines "homework gap projects" as projects that provide elementary and high school pupils with after school access to broadband.
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Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
California |
AB 2163
|
Establishes the Rural Broadband and Emergency Infrastructure Grant Act of 2020 to ensure that all California fairgrounds are equipped with adequate broadband and telecommunications infrastructure to support local, regional, and state emergency and disaster response personnel and systems. The bill, upon appropriation, requires the Department of Technology, Department of Food and Agriculture, Public Utilities Commission, California Broadband Council, and Office of Emergency Services to jointly develop the Rural Broadband and Emergency Infrastructure Grant Program to provide each California fairground with grant moneys to support broadband and telecommunications infrastructure deployment.
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Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
California |
AB 2357
|
Makes nonsubstantive changes to a requirement that a local publicly owned electric utility make appropriate space and capacity on, and in, it's utility poles and support structures available for use by cable television corporations, video service providers, and telephone corporations.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
California |
AB 2626
Passed Assembly 6/10/20
|
Requires the California Research Bureau to conduct research on ways to close the digital divide through policies, including, but not limited to, tax policies, that reduce the upfront costs of devices and communications technology purchased by local educational agencies to provide students with equitable access to distance learning.
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Education/Schools and Rural and Underserved
|
California |
AB 2686
|
Requires the California Broadband Council to convene at least 4 times annually.
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Governance
|
California |
SB 1058
|
This bill requires the Public Utilities Commission to evaluate the extent to which federal reductions in lifeline telephone service subsidies and the lack of access to reliable, affordable broadband voice service would result in rates limiting access to basic voice service. If the commission finds that federal reductions could result in the loss of basic voice services by increasing costs to California lifeline telephone service subscribers for those services, the bill would require the commission to adjust the state-level subsidies for those services in a manner that ensures that California lifeline telephone service subscribers retain affordable access to basic voice services, as specified. Amends the Moore Universal Telephone Service Act. Requires the Public Utilities Commission, in an existing or a new proceeding, to direct every internet service provider, to file an annual emergency operations plan containing certain information with the Commission.
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Infrastructure
|
California |
SB 1130 Passed Senate 6/26/20
|
This bill requires the commission to develop, implement, and administer the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) program to encourage deployment of 21st century-ready communications, as provided. The bill provides that the goal of the program is to, no later than Dec. 31, 2024, approve funding for infrastructure projects that will provide high-capacity, future-proof infrastructure, as defined, based on current engineering and scientific information at the time of program application, as provided. The bill requires the commission, in approving infrastructure projects, to approve projects with a goal of providing high-capacity, future-proof infrastructure to households that are unserved areas, as defined, or unserved high-poverty areas, as defined. The bill requires the commission to prioritize projects in unserved areas and unserved high-poverty areas, as provided. The bill also requires the commission to ensure that no awardee receives a grant for infrastructure projects for which the awardee has already received the full cost of the project from a federal grant. The bill requires the commission, in approving projects for funding under the CASF program, to ensure that all approved projects can be completed without increasing the surcharge for CASF on telephone customers and repeals the authority of the commission to increase the maximum amount of the surcharge collected for the CASF program in any year if the commission makes the above-described determination. This bill requires the commission to annually offer an existing facility-based broadband provider the opportunity to demonstrate that it will deploy broadband or upgrade existing facilities to a delineated unserved area within 90 days, with the opportunity for extension beyond the 90 days, as provided, if the commission makes the specified finding. Existing law requires projects eligible for grant awards to meet certain requirements, including that the project deploy infrastructure capable of providing broadband access at speeds of a minimum of 10 megabits per second (Mbps) downstream and 1 Mbps upstream to unserved households in census blocks where no provider offers access at speeds of at least 6 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream. Existing law requires the commission, when approving projects, to make certain considerations. This bill, among other changes relating to project eligibility and approval, requires that the project, in order to be eligible for grant awards, deploy infrastructure capable of providing broadband access at speeds of a minimum of 25 Mpbs downstream, 3 Mbps upstream, and a latency that is sufficiently low to allow real-time, interactive applications to unserved areas and unserved high-poverty areas. Existing law authorizes an individual household or property owner to be eligible to apply for a grant to offset the costs of connecting the household or property to an existing or proposed facility-based broadband provider. Existing law requires the aggregate amount of grants awarded to not exceed $5 million. This bill deletes these provisions. Existing law requires specified technology grants to include funding for specified costs, including costs incurred by an existing facility-based broadband provider to upgrade its existing facilities to provide for interconnection. This bill provides for the above-described costs so long as the existing facility-based broadband provider can demonstrate to the commission that it is financially infeasible for it to upgrade without grant supports. Existing law requires specified moneys to be available for infrastructure projects that provide last-mile broadband access to households to which no facility-based broadband provider offers broadband service at speeds of at least 10 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream. This bill instead requires the specified moneys to be available for infrastructure projects that provide last-mile broadband access to households to which no facility-based broadband provider offers broadband service at speeds of at least 25 Mbps downstream, 25 Mbps upstream, and a latency that is sufficiently low to allow real-time, interactive applications. Existing law requires the commission to conduct various interim and final audits of the California Advanced Services Fund to ensure that funds have been expended in accordance with the approved terms of the grant awards and loan agreements, as specified. Existing law requires the commission to report the interim findings to the Legislature by April 1, 2020. This bill requires the commission to also report interim findings by April 1, 2022. Existing law requires the commission to, until April 1, 2023, annually provide a report to the Legislature that includes certain information, including the remaining unserved areas in the state, the status of the California Advanced Services Fund balance, and the projected amount to be collected in each year through 2022. This bill instead requires the commission to provide this report until April 1, 2025. The bill requires that the information specified above include the remaining unserved areas and unserved high-poverty areas in the state and the status of the fund balance and the projected amount to be collected in each year through 2024.
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Funding, Governance, High Speed, Rural and Underserved
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California |
SB 1206
|
Existing law, the Permit Streamlining Act, governs the approval process that a city or county is required to follow when approving, among other things, a permit for construction or reconstruction for a development project for a wireless telecommunications facility and a collocation or siting application for a wireless telecommunications facility. This bill authorizes a city or county to impose on an applicant for a permit for a broadband infrastructure development project a reasonable fee for costs associated with the submission, and the expedited review, processing, and approval of an application, including, but not limited to, personnel costs as necessary, if the applicant elects for the expedited review and processing and agrees to pay that fee. Existing law provides that the Department of Transportation has full possession and control of state highways and associated property. Existing law authorizes the department to issue written permits authorizing the permittee to, among other things, make an opening or excavation in a state highway, and place, change, or renew an encroachment. Existing law requires the department to either approve or deny an application for an encroachment permit within 60 days of receiving a completed application. Existing law requires the department to notify companies and organizations working on broadband deployment on its internet website of specified department-led highway construction projects that, among other things, involve construction methods that are suitable for installing broadband conduit. Existing law authorizes those companies and organizations to collaborate with the department to install broadband conduits as part of those projects. Existing law requires the department to develop guidelines to facilitate the installation of broadband conduit on state highway rights-of-way. The bill requires the department to adopt a model ordinance for adoption by a city or county governing the city’s or county’s review, processing, and approval of an application for a permit to conduct microtrenching, as specified. The bill requires a city or county to adopt the model ordinance or a similar ordinance that includes certain provisions, including a requirement that the city or county ministerially approve or deny a completed application within 30 days of receiving the application, as specified. This bill authorizes a city or county to impose on an applicant for a permit for a broadband infrastructure development project a reasonable fee for costs associated with the submission, and the expedited review, processing, and approval of an application, including, but not limited to, personnel costs as necessary, if the applicant elects for the expedited review and processing and agrees to pay that fee.
|
Dig Once, Governance and Infrastructure
|
Colorado |
HB 1137 Signed by governor 7/6/20, Chapter 241
|
Concerns a requirement that the broadband deployment board give substantial weight to a local entity's written certification that an area within the entity's jurisdiction is an unserved area when considering an application for grant money for the provision of broadband service to that unserved area; makes an appropriation.
|
Funding, Governance and Rural and Underserved
|
Colorado |
HB 1001, Special Session Signed by governor 12/7/20, Chapter 9
|
Concerns support for expanding broadband access for preschool through 12th grade education; creates the connecting Colorado students grant program to provide grants to local education providers to use in providing broadband service and other technology for increased internet access for students, educators, and other staff; creates the connecting Colorado students grant program fund; requires the Department of Education to develop a list of free or low cost broadband services.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Colorado |
SB 128 Postponed indefinitely 2/18/20
|
Under current law, a cooperative electric association with an electric utility easement on real property is authorized to install or to allow a commercial broadband supplier to install broadband facilities on the real property, subject to notice and procedural requirements. The bill expands the authorization to also apply to an electric generation and transmission cooperative association with an electric utility easement on real property. The bill also authorizes the installation of new underground broadband facilities within these easements, subject to the same notice and procedural requirements.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Colorado |
SB 10, Special Session Postponed indefinitely 11/30/20
|
Concerns an amendment to the definition of electric utility in relation to broadband use of an electric easement; defines electric utility to include a generation and transmission cooperative electric association and the Western area power administration.
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Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Connecticut |
None
|
|
|
Delaware |
None
|
|
|
District of Columbia |
None
|
|
|
Florida |
HB 969 Signed by governor 6/9/20, Chapter 26
|
Authorizes certain funds within State Transportation Trust Fund to be used for certain broadband infrastructure projects within or adjacent to multiuse corridors; requires the Department of Transportation to give priority to certain projects; designates the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) as lead state agency to facilitate expansion of broadband internet service; requires DEO to work with certain entities; creates Florida Office of Broadband in DEO; provides purpose and duties of office.
|
Funding, Governance and Infrastructure
|
Florida |
HB 1309 Died in committee 3/14/20 SB 1776 Died in committee 3/14/20
|
Requires the Department of Management Services (DMS) to develop geographic information system maps in collaboration with specified entities and consistent with certain reporting standards; specifies required contents of maps; requires DMS to annually update maps and establish mechanism to receive and verify public input related to broadband internet service; requires DMS to monitor, participate in and provide input in proceedings of FCC related to broadband service.
|
Governance and Mapping
|
Florida |
HB 4531 Withdrawn from consideration 3/14/20
|
Provides an appropriation for the Longboat Key, Smart City Implementation project.
|
Smart Communities
|
Florida |
HB 9221 Withdrawn from consideration 3/14/20
|
Provides an appropriation for the study of broadband service and infrastructure investment
|
Funding and Infrastructure
|
Florida |
SB 1166 Substituted by HB 969 3/5/20
|
Authorizes certain funds within the State Transportation Trust Fund to be used for certain broadband infrastructure projects within or adjacent to multiuse corridors; designating the Department of Economic Opportunity, and not the Department of Management Services, as the lead state entity to facilitate the expansion of broadband internet service in this state; creating the Florida Office of Broadband within the Division of Community Development within the Department of Economic Opportunity, etc.
|
Funding, Governance and Infrastructure
|
Georgia |
HB 23
|
Amends Chapter 3 of Title 46 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to electrical service, so as to specifically authorize electric membership corporations and their affiliates to provide broadband services; to provide for and revise definitions; to authorize certain financing and partnerships for the provision of broadband services; to prohibit cross-subsidization between the provision of broadband services and an electric membership corporation's natural gas activities or electricity services activities; to authorize the Public Service Commission to have jurisdiction over compliance with the cross-subsidization prohibitions and to provide for expedited adjudication of any complaints related thereto; to provide certain rights, powers, and benefits to broadband affiliates of electric membership corporations; to require certain rates, terms, and conditions for pole attachments between communications service providers and electric membership corporations and their broadband affiliates; to provide for related matters
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Georgia |
HB 244 Signed by governor 8/5/20, Act 592
|
Amends Part 2 of Article 4 of Chapter 3 of Title 46 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to corporate purposes and powers of electric membership corporations, so as to require electric membership corporations to comply with certain requirements in determining the rates, fees, terms, conditions, and specifications for attachments to utility poles by communications service providers; to provide for certain rates, fees, terms, conditions, and specifications for such attachments to be determined by the Public Service Commission; to provide for the commission to promulgate certain rules and regulations; to provide for definitions; to provide for a short title; to provide for related matters.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Georgia |
HB 499 Passed House 2/5/19
|
Amends Article 4 of Chapter 3 of Title 46 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to electric membership corporations and foreign electric cooperatives, so as to permit the use of electric easements for broadband services; to provide for a definition; to provide for legislative findings and declarations as to certain utility easements; to provide for related matters.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Georgia |
SB 309
|
Amends Title 36 of the O.C.G.A., relating to local government, so as to provide for comprehensive regulation of local government infrastructure financing; to include broadband network projects as undertakings for which revenue bonds may be issued; to create the Georgia Municipal and Local Government Infrastructure Finance Authority and the Georgia County and Local Government Infrastructure Finance Authority; to provide for automatic repeal; to provide for related matters.
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Funding
|
Georgia |
SB 370 Signed by governor 7/29/20, Act 516
|
Amends Title 46 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to public utilities and public transportation, so as to provide for compliance with certain safety and permit requirements when electric easements are utilized for broadband services; to provide for a definition; to provide for related matters.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Georgia |
SB 411
|
Amends Part 2 of Article 4 of Chapter 3 of Title 46 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to corporate purposes and powers of electric membership corporations, so as to require electric membership corporations to comply with certain requirements in determining the rates for attachments to utility poles by communications service providers; to provide for certain terms and conditions for such attachments; to provide for definitions; to provide for a short title; to provide for related matters
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Georgia |
SB 459
|
Amends Titles 46 and 50 of the O.C.G.A., relating to public utilities and public transportation and state government, respectively, so as to provide funding for the deployment of certain communications services throughout this state; to change certain provisions relating to the Universal Access Fund so as to modernize such Act and to provide for a certain portion of such fund to be used for the deployment of broadband services in unserved areas; to provide for limitations and sunset provisions; to change certain provisions relating to Georgia Broadband Deployment Initiative to provide for such funding awards; to provide for related matters.
|
Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Georgia |
SR 938
|
Urges the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to reconsider its proposed rule regarding use of the 5.850-5.925 GHz band.
|
Spectrum
|
Guam |
56-35
|
Relates to requiring the completion of an independent economic impact statement relative to fiberoptic undersea cable landing stations.
|
Infrastructure
|
Hawaii |
HB 1523 Vetoed by governor 9/15/20
|
Specifies that the costs of devices for certain Department of Education schools shall be covered using Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) funds.
|
Education/Schools, Funding Rural and Underserved
|
Hawaii |
HB 2264
|
Appropriates funds to the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism for cable landing infrastructure.
|
Funding and Infrastructure
|
Hawaii |
HB 2596 SB 2433
|
Establishes the broadband service infrastructure grant program to award grants to applicants to extend deployment of facilities used to provide broadband service to unserved and underserved areas of the state.
|
Funding, Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Hawaii |
SB 2527
|
Establishes the broadband infrastructure grant program within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, to award grants to applicants to extend deployment of infrastructure used to provide broadband service to unserved and underserved areas of the state.
|
Funding, Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Idaho |
HB 490
|
Relates to powers of municipal corporations; amending chapter 3, title 50, Idaho code, by the addition of a new §50-346, Idaho code, to provide for city authority to establish provisions regarding a city communications service.
|
Municipal
|
Illinois |
HB 3492
|
Creates the Illinois Low Income Broadband Assistance Program. Requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to establish an Illinois Low Income Broadband Assistance Program (Program) to ensure the availability and affordability of broadband service to low income families. Provides that the Department shall coordinate with Local Administrative Agencies (LAAs) to determine eligibility for the Program, provided that eligible income shall be no more than 135% of the federal poverty level. Provides that families whose annual household income is at or below 100% of the federal poverty level shall be eligible for free broadband service. Provides that a credit of at least $9.95 a month for broadband services shall be payable monthly to: (i) families whose annual household income is above 100% of the federal poverty level but no greater than 135% of the federal poverty level; and (ii) families that include at least one adult person or dependent child who qualifies for or participates in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Supplemental Security Income program, Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefits Programs, and other specified assistance programs. Provides that the $9.95 broadband service credit may be adjusted according to family size. Provides that families who participate in the federal Lifeline program or any other State Internet service subsidy program shall not be eligible to participate in the Illinois Low Income Broadband Assistance Program. Contains provisions concerning continued eligibility requirements; bill payments requirements; and rulemaking authority.
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Rural and Underserved
|
Illinois |
HB 4152
|
Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Provides that, subject to federal law and regulation, no provider of telephone, cellular telephone, television, Internet, energy, or water service shall impose a fee for termination or early cancellation of a service contract if the customer dies before the end of the contract. Provides that every violation is an unlawful practice punishable by a civil penalty not to exceed $1,000.
|
|
Illinois |
HB 5319
|
Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that cable or video providers shall cease charging customers for modems and routers, whether rented together or separately, when the customer has paid to the provider the wholesale cost of the modem or router, or modem and router if rented together, plus a reasonable mark-up not to exceed 5% of the modem, router, or modem and router wholesale cost to the provider. Provides that the cable and video provider shall provide notice regarding the discontinuance of rental charges to the customer in each billing statement. Provides that the notice shall include a disclosure of rights and responsibilities relating to the maintenance of modems and routers.
|
|
Illinois |
HB 5770
|
Amends the Broadband Advisory Council Act. Directs the Council to develop a plan to provide access to broadband services at no cost to all residents of this State. Provides that the Office of Broadband within the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall support and assist the Council in the development of the plan. Requires that priority be given to zip codes identified as having high levels of poverty and areas lacking the infrastructure necessary to meet requirements for high-speed access to the Internet. Requires the Council to identify existing and new streams of State revenue necessary to implement the plan. Provides that the Council shall report the plan and recommendations for legislation necessary to implement the plan to the General Assembly by March 31, 2021.
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Governance and Rural and Underserved
|
Illinois |
HB 5834
|
Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates an income tax credit for custodians of qualifying pupils for eligible education expenses related to online learning, including computers, printers, internet access, textbooks, tutors, and educational facilitators. Provides for an additional credit if the custodian is also an eligible teacher. Creates an income tax credit for employers of custodians of qualifying pupils for eligible expenditures paid by the employer on behalf of the custodian. Provides that the credit is exempt from the Act's automatic sunset provision. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act to provide for emergency rulemaking.
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Education/Schools and Taxes
|
Illinois |
SB 2135 Signed by governor 6/12/20, Public Act 101-640
|
Establishes the Restore Illinois Collaborative Commission to participate in and provide input on plans to revive the various sectors of the state's economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic; provides for universal no cost broadband internet access; provides for public entity meetings; provides for remote witnessing and notarization; provides emergency powers for the secretary of state.
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Governance and Rural and Underserved
|
Illinois |
SB 2268
|
Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that cable or video providers shall cease charging customers for modems and routers, whether rented together or separately, when the customer has paid to the provider the wholesale cost of the modem or router, or modem and router if rented together, plus a reasonable mark-up not to exceed 5% of the modem, router, or modem and router wholesale cost to the provider. Provides that the cable and video provider shall provide notice regarding the discontinuance of rental charges to the customer in each billing statement. Provides that the notice shall include a disclosure of rights and responsibilities relating to the maintenance of modems and routers.
|
|
Illinois |
SB 2500
|
Amends and repeals various acts by abolishing various state governmental entities to effect changes in the statutes to conform the statutes to the changes in law made by Executive Order 2018-11 and by making other conforming changes. Includes the Community Technology Center Grant Program.
|
Funding and Governance
|
Illinois |
SB 2531
|
Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that cable or video providers shall cease charging customers for modems and routers, whether rented together or separately, when the customer has paid to the provider the wholesale cost of the modem or router, or modem and router if rented together, plus a reasonable mark-up not to exceed 5% of the modem, router, or modem and router wholesale cost to the provider. Provides that the cable and video provider shall provide notice regarding the discontinuance of rental charges to the customer in each billing statement. Provides that the notice shall include a disclosure of rights and responsibilities relating to the maintenance of modems and routers.
|
|
Illinois |
SB 3482
|
Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Provides that, subject to federal law and regulation, no provider of telephone, cellular telephone, television, internet, energy, or water service shall impose a fee for termination or early cancellation of a service contract if the customer dies before the end of the contract. Provides that every violation is an unlawful practice punishable by a civil penalty not to exceed $1,000.
|
|
Illinois |
SB 3998
|
Amends the Broadband Advisory Council Act. Provides that, in addition to its other duties, the Council shall explore the feasibility of universal or public broadband.
|
Governance and Rural and Underserved
|
Indiana |
HB 1304
|
Provides that the Indiana utility regulatory commission (IURC) may adopt rules necessary to administer the Indiana universal service fund (IUSF), including rules to: (1) adjust the amount of the surcharge percentage required to be collected by communications service providers and remitted to the IUSF; and (2) establish the types of communications service providers that are required to assess a surcharge for remittance to the IUSF. Provides that the IURC may, to the extent not prohibited by federal law, require a provider of interconnected voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) service to collect and remit to the IUSF a surcharge on the provider's revenue from intrastate use of the provider's interconnected VOIP service. Provides that a communications service provider, including a provider of broadband service through fiber optic cable, has access to public rights-of-way as a public utility for purposes of federal law exempting public utilities from payment of fair market value for use of public rights-of-way acquired with federal mass transportation funds. Allows use of the I-Light network for provision of communications service to unserved areas, subject to rules adopted by the office of community and rural affairs to: (1) define unserved areas for purposes of the rules; and (2) establish an application process to receive and evaluate proposals by communications service providers for use of I-Light to provide communications service to unserved areas. Provides that a fee owner of a right-of-way or a possessor of an easement: (1) is not entitled to compensation; (2) may not charge a fee of any kind; and (3) may not unreasonably deny authorization; for construction, operation, or maintenance of infrastructure by public and municipally owned utilities, including communications service providers, to the extent that the construction, operation, or maintenance does not interfere with the ordinary and normal use of the right-of-way or easement. Provides that the department of transportation, when issuing a permit for excavation or obstruction of a street, highway, or right-of-way: (1) may not require provision of a bond or cash deposit in an amount greater than $10,000 for each area designated in the permit; and (2) must accept a blanket bond in satisfaction of the bond requirement. Makes a technical correction.
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Governance and Rural and Underserved
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Indiana |
SB 177 Signed by governor 3/18/20, Public Law 59
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Provides that the office of community and rural affairs, rather than the Indiana economic development corporation, administers the broadband ready communities development center.
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Governance
|
Indiana |
SB 343 Signed by governor 3/18/20, Public Law 81
|
Changes the rural telephone cooperative act to the rural communications cooperative act, allowing the formation of nonprofit cooperative corporations for the purposes of providing telecommunications service and information service, including video service, broadband service, and VOIP service. Makes conforming amendments.
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Rural and Underserved
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Indiana |
SB 349
|
Amends the statutory priorities for the funding of projects from the rural broadband fund to provide that the office of community and rural affairs (office) shall establish as a priority the funding of projects to extend the deployment of eligible broadband service to areas in which the only available connections to the internet are at actual speeds of not more than 25 megabits per second downstream. (Current law prioritizes the funding of projects to deploy eligible broadband service to rural areas based on two different levels of broadband speed available in such areas.) Requires the office to amend, not later than April 15, 2020, the office's guidelines implementing the broadband grant program as necessary to reflect the changes to the funding priorities made by the bill's provisions. Provides that not later than 90 days before the date on which applications for grant funding may first be submitted with respect to a particular round of funding, the office shall issue to any persons providing broadband service in rural areas a request for information soliciting: (1) data identifying each service address for which the person provides broadband service in a rural area, including information on upload and download speeds of the service provided; and (2) information identifying service addresses or other locations in rural areas to which the person will provide eligible broadband service not later than 18 months after the date on which applications for grant funding may first be submitted with respect to the particular round of grant funding. Provides that if the information received by the office in response to a request for information does not indicate that any person is providing broadband service to a particular service address, the office shall consider the service address to be: (1) without broadband service; and (2) eligible for inclusion in any proposed broadband project for which grant funding is sought. Provides that with respect to any service addresses or other locations identified by a person for the deployment of eligible broadband service not later than 18 months after the date on which applications may first be submitted for a particular round of funding, the office shall consider the service addresses or locations identified to be ineligible for inclusion in any proposed broadband project for which funding is sought, subject to the person submitting: (1) a plan for the proposed deployment; and (2) quarterly progress reports on the person's activities in furtherance of the plan. Provides that before each round of grant funding, the office shall publish on the office's Internet web site: (1) data, not identified by provider, as to which service addresses in rural areas receive broadband service at certain specified speeds; (2) data, not identified by provider, as to which service addresses in rural areas are planned for broadband deployment within the 18 month period beginning with the date applications may first be submitted for the particular round of funding; and (3) a map of Indiana showing the general locations of these service addresses or locations. Provides that any information submitted to the office under these provisions: (1) is confidential for purposes of the statute concerning access to public records; (2) is subject to certain protections concerning confidential or proprietary business information; and (3) may not be disclosed by the office, other than in a form that does not identify the person providing the information.
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Funding, Governance and Rural and Underserved
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Indiana |
SB 411 Passed Senate 1/28/20
|
Urges the legislative council to assign to the interim study committee on energy, utilities, and telecommunications the topic of installation and leasing of broadband capacity infrastructure by investor-owned electric utilities to broadband service providers for the provision of broadband internet service to unserved and underserved areas in Indiana. Specifies issues that must be considered in the study.
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Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
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Indiana |
SB 441
|
Requires certain school corporations and schools to provide information and meet certain requirements regarding compatibility with the Ed-Fi Data Standard.
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Education/Schools
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Iowa |
HF 2023 Withdrawn from further consideration 3/5/20
|
This bill relates to state taxation of broadband grants provided to a communications service provider. Under the bill, a communications service provider given a federal, state, or local broadband grant may exclude from the computation of the individual or corporate state income tax, as applicable, the amount of the grant to the extent the grant is subject to federal individual or corporate income tax under §118(b)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, if the grant is used to install broadband infrastructure that facilitates broadband service in targeted service areas at or above the download and upload speeds specified in the definition of targeted service area in Code §8B.1. The bill defines “broadband infrastructure”, “communications service provider”, and “targeted service area”. The bill permits refunds of taxes, interest, or penalties arising from claims resulting from the enactment of the bill for broadband service grants that were taxable during the tax year beginning Jan. 1, 2019, but before Jan. 1, 2020, and requires such claims to be filed prior to Oct. 1, 2020.
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Funding and Taxes
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Iowa |
HF 2107 Withdrawn from further consideration 3/5/20
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This bill relates to the development and utilization of high-speed electronic transmission mediums, including certifications to be issued by the economic development authority and the fiberoptic conduit installation program. The bill requires the authority to establish a broadband forward certification program. The objective of the program is to encourage political subdivisions to further development of both broadband infrastructure and access to broadband. A political subdivision shall apply to the economic development authority for broadband forward certification pursuant to application requirements specified in the bill. The bill describes certain actions a political subdivision certified as broadband forward cannot take. If a political subdivision successfully applies for broadband forward certification, the authority is required to coordinate with other state agencies regarding preferences given in the awarding of grants or making of loans. The bill also requires the authority to establish a telecommuter forward certification program. The objective of the program is to encourage political subdivisions to further and promote the availability of telecommuting. The bill specifies application requirements for telecommuter forward certification and describes certain actions a political subdivision certified as telecommuter forward cannot take. As with the broadband forward certification program, if a political subdivision successfully applies for telecommuter forward certification, the authority is required to coordinate with other state agencies regarding preferences given in the awarding of grants or making of loans. The bill repeals the fiberoptic network conduit installation program under the authority of the office of the chief information officer and reestablishes the program under the purview of the department of transportation. The fiberoptic network conduit installation program provides that the department of transportation is to administer a program related to the installation of fiberoptic network conduit where such conduit does not exist. More specifically, the department is to coordinate with applicable agencies and entities to ensure there is an opportunity to install fiberoptic network conduit during certain projects. The bill also requires the department to maintain and publish on its internet site a list of construction projects utilizing public funding that involve opening the ground alongside a private road.
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Governance, High Speed and Infrastructure
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Iowa |
HF 2442 Passed House 3/5/20
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Directs the office of the chief information officer and the Iowa telecommunications and technology commission to jointly conduct a feasibility study relating to internet exchange points.
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Infrastructure
|
Iowa |
HF 2459 Withdrawn from further consideration 6/4/20
|
Relates to broadband service; includes matters under the purview of the Office of the Chief Information Officer, the Empower Rural Iowa Broadband Grant fund, and certain broadband infrastructure tax exemptions; includes effective date and retroactive applicability provisions.
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Funding, Governance and Taxes
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Iowa |
HF 2520 Passed House 3/5/20
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This bill relates to the development and utilization of high-speed electronic transmission mediums, including certifications to be issued by the economic development authority and the fiberoptic conduit installation program.
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Governance, High Speed and Infrastructure
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Iowa |
HF 2575 Passed House 3/5/20
|
Exempts from the computation of the individual and corporate state income taxes broadband grants received by communications service providers; includes effective date and retroactive applicability provisions.
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Funding and Taxes
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Iowa |
HF 2605
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This bill appropriates moneys from the general fund of the state for FY 2020-2021 to the office of the chief information officer for deposit in the connecting Iowa farms, schools, and communities broadband grant fund.
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Education/Schools, Funding, Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
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Iowa |
SF 2048
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This bill relates to the connecting Iowa farms, schools, and communities broadband grant program. Currently, the office of the chief information officer is prohibited from awarding a grant from the connecting Iowa farms, schools, and communities broadband grant fund that exceeds 15% of the communications service provider’s project cost. The bill increases the percentage limit to 25% of the communications service provider’s project cost. The bill appropriates moneys to the office for FY 2019-2020 and FY 2020-2021 for deposit in the connecting Iowa farms, schools, and communities broadband grant fund. Moneys are allocated each fiscal year from the appropriations to be used for providing technical assistance to communications service providers to assist them in applying for grants under the program.
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Funding, Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
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Iowa |
SF 2262 Becomes SF 2400 3/3/20
|
Relates to broadband service, including matters under the purview of the office of the chief information officer, the empower rural Iowa broadband grant fund, and certain broadband infrastructure tax exemptions; includes effective date and retroactive applicability provisions.
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Funding, Governance, Rural and Underserved and Taxes
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Iowa |
SF 2400 Signed by governor 6/25/20
|
Relates to broadband service, including matters under the purview of the office of the chief information officer, the empower rural Iowa broadband grant fund, and certain broadband infrastructure tax exemptions, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions.
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Funding, Governance, Rural and Underserved and Taxes
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Kansas |
HB 2588
|
Establishes Eisenhower Transportation Program. Authorizes and empowers the secretary of transportation to make grants for construction projects, the purpose of which is to expand and improve broadband service in the state of Kansas. Authorizes the secretary of transportation to make such grants when working jointly with the office of broadband development within the department of commerce.
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Funding, Governance and Infrastructure
|
Kansas |
HB 2618 Passed House 2/26/20
|
Establishes the State Broadband Deployment Grant Program (Grant Program) to be administered by the Office of Broadband Development (Office) in the Department of Commerce (Department). The purpose of the Grant Program would include development of a competitive grant program by the Office to award funding to applicants seeking to expand access to broadband internet service (broadband) in the state. Funding for the Grant Program would be subject to appropriation acts.
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Funding and Governance
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Kansas |
HB 2017, Special Session
|
Provides that on July 1, 2021, and each July 1 thereafter, or as soon thereafter such date as moneys are available, 1/3 of the total amount credited to the medical cannabis revenues fund shall be transferred by the director of accounts and reports from the medical cannabis revenues fund to the operating grant (including official hospitality) account of the department of commerce in the state general fund to be expended for the expansion of broadband internet connectivity.
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Funding
|
Kansas |
SB 173 Signed by governor 4/2/20, Chapter 8
|
Provides for the Eisenhower legacy transportation program. The bill authorizes safety or technology elements to be added in a preservation plus project. The bill states such elements may include, but not be limited to, adding paved shoulders, passing lanes, traffic signals, or intelligent transportation system elements or laying broadband fiber or the conduit for broadband fiber. The bill states it is the intent of the Legislature that the secretary has the authority to enhance preservation plus projects by adding safety or technology improvements, or both. The bill authorizes federal funding from grants or stimulus to be used for preservation plus projects. The bill authorizes the secretary, working jointly with the Office of Broadband Development within the Department of Commerce, to make grants for construction projects that expand and improve broadband service in Kansas. The bill requires grants made by the secretary to reimburse grant recipients for up to 50% of actual construction costs in expanding and improving broadband service. Such grant reimbursements will be upon the terms and conditions the secretary deems appropriate, in coordination with the secretary of Commerce.
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Funding, Governance and Infrastructure
|
Kansas |
SB 375 Passed Senate 3/16/20
|
Authorizes and directs the secretary of Transportation to initiate a program to be called the FORWARD transportation program.
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Funding, Governance and Infrastructure
|
Kentucky |
HB 332
|
Amends KRS 154.15-010 to add definitions for "broadband service", "eligible entity", "unserved area", "wholesale network access"; amends KRS 154.15-020 to require the Kentucky Communications Network Authority to offer wholesale access to the excess capacity on KentuckyWired only in unserved areas.
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Governance and Rural and Underserved
|
Kentucky |
HB 358 Withdrawn 2/26/20
|
Defines affiliate; exempts certain tangible personal property from sales and use tax if purchased by providers of communications services, multichannel video programming services, internet access, or any combination, thereof, and require yearly report of the exemption to the Legislative Research Commission; authorizes the report from the Department of Revenue, and reorder the Aug. 1, 2020.
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Taxes
|
Kentucky |
HB 362 Signed by governor 3/30/20, Act 72
|
Establishes the Infrastructure Revolving Fund to provide financial assistance to governmental agencies and investor owned water systems for the construction or acquisition of infrastructure projects; establishes the Broadband Deployment Fund to provide grants to government agencies and private sector entities to construct infrastructure for the deployment of broadband service in underserved areas of the Commonwealth.
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Funding, Governance, Infrastructure, Mapping, and Rural and Underserved
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Kentucky |
HB 553
|
Creates a new section of KRS Chapter 139 to define terms; provides for a refund of taxes paid to providers of communications service, internet access, and multichannel video programming services, or any combination thereof; requires yearly report of refunds to the Legislative Research Commission for the effective calendar years of 2021 through 2024; amend KRS 131.190 to authorize the report from the Department of Revenue; makes technical changes.
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Taxes
|
Louisiana |
HB 651
|
Enacts Chapter 14 of Title 45 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, to be comprised of R.S. 45:1611 through 1613, relative to broadband service; to provide definitions; to provide right to use public property; to provide for the installation of broadband system lines; to provide right to cross railroad tracks; to provide requirements for crossing; to provide for a fee to the railroad; to provide for removal of abandoned lines; and to provide for related matters.
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Infrastructure
|
Louisiana |
HB 68, First Special Session Passed House 6/18/20
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Enacts R.S. 47:6041, relative to income or corporation franchise tax credits; establishes a tax credit for certain broadband coverage providers; to provide for the amount of the credit; limits the total amount of credits authorized to be granted; provides for requirements and limitations.
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Rural and Underserved and Taxes
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Louisiana |
HB 5, Second Special Session Passed House 10/2/20
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Enacts R.S. 47:6041, relative to tax credits; establishes a tax credit for certain broadband coverage providers; provides for the amount of the credit; limits the total amount of credits authorized to be granted; provides for requirements and limitations; provides for definitions; provides for an effective date; and provides for related matters.
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Rural and Underserved and Taxes
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Louisiana |
HCR 77 Adopted 5/31/20
|
Urges and requests removal of public and private sector barriers to accelerate the expansion of broadband in the state.
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Rural and Underserved
|
Louisiana |
HCR 78 Adopted 5/3/20
|
Provides relative to Louisiana broadband maps to identify access and activation gaps.
|
Mapping
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Louisiana |
HCR 22, First Special Session
|
Urges and requests the House Committee on Commerce and the Senate
Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and International Affairs to study the effects that the railroads have on broadband deployment
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Infrastructure
|
Louisiana |
HCR 19, Second Special Session Adopted 10/22/20
|
Establishes the Task Force on the 4.9 GHz Spectrum to study and make recommendations on how to close the digital divide and allocate the 4.9 GHz spectrum should it become available in Louisiana and to submit a written report of its findings and recommendations to the legislature no later than Feb. 1, 2021.
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Spectrum
|
Louisiana |
HR 40, First Special Session Passed House 6/24/20
|
Urges and requests the House Committee on Commerce to meet and study the current effects that railroads have on broadband deployment and to report its findings to the legislature.
|
Infrastructure
|
Louisiana |
SB 406 Vetoed by governor 6/11/20
|
Amends and reenacts R.S. 12:401, 403(4), 428, and 430, relative to rural access to broadband high-speed internet access; to grant authority to electric cooperatives; to provide broadband high-speed internet services; to provide for broadband operators; to provide for broadband service providers; to provide for limitations on liability; to provide for servitudes; to provide for applications; to provide for certain terms, conditions and procedures; to provide for powers; to provide for definitions; and to provide for related matters.
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Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Louisiana |
SB 10, First Special Session Signed by governor 7/13/20, Act 16
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Enacts R.S. 12:430.1 and 430.2, relative to rural access to broadband high-speed internet access; provides relative to servitudes; provides for reporting by cooperatives regarding broadband high-speed internet access; provides for reporting by certain telecommunications associations regarding broadband high-speed internet access; provides for terms, conditions, and procedures; and provides for related matters.
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Governance, Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Louisiana |
SB 28, Second Special Session
|
Enacts R.S. 47:302(BB)(113), 305.12, 321(P)(114), 321.1(I)(114), 331(V)(114), and 337.9(D)(35), relative to incentives for broadband providers; provides a sales and use tax exemption for purchases of certain equipment by broadband providers; authorizes the secretary of the Department of Revenue to promulgate rules; provides for effectiveness; and provides for related matters.
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Infrastructure and Taxes
|
Louisiana |
SCR 35 Adopted 6/1/20
|
Urges and requests the Department of Transportation and Development to determine which of its assets are available for broadband internet lines and to implement a "Dig Once" policy allowing broadband internet operators to install cable in the ground more economically.
|
Dig Once and Infrastructure
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Maine |
LD 172
|
The funds provided by this bond issue, in the amount of $15 million will be used to provide funds through the Maine Technology Institute to allow municipalities to invest in smart and connected infrastructure, technology and capacity, including but not limited to information and communications technology such as broadband connectivity, connected sensors and data aggregation platforms; light-emitting diode lighting; adaptive traffic control signals; autonomous vehicle projects; electric vehicle infrastructure; and distributed power generation, storage and management.
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Smart Communities
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Maine |
LD 173
|
Provides critical communications for family farms, businesses and residences by strategic public investment in high‑speed internet and broadband infrastructure; requires that a certain percent of sales and use tax revenue collected from marketplace facilitators be transferred to the ConnectME Authority to further deployment of high‑speed Internet and broadband infrastructure to unserved and underserved areas of the state.
|
Funding, Governance, HighSpeed and Rural and Underserved
|
Maine |
LD 295
|
The funds provided by this bond issue, in the amount of $100 million will be used for the provision of broadband internet service in unserved and underserved areas through ConnectME Authority grants to partnerships between private, municipal and nongovernmental service providers.
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Funding, Governance and Rural and Underserved
|
Maine |
LD 354
|
The funds provided by this bond issue, in the amount of $20 million will be used for encouraging the provision of reliable high-speed internet in rural underserved areas of Maine.
|
Funding, High Speed and Rural and Underserved
|
Maine |
LD 1563 Signed by governor 3/18/20, Chapter 625
|
Encourages the development of broadband coverage in rural areas; revises provisions relating to the collection of data; makes technical corrections.
|
Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Maine |
LD 2021
|
This bill appropriates $15 million from the General Fund to the ConnectME Authority for the provision of broadband Internet infrastructure in unserved and underserved areas.
|
Funding, Governance and Rural and Underserved
|
Maryland |
HB 861 Withdrawn from further consideration 2/25/20
|
Requires an owner‑member whose underground facility provides broadband service to mark the location of the underground facility within 4 hours after a time‑sensitive ticket is transferred to the owner‑member; defines "time‑sensitive ticket" as a ticket that the person initiating a ticket request identifies as requiring an owner‑member to mark its underground facility promptly in order to minimize damage to property.
|
Infrastructure
|
Maryland |
HB 999 Became law without governor’s signature 5/8/20, Chapter 606 SB 540
|
Establishes a process for an electric cooperative to operate as a member-regulated cooperative in a certain area; requires a cooperative's board of directors to hold a certain meeting and forums and provide a certain notice and information to the cooperative's members on whether to operate as a member-regulated cooperative; requires a member-regulated cooperative to report to certain committees of the General Assembly on the status of the deployment of broadband Internet service to the cooperative's members; etc.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Maryland |
HB 1508 SB 790
|
Provides that certain provisions of law governing resource sharing do not apply to any private industry entities that have separate legal rights of access under state or local law to install communications lines and associated facilities in the state rights‑of‑way; requires the Department of Information Technology to waive certain fees for all last mile broadband telecommunications projects in unserved areas.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Massachusetts |
HB 1874
|
Relates to the purchase and installation of wireless internet service in schools and public institutions of higher education.
|
Education/Schools
|
Massachusetts |
HB 2882
|
Relates to the speed of internet access plans.
|
|
Massachusetts |
HB 2892
|
Relates to the establishment of a special commission to examine the state of the advanced telecommunications broadband industry in the commonwealth.
|
Education/Schools, Governance and Rural and Underserved
|
Massachusetts |
HB 3802
|
Relates to low cost internet service.
|
Rural and Underserved
|
Massachusetts |
HB 3919
|
Expands the School Building Authority and creates a new program to assist public school districts with 21st Century technology.
|
Education/Schools
|
Massachusetts |
HB 4148
|
Relates to municipal access to utility poles located in municipal rights of way.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Massachusetts |
HB 4708 Substituted by HB 4733 5/20/20
|
Finances the general governmental infrastructure of the commonwealth.
|
Education/Schools
|
Massachusetts |
HB 4733 Substituted by HB 4932 7/31/20
|
Finances the general governmental infrastructure of the commonwealth.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Municipal
|
Massachusetts |
HB 4932 Signed by governor 8/7/20, Chapter 151
|
Finances the general governmental infrastructure of the commonwealth.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Municipal
|
Massachusetts |
SB 174
|
Provides subject to federal law and regulation, no provider of telephone, cellular telephone, television, internet, energy, or water services shall impose a fee for termination or early cancellation of a service contract in the event the customer has deceased before the end of such contract. Every violation shall be punishable by a civil penalty not to exceed $1,000.
|
|
Massachusetts |
SB 207
|
Ensures safer technology investment by the Massachusetts Broadband Institute.
|
Funding and Governance
|
Massachusetts |
SB 1964
|
Relates to the establishment of a special commission for the promotion of a Massachusetts broadband competitive marketplace.
|
Education/Schools, Governance and Rural and Underserved
|
Massachusetts |
SB 1982
|
Relates to wifi and cellular infrastructure along rail lines.
|
Infrastructure
|
Michigan |
HB 4288 Signed by governor 10/16/20, Public Act 224
|
The bill enacts the "Broadband Expansion Act of Michigan" to do the following: Requires Department of Technology, Management, and Budget (DTMB) to implement the Broadband Expansion Act of Michigan Grant Program, within 60 days after receiving an appropriation or federal funding to do so. Requires the DTMB to use money from the grant program to award grants for projects that extended broadband service into unserved areas in the state and for administration costs. Prohibits the DTMB from awarding money to a governmental entity or educational institution, to own, purchase, construct, or operate a communications network. Prohibits an applicant from receiving a grant for the same project or geographic area for which the applicant had obtained Federal, State, or local government funding. Limits an award to not more than $5 million for any one project or applicant. Requires an award to be issued by a competitive grant process that would have to be technology neutral and result in awards based on the criteria specified in the Act. Prioritizes funding projects that demonstrated collaboration to achieve community investment and economic development goals of the affected area, among other things. Requires an applicant for a grant to provide specified information, such as location of the project and the kind and amount of broadband infrastructure to be purchased. Requires the DTMB to make grant award recommendations and specify criteria that the DTMB would have to prioritize in making the recommendations. Requires the DTMB to establish a comment period of at least 60 days after the date of the award recommendations were published. Prescribes semiannual reporting requirements for an applicant that received a grant.
|
Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Michigan |
HB 5266 Signed by governor 3/10/20, Public Act 61
|
Provides for electric cooperative member regulated pole attachments and calculated rate agreements; provides for the costs of modifying a facility; provides for claims in law and equity for disputes.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Michigan |
HB 5673
|
Allows for communication infrastructure special assessment districts in townships.
|
Funding, High Speed, Infrastructure and Taxes
|
Michigan |
HB 5949
|
Modifies regulation of broadband internet.
|
|
Michigan |
HR 275
|
Memorializes the Congress of the United States to ensure that all Americans have internet access necessary to participate in telemedicine, distance learning, and telework as part of any legislation that provides relief and recovery resources related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
|
Rural and Underserved
|
Michigan |
HR 283 Adopted 9/22/20
|
Urges the Congress of the United States to allocate funding for states that have established broadband expansion block grant programs.
|
Funding
|
Michigan |
SR 113
|
Memorializes the Congress of the United States to fully fund affordable and consistent internet access for all communities and households across the state of Michigan and the entire country.
|
Rural and Underserved
|
Minnesota |
HF 1507 Passed House 5/7/20
|
Relates to state government; establishes the Coronavirus Economic Security Act; modifies loans during public health emergency; provides for small business loans and grants; provides grants for expanding broadband and telemedicine; provides housing assistance; expands personal care assistance services; increases personal care assistant rates; provides penalties; appropriates money.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Minnesota |
HF 3029 SF 3049
|
Relates to telecommunications; establishes a grant program for distance learning equipment; establishes a grant program for telemedicine equipment purchased to deal with Coronavirus; requires reports; appropriates money.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Minnesota |
HF 4083 SF 3965
|
Relates to telecommunications; modifies the definition of local government unit to include school districts.
|
Infrastructure
|
Minnesota |
HF 4268 SF 4198
|
Relates to rural broadband; allows existing easements held by rural electric cooperatives to be used to provide broadband service.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Minnesota |
HF 4415 Signed by governor 5/27/20, Chapter 116
|
Provides for school closures and other amendments due to coronavirus; clarifies the calculation of certain school aids formulas; makes forecast adjustments to funding for general education, education excellence, teachers, special education, facilities, fund transfers and accounting, nutrition and libraries, early childhood, and community education and lifelong learning.
|
Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Minnesota |
HF 4542
|
Makes certain policy changes for prekindergarten through grade 12 education including general education, education excellence, facilities and fund transfers, distance learning, state agency emergency powers, making Coronavirus formula adjustments, and making corrections to 2019 law for certain referendum provisions and appropriations; makes forecast adjustments to funding for general education.
|
Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Minnesota |
HF 35, Second Special Session SF 6, Second Special Session Passed Senate 6/19/20
|
Establishes a funding program for distance learning equipment; establishes a grant program for telemedicine equipment purchased to deal with COVID 19; requires reports; appropriates money.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Minnesota |
HF 12, Third Special Session SF 9, Third Special Session
|
Relates to telecommunications; establishes a funding program for distance learning equipment; establishes a grant program for telemedicine equipment purchased to deal with coronavirus; requires reports; appropriates money.
|
Education/Schools, Funding Rural and Underserved
|
Minnesota |
HF 62, Third Special Session
|
Relates to individual income taxation; expands the definition of education related expenses for the education expenses subtraction and credit to include certain broadband subscription expenses.
|
Education/School and Taxes
|
Minnesota |
HF 12, Fourth Special Session SF 6, Fourth Special Session
|
Establishes a funding program for distance learning equipment; establishes a grant program for telemedicine equipment purchased to deal with COVID-19; requires reports; and appropriates money.
|
Education/Schools, Funding, Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Minnesota |
HF 14, Fifth Special Session SF 8, Fifth Special Session
|
Establishes a funding program for distance learning equipment; establishes a grant program for telemedicine equipment purchased to deal with COVID-19; requires reports; appropriates money.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Minnesota |
SF 3856
|
Relates to telecommunications; provides an annual statutory appropriation for the broadband development grant program; appropriates money.
|
Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Minnesota |
SF 4472
|
Relates to broadband; specifies grant amount for unserved areas.
|
Funding, Governance and Rural and Underserved
|
Minnesota |
SF 4494
|
Relates to telecommunications; establishes a funding program for distance learning equipment; establishes a grant program for telemedicine equipment purchased to deal with Coronavirus disease 2019; requires reports; appropriates money.
|
Funding and Underserved
|
Minnesota |
SF 4580
|
Relates to education; establishes a distance learning broadband access grant program; requires the Commissioner to equitably distribute the state education agencies reserve portion of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds; requires school districts and charter schools to use Funds for certain purposes.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Minnesota |
SF 30, Second Special Session
|
Requires the commissioner of Human Services to apply for the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant authorized under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Minnesota |
SF 8, Third Special Session
|
Relates to telecommunications; establishes a funding program for distance learning equipment; establishes a grant program for telemedicine equipment purchased to deal with coronavirus; requires reports.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Mississippi |
HB 93 Died in committee 6/3/20
|
Creates the Smart State Act; establishes a grant program to be administered by the Mississippi Development Authority for the purpose of making grants to municipalities to assist in paying costs associated with using technology to improve law enforcement and other forms of public safety services, traffic control and systems, transportation systems, transportation infrastructure, and other infrastructure; authorizes the issuance of a specified amount of state general obligation bonds to provide funds.
|
Smart Communities
|
Mississippi |
HB 143 Died in committee 6/3/20
|
Establishes a grant program for the purpose of making grants to assist businesses in paying costs associated with providing and expanding cellular and broadband access and coverage in rural counties and rural municipalities; provides that the Mississippi Development Authority shall administer the grant program created in this act; creates a special fund in the state treasury, designated as the Rural Counties and Municipalities Cellular and Broadband Fund; authorizes the issuance of a specified amount.
|
Funding, Governance and Rural and Underserved
|
Mississippi |
HB 397 Died in committee 3/3/20
|
Requires each school district to develop and implement a wireless technology infrastructure to serve all the schools and classrooms in the district; requires the districts to develop a strategic plan to provide for a two year phase in period for complete implementation; requires districts to conduct thorough needs assessments to determine existing ability and network capacity and recommendations for future network traffic.
|
Education/Schools
|
Mississippi |
HB 696 Died in committee 6/3/20
|
Extends until a specified date, the sales tax exemption on sales of equipment to telecommunications enterprises which is used in the deployment of broadband technologies; extends until a specified date, the income and franchise tax credit granted to telecommunications enterprises for the cost of equipment used in the deployment of broadband technologies; extends until July 1, 2023, the ad valorem tax exemption for equipment used in the deployment of broadband technologies by telecommunications enterprises.
|
Taxes
|
Mississippi |
HB 1174 Died in committee 3/3/20
|
Includes certain investor owned public utilities the same as electric cooperatives for the purposes of the Broadband Enabling Act; provides for purposes of possible amendment.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Mississippi |
HB 1239 Died in committee 6/3/20
|
Extends until a specific date, the sales tax exemption on sales of equipment to telecommunications enterprises that is used in the deployment of broadband technologies; extends until a specific date, the income tax credit and corporation franchise tax credit authorized for telecommunications enterprises for the cost of equipment used in the deployment of broadband technologies; extends until a specific date, the ad valorem tax exemption for equipment used in the deployment of broadband technologies.
|
Taxes
|
Mississippi |
HB 1296 Died in committee 6/3/20
|
Extends until a specified date, the sales tax exemption on sales of equipment to telecommunications enterprises that is used in the deployment of broadband technologies; extends until a specified date, the income tax credit and corporation franchise tax credit authorized for telecommunications enterprises for the cost of equipment used in the deployment of broadband technologies; extends until a specified date, the ad valorem tax exemption for equipment used in the deployment of broadband technologies.
|
Infrastructure and Taxes
|
Mississippi |
HB 1675
|
Authorizes the governing authorities of the city of Okolona, Mississippi, to utilize its electric power delivery system in Chickasaw, Monroe, Lee and Clay counties, Mississippi, to provide broadband service to its customers.
|
Infrastructure, Municipal and Rural and Underserved
|
Mississippi |
HB 1729 Signed by governor 7/7/20, Chapter 453
|
Extends until July 1, 2025, the sales tax exemption on sales of equipment to telecommunications enterprises that is used in the deployment of broadband technologies; amends §57-87-5, Mississippi code of 1972, to extend until July 1, 2025, the income tax credit and corporation franchise tax credit authorized for telecommunications enterprises for the cost of equipment used in the deployment of broadband technologies; amends §57-87-7, Mississippi code of 1972, to extend until July 1, 2025, the ad valorem tax exemption for equipment used in the deployment of broadband technologies by telecommunications enterprises.
|
Infrastructure and Taxes
|
Mississippi |
HB 1786 Passed House 6/25/20
|
Creates the "Technology Instruction and Digital Access to Learning (TIDAL) Act"; establishes digital learning programs for K-12 education and provides grants for electronic devices used in instruction
|
Education/Schools and Rural and Underserved
|
Mississippi |
HB 1788 Became law without governor’s signature 7/9/20
|
Creates the Pandemic Response Broadband Availability Act; creates the "Mississippi pandemic response broadband availability grant program fund" as a special fund in the state treasury for the purpose of providing funds for grants to Mississippi public school districts, independent schools and Native American tribal school districts; provides that the Mississippi pandemic response broadband availability grant program shall be administered by the Mississippi department of education, for the purpose of making grants to eligible school districts and schools to provide them with grant monies for eligible expenses; directs the Mississippi department of education to develop regulations and procedures to govern the administration of the program; prescribes the requirements for the grants; specifies that the use of grant funds shall be subject to audit and regulation of the Mississippi department of education, and noncompliance with the terms of the grant shall require repayment of grant monies to the state; specifies that all monies shall be disbursed from this special fund in compliance with the requirements of the CARES Act and guidelines from the U.S. department of the treasury regarding the use of monies from the coronavirus relief fund; transfers undistributed monies in the fund as of Dec. 1, 2020, to the unemployment compensation fund; provides that a declaration of any portion of this act as invalid shall not affect the remaining portions of this act; amends §31-7-13, Mississippi code of 1972, to exempt public school districts and schools from the procurement and competitive bidding requirements for contracts made under the Mississippi pandemic response broadband availability act; and for related purposes.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Mississippi |
HB 1792 Became law without governor’s signature 7/9/20, Chapter 113
|
Makes an appropriation from the "technology instruction and digital access to learning (tidal) grant program fund" to the state department of education to facilitate distance learning due to interruptions in learning as a result of the impact of COVID-19 on public education; and for related purposes.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Mississippi |
HB 1797 Became law without governor’s signature 7/9/20, Chapter 110
|
Makes an appropriation from the Mississippi broadband availability grant program fund to the Mississippi department of education for purposes of the Mississippi broadband availability act; and for related purposes.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Mississippi |
HB 1800 Became law without governor’s signature 7/9/20, Chapter 108
|
Makes an appropriation from the Mississippi electric cooperatives broadband COVID-19 grant program fund and the COVID-19 broadband provider grant program fund to the Mississippi department of finance and administration for purposes of the Mississippi electric cooperatives broadband COVID-19 grant program and the COVID-19 broadband provider grant program; and for related purposes.
|
Funding, Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Mississippi |
HB 1804 Passed House 7/1/20
|
Makes an appropriation from the "equity in distance learning fund" to the state department of education to facilitate distance learning due to interruptions in learning as a result of the impact of COVID-19 on public education.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Mississippi |
SB 2439 Passed Senate 3/11/20
|
Extends the sales tax exemption on sales of equipment to telecommunications enterprises that is used in the deployment of broadband technologies; extends the income and franchise tax credits granted to telecommunications enterprises for the cost of equipment used in the deployment of broadband technologies; extends the ad valorem tax exemption for equipment used in the deployment of broadband technologies by telecommunications enterprises.
|
Infrastructure and Taxes
|
Mississippi |
SB 2687 Died in committee 3/3/20
|
Incorporates and applies certain provisions of the State Broadband Enabling Act to investor owned electric public utilities in connection with the provision of broadband services on a wholesale basis.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Mississippi |
SB 3009
|
Authorizes the governing authorities of the city of Okolona to utilize its electric power delivery system in Chickasaw, Monroe, Lee and Clay counties, Mississippi, provides broadband service to its customers; and for related purposes.
|
Infrastructure, Municipal, Rural and Underserved
|
Mississippi |
SB 3044 Became law without governor’s signature 7/9/20, Chapter 488
|
Establishes the "equity in distance learning act" to be administered by the Mississippi department of education to provide guidance, technical support and financial reimbursement to schools to provide distance learning and online services; to state legislative findings and intent; defines terms; establishes the "equity in distance learning grant program"; provides that allocations under the program shall be made based on average daily attendance; highly encourages each school to commit a portion of its federal elementary and secondary school emergency relief (ESSER) funds to purchase equipment for its distance learning plan; requires the department to inform each school of its portion of available funds, develop regulations and procedures to govern the grant program and to compile an express products list; prescribes the eligibility requirements for schools to be reimbursed under the grant program; creates a special fund in the state treasury to be known as the "equity in distance learning fund"; provides that the provisions of this act are severable; and for related purposes.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Mississippi |
SB 3046 Became law without governor’s signature 7/9/20, Chapter 487
|
Creates the "COVID-19 Connectivity Act"; defines terms as used in the act; provides legislative intent; establishes the COVID-19 connectivity grant program to be administered by the public utilities staff for the purpose of expanding broadband service to unserved or underserved areas in the state; authorizes the public utilities staff to retain a certain amount of funds available under this act to pay for reasonable expenses incurred in the administration of the grant program; provides that the grants must be issued pursuant to a competitive process and to require the public utilities staff to publish on its website its criteria for competitively scoring applications; provides for the application process; to require semiannual reports from applicants awarded funds; to create the COVID-19 connectivity fund from which the grants authorized by this act shall be disbursed; amends §77-3-2 to declare that it is the policy of the state of Mississippi to support expansion of existing and emerging technologies to foster reliable and resilient service and customer access to enhanced services; amends §77-3-3 to include definitions of "broadband service provider," "broadband operator," "electric delivery system" and "enhanced grid investments"; amends §77-3-44 to include fiber-optic infrastructure and enhanced grid investments as an economic development activity, to allow investor-owned electric utilities to permit broadband providers use of the electric delivery system to provide broadband services, to regulate easements, to allow certain entities to construct fiber-optic infrastructure on public utilities' existing rights-of-way; and for related purposes.
|
Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Mississippi |
SF 3054 Became law without governor’s signature 9/1/20, Chapter 495
|
Amends chapter 487, 2020 regular session (SB 3046), creates the "public utilities application fund," changes the application fee deposits from "public utilities staff regulation fund" to the "public utilities application fund," and authorizes a third round of applications for the Mississippi electric cooperatives broadband COVID-19 grant program; and for related purposes.
|
Funding, Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Mississippi |
SB 3057 Became law without governor’s signature 10/9/20, Chapter 499
|
Amends §4, chapter 491, laws of 2020 (HB 1788), to authorize funds appropriated and grant monies distributed under the Mississippi pandemic response broadband availability grant program to be expended on a license to use equipment and services for a period of no longer than 1 year as necessary to fulfill the purposes of the program; and for related purposes.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Missouri |
HB 1768 Signed by governor 7/2/20
|
This bill modifies the powers of neighborhood improvement districts and community improvement districts to include the ability to partner with telecommunications companies or broadband service providers in order to construct or improve telecommunications facilities (§§67.453 and 67.1461, RSMo). Requires the Department of Economic Development to maintain a record of all federal grants awarded to entities for the purposes of providing, maintaining, and expanding rural broadband in the state. In cases in which federal funds have been awarded but later retained, withheld, or otherwise not distributed to the original grant recipient due to failure to meet performance standards or other criteria, the Department of Economic Development will seek to have the funds awarded to another eligible, qualified Missouri broadband provider (§620.2451).
|
Funding and Governance
|
Missouri |
HB 1859
|
This bill extends the sunset on the Broadband Internet Grant Program to Aug. 28, 2027.
|
Funding
|
Missouri |
HB 2005 Signed by governor with line-item veto 6/30/20
|
Appropriates money for the expenses, grants, refunds, and distributions of the Office of Administration, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Conservation, the Department of Public Safety, the Chief Executive's Office, and the several divisions and programs thereof; transfers money among certain funds for the upcoming fiscal year. Includes appropriations For broadband expansion and reimbursement to residential and agricultural areas in counties of the sate of Missouri with high concentrations of state employees without residential access to broadband internet, for the purpose of enabling state employees to work remotely due to the COVID-19 disease.
|
Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Missouri |
HB 2184
|
This bill allows for neighborhood and community improvement districts to expend funds for the improvement of telecommunications facilities in the district.
|
Municipal
|
Missouri |
HB 2302
|
This bill establishes the "Electrical Corporation Broadband Authorization Act", which authorizes an electrical corporation to: (1) Own, construct, install, maintain, repair, and replace broadband infrastructure; (2) Operate the corporation's broadband infrastructure for or in connection with providing electrical service; (3) Engage in broadband operation or permit broadband affiliates to engage in broadband operations using the corporation's infrastructure; (4) Provide broadband services or permit broadband affiliates or third-party providers to provide broadband services using the corporation's infrastructure; and (5) Enter into contracts, leases, licenses or other agreements with broadband affiliates, third-party providers, or customers on any terms and conditions at the sole discretion of the corporation without securing authorization, permission, or approval from the Public Service Commission. When determining the revenue requirement used to set the electrical corporation's base rates in a general rate proceeding, the commission must include the corporation's test year broadband operations and services revenues and its prudently-incurred investment in broadband infrastructure. Any ordinance adopted by a municipal or county government that allows the corporation to install and maintain infrastructure for supplying electricity also must grant the right to install and maintain broadband infrastructure, either directly or through broadband affiliates.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Missouri |
HB 2316
|
This bill requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to submit an annual report to the General Assembly beginning on June 30, 2021. The report will indicate the number of elementary and secondary pupils who reside in a residence with limited or no access to the internet. The report shall indicate the total number of pupils statewide and by school district.
|
Education/Schools and Mapping
|
Missouri |
SB 632 Passed Senate 4/27/20
|
Currently, the broadband internet grant program for unserved and underserved areas of the state will expire on Aug. 28, 2021. This act extends the program until June 30, 2027.
|
Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Missouri |
SB 865
|
Under this act, a grant recipient of funds from the Missouri Broadband Grant Program shall return such funds if the grant recipient fails to establish retail broadband internet speeds of at least 25Mb per second download and 3Mb per second upload.
|
Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Missouri |
SB 874
|
This act allows two or more municipalities to form a broadband infrastructure improvement district for the delivery of broadband internet service to the residents of such municipalities. A district created under the act shall have to power to contract with a broadband internet service provider to provide broadband internet service to the residents of the district. A district may finance the provision or expansion of broadband internet service through grants, loans, bonds, or user fees, but shall not have the power to levy, assess, apportion, or collect any tax upon property within the district nor upon any of its members. The act also sets forth the composition and operation of the district governing board.
|
Governance, Municipal and Rural and Underserved
|
Missouri |
SB 921
|
This act creates the Electrical Corporation Broadband Authorization Act, which allows electrical corporations to operate and use broadband infrastructure, as set forth in the act, in order to provide broadband services, as such term is defined in the act. The act modifies the definition of "electric plant" to include broadband infrastructure operated, controlled, owned, used or to be used for or in connection with or to facilitate the provision of electric service, broadband operations, or broadband service. The act also creates several definitions relating to broadband. As described in the act, an electrical corporation's investment in such broadband infrastructure shall be included in the electrical corporation's rate base used to set the revenue requirement upon which the electrical corporation's base rates are set. The Public Service Commission shall not have jurisdiction over the terms, conditions, charges, contracts, leases, licenses, or other agreements of an electrical corporation or of its broadband affiliate, for the corporation's or affiliate's broadband operations or provision of broadband services. Finally, the act allows an electrical corporation to condemn land for the purpose of constructing broadband infrastructure.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Montana |
No regular 2020 legislative session
|
|
|
Nebraska |
LB 992 Signed by governor 8/15/20
|
Adopts the Broadband Internet Service Infrastructure Act; provides for certain broadband and internet related services.
|
Education/Schools, Funding, Governance, Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Nebraska |
LB 996 Signed by governor 7/24/20
|
Creates the Broadband Data Improvement Program.
|
Governance
|
Nebraska |
LR 429
|
Examines matters related to mapping broadband coverage throughout Nebraska.
|
Mapping
|
Nevada |
No regular 2020 legislative session
|
|
|
New Hampshire |
HB 1111 Signed by governor 7/22/20, Chapter 28
|
This bill allows municipalities to determine locations within the municipality unserved by a broadband provider. This bill also provides for the establishment of communication districts.
|
Municipal and Rural and Underserved
|
New Hampshire |
HB 1578 Failed to pass House 3/11/20
|
This bill requires internet access providers to reimburse customers for interruptions in service and makes the failure to do so a violation of the Consumer Protection Act.
|
|
New Hampshire |
SB 457
|
This bill provides for the establishment of communications districts.
|
Municipal
|
New Hampshire |
SB 459
|
This bill defines areas where broadband providers do not respond to certain municipal requests as unserved. This bill also allows E911 services to share broadband information with municipalities.
|
Rural and Underserved
|
New Hampshire |
SB 559
|
This bill permits municipalities to consider areas unserved if broadband providers fail to respond to a request for information within 2 months, or if the transmission rates fail to meet a telecommunications capability as defined by §706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
|
Rural and Underserved
|
New Jersey |
AB 182
|
Requires public utilities and cable television companies to accommodate and relocate facilities when necessary for transportation infrastructure projects at direction of the Department of Transportation.
|
Infrastructure
|
New Jersey |
AB 185 SB 1458 Passed Senate 7/30/20
|
Expands the Economic Development Authority’s small business loan program to include certain broadband telecommunications service providers.
|
Funding
|
New Jersey |
AB 186 SB 1414
|
Directs the Board of Public Utilities to allow broadband telecommunications service providers to use poles belonging to public utilities or cable television companies in certain instances.
|
Infrastructure
|
New Jersey |
AB 188
|
Allows local units to offer broadband telecommunications service under certain circumstances.
|
Municipal
|
New Jersey |
AB 232
|
Provides corporation business tax credit for certain investment in broadband infrastructure in underserved communities.
|
Infrastructure, Rural and Underserved and Taxes
|
New Jersey |
AB 850 Passed Assembly 8/27/20 SB 2864
|
Establishes Community Broadband Study Commission.
|
Governance and Municipal
|
New Jersey |
AB 1416
|
Requires public utilities and cable television companies to accommodate and relocate facilities and pay costs thereof when necessary for infrastructure projects.
|
Infrastructure
|
New Jersey |
AB 1510
|
Requires cable television companies to provide faster internet access speed to certain customers.
|
Education/Schools and High Speed
|
New Jersey |
AB 1725
|
Requires certain telecommunications, cable television, and public utility service providers to notify public entities of service discontinuance a certain number of business days in advance of a shutoff.
|
|
New Jersey |
AB 2118
|
Requires telecommunications, cable television, and internet service providers to allow service recipients to terminate service agreements following a physician's referral to a long term care facility.
|
|
New Jersey |
AB 2584
|
Requires certain community access television companies to provide internet service at public libraries with business customer class internet access bandwidth and circuit capacity proportional to public libraries' needs.
|
High Speed
|
New Jersey |
AB 2586 SB 1656
|
Requires community access television companies to provide free broadband internet service and associated equipment to public libraries and, under certain circumstances, other municipal buildings.
|
|
New Jersey |
AB 3649 SB 2900
|
Requires Office of Information Technology to establish a statewide wireless network through public private partnership agreement.
|
Municipal
|
New Jersey |
AB 3842 Vetoed by governor 5/4/20 SB 2282 Substituted 3/19/20
|
Establishes Bridging the Digital Divide in Schools Grant Program in Department of Education to provide and expand access to technology and equipment for students in certain school districts.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
New Jersey |
AB 4133 SB 2415
|
Establishes the School Connectivity Grant Program to expand access to online instruction for economically disadvantaged students; makes appropriation.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
New Jersey |
AB 4415 SB 2603
|
Requires the Department of Education (DOE) to provide funds to school districts for acquisition of technology devices to address digital divide and requires districts to reimburse DOE from available federal funds.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
New Jersey |
AB 4627 SB 2947
|
Establishes Digital Divide Solutions Grant Program in the Department of Education to assist public schools in purchase of online instruction equipment.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
New Jersey |
AB 4662 SB 2899
|
Establishes Safe Remote Learning Program in the Department of Education to support provision of remote instruction facilities by public schools.
|
Education/Schools and Rural and Underserved
|
New Jersey |
AB 4789 SB 3123
|
Establishes Safe and Equitable Remote Learning Program in the Department of Education to support provision of mobile broadband internet access service and remote learning safe havens by certain school districts.
|
Education/Schools and Rural and Underserved
|
New Jersey |
AB 4808 Passed Assembly 10/29/20 SB 3086
|
Establishes office in Board of Public Utilities to assist in provision and expansion of broadband internet service in state to address inequities in accessing broadband service.
|
|
New Jersey |
ACR 13 SCR 70
|
Urges the Board of Public Utilities to investigate broadband internet and landline telephone services in the state's rural communities; urges the State Board of Agriculture and Department of Agriculture to explore ways these services can be brought to the state's rural communities.
|
Governance and Rural and Underserved
|
New Jersey |
AJR 158 Signed by governor 3/20/20, Joint Resolution 1 SJR 77 Substituted 3/19/20
|
Urges the Federal Communications Commission to take temporary measures to secure broadband access for those affected by COVID 19.
|
Rural and Underserved
|
New Jersey |
AR 92 Adopted 10/29/20 SR 98
|
Urges Congress to pass Community Broadband Act.
|
Municipal
|
New Mexico |
HM 65
|
Requests the Public Education Department to study the feasibility of a public private partnership to provide internet access on school buses to bridge the digital divide.
|
Education/Schools and Rural and Underserved
|
New Mexico |
SB 17
|
Relates to taxation; creates gross receipts and compensating tax deductions for broadband telecommunications network facilities components.
|
Infrastructure and Taxes
|
New Mexico |
SB 10, First Special Session
|
Transfers federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funding to the department of information technology to provide matching grant funding to tribal governments, school districts and certain political subdivisions of the state for expansion of high-speed internet capabilities in underserved areas for distance learning and telemedicine services; provides a process for grant applications; makes an appropriation; declares an emergency.
|
Education/Schools, Funding High Speed, and Rural and Underserved
|
New Mexico |
SB 2, Second Special Session
|
Makes an appropriation of funds provided by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to the department of information technology to design, develop, procure and implement a mobile high-speed broadband internet network to support distance learning and telemedicine services.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
New York |
AB 6679 Sent to governor 12/29/20 SB 8805 Substituted 6/22/20
|
Amends the Public Service Law; provides for broadband and fiber optic services; requires the Public Service Commission to determine the status of broadband and fiber optic services in the state; provides that the Commission shall require construction or installation of broadband and fiber optic services by an internet service provider in communities in which broadband and fiber optic services are determined to be absent, insufficient, or inadequate.
|
Governance and Rural and Underserved
|
New York |
AB 10465 Substituted 5/27/20 SB 8410 Signed by governor 6/17/20, Chapter 120
|
Relates to aid for library construction; provides that public libraries that received aid for projects commencing July 1, 2017, through July 1, 2019, that are unable to complete such projects due to the state disaster emergency declared pursuant to Executive Order No. 202, as amended, shall be provided an additional 12 months from the statutory project end date to complete such projects.
|
Funding
|
New York |
AB 10475
|
Requires that internet providers who provide service in a municipality provide basic internet service to each residential dwelling or residential dwelling unit in that municipality at no cost.
|
Rural and Underserved
|
New York |
AB 10478 SB 8443
|
Authorizes the commissioner of New York homes and community renewal, as soon as practicable and subject to the disbursement of federal funds expressly for this purpose to the housing finance agency, to implement an emergency COVID-19 homeownership stability program and issue an emergency homeownership payment directly to the eligible homeowner; makes related provisions. Includes broadband in definition of utility.
|
|
New York |
AB 10721 SB 7988
|
Amends the Public Service Law; directs the public service commission to establish quality of service standards, minimum performance levels, customer specific credits, and reporting requirements that shall apply to each internet service provider.
|
Governance
|
New York |
AB 10777 SB 8020
|
Requires that state contracts only be with internet service providers compliant with net neutrality; establishes a revolving fund for the establishment of municipal internet service providers; makes an appropriation therefor.
|
Funding and Municipal
|
New York |
AB 10899
|
Relates to establishing community broadband districts for the purpose of expanding broadband services.
|
Municipal
|
New York |
AB 10900 SB 8931
|
Directs the public service commission to study the feasibility and the costs of burying all or most of the electrical, telephone and internet transmission lines in New York state and to publish and deliver a report of its findings to the governor and the legislature, and requires new electrical, telephone and internet transmission lines to be buried underground.
|
Infrastructure
|
New York |
AB 10932 SB 8858
|
Relates to reducing the cost of expanding broadband access.
|
Infrastructure
|
New York |
AB 10985 SB 8934
|
Relates to fees associated with agreements between municipalities and fiber optic utility companies; no fees shall be assessed for such agreements.
|
Infrastructure
|
New York |
AB 11020 SB 8896
|
Provides a discount to consumers who have a contract for service with a gas corporation, electric corporation, gas and electric corporation, water corporation, steam corporation, telegraph corporation, telephone corporation, cable television company, internet service provider or a municipality rendering equivalent utility services for failure to provide contracted services for a period of at least 24 hours.
|
|
New York |
AB 11039 SB 8970
|
Requires the New York city housing authority to provide adequate and reliable internet service for all housing authority residents.
|
Rural and Underserved
|
New York |
AB 11108 SB 9030
|
Provides internet access to all individuals receiving temporary housing assistance; provides that 100% of the cost for the expense incurred for local social service districts to provide such internet access shall be reimbursed by the state.
|
Rural and Underserved
|
New York |
AB 11180 SB 9112
|
Enacts the "E-Let's Expand Access to Remote Now (E-LEARN) Act" to ensure all children have access to the delivery of technology through high-quality broadband internet connectivity in support of the constitutional education obligations of the state; imposes assessments on telecommunications providers; creates a state fund to accomplish objectives.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
New York |
SB 5696
|
Requires the public service commission to review broadband and fiber optic services within the state and requires the expansion of broadband and fiber optic services.
|
Governance
|
New York |
SB 7229
|
Relates to internet access and communications for municipalities.
|
Municipal
|
New York |
SB 8693
|
Authorizes the commissioner of transportation to enter into an agreement with all entities for use and occupancy of the state right of way for the purposes of installing, modifying, relocating, repairing, operating, or maintaining fiber optic facilities.
|
Infrastructure
|
New York |
SB 8845
|
Relates to authorizing broadband franchises in cities with a population of one million or more.
|
Infrastructure
|
New York |
SB 9003
|
Adjust the limits on fees for the use and occupancy of the state right of way by fiber optic utilities; directs the department of transportation to study the cost of administering utility projects in state highway rights of way.
|
Infrastructure
|
New York |
SB 9057
|
Requires free internet service in households with students who live at or below the poverty level; directs broadband companies to install and/or upgrade broadband services in educational facilities.
|
Education/Schools and Rural and Underserved
|
New York |
SB 9095
|
Requires a digital equity officer be appointed by the director of the office of information technology services to develop, oversee and assist in providing statewide broadband access.
|
Governance and Rural and Underserved
|
North Carolina |
HB 1038
|
Makes omnibus appropriations of federal funds for COVID‑19 response and relief efforts in North Carolina, as recommended by the house select committee on COVID‑19.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
North Carolina |
HB 1043 Signed by governor 5/4/20, Chapter 4
|
Provides aid to people of the state in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
North Carolina |
HB 1105 Signed by governor 9/4/20, Chapter 97
|
Provides funding to the Department of Information technology to expedite and expand broadband infrastructure in the state with a supplementary grant period for the G.R.E.A.T. program.
|
Education/Schools, Funding, Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
North Carolina |
HB 1122
|
Makes various changes to the laws regarding broadband deployment and access in the state.
|
DigOnce, Education/Schools, Funding, Infrastructure, Municipal and Rural and Underserved
|
North Carolina |
HB 1125
|
Appropriates funds from the coronavirus relief fund to Winston‑Salem State University to support infrastructure for moving to online courses to respond to the impact of coronavirus on its students.
|
Education/Schools and Funding
|
North Carolina |
HB 1130
|
Appropriates funds to create new programs and make changes to the Laws related to Early childhood education initiatives and elementary, secondary, and postsecondary public schools, includes the School Connectivity Initiative.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
North Carolina |
HB 1205 Passed House 6/23/20
|
Streamlines the preparation and finalization of new leases and lease renewals on state property to expedite deployment of broadband infrastructure.
|
Infrastructure
|
North Carolina |
HB 1228
|
Establishes a grant program at the Department of Information technology to encourage the expansion of satellite based broadband service to unserved portions of the state.
|
Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
North Carolina |
SB 284 To conference committee 6/25/20
|
Creates a pilot program to establish public-private partnerships that will assist certain counties with cybersecurity resources; creates a pilot program within the department of information technology to enhance program management capabilities within the agency; establishes a grant program at the department of information technology to encourage the expansion of satellite-based broadband service to unserved portions of the state; streamlines the preparation and finalization of new leases and lease renewals on state property to expedite deployment of broadband infrastructure; and makes appropriations to the department of information technology.
|
Funding, Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
North Carolina |
SB 769
|
Enables local governments to expand access to broadband for the citizens of this state.
|
Municipal
|
North Carolina |
SB 784
|
Appropriates funds for public libraries to provide online orientation and support programs for the public.
|
Digital Literacy
|
North Carolina |
SB 803 Passed Senate 6/15/20
|
Funds repairs and renovations projects for state agencies and the constituent institutions of the University of North Carolina and to enact various statutory changes relating to funding and commencing capital projects from the state capital and infrastructure fund.
|
Funding, Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
North Carolina |
SB 859
|
Appropriates funds to expand the school connectivity initiative to provide home mobile internet access points to all public school students who are eligible for federally subsidized free or reduced‑cost school meals.
|
Education/Schools, Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
North Dakota |
No regular 2020 legislative session
|
|
|
N. Mariana Islands |
Not available
|
|
|
Ohio |
HB 13 Passed House 6/11/20
|
Amends §§133.13 and 727.01 and enacts §§122.09, 122.091, 122.092, 122.093, 122.094, 122.095, 122.096, 122.097, 122.098, 122.099, 122.0910, 122.0911, 122.0912, 122.0913, 122.0914, 122.0915, 122.0916, 122.0917, 122.0918, 122.0920, 122.0921, 122.0923, 122.0927, 122.0929, 303.251, and 505.881 of the Revised Code to establish the residential broadband expansion program and makes an appropriation.
|
Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Ohio |
HCR 26
|
Urges the Congress and the President of the United States to prohibit internet service providers from terminating internet service to residential customers and small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
|
|
Ohio |
SB 33 Signed by governor 1/11/21, Session Law 110
|
Amends §§2909.07, 2909.10, 2911.21, 2911.211, and 2917.32 and to enact §§2307.67 and 2923.04 of the Revised Code to modify certain criminal offenses with respect to critical infrastructure facilities and to impose fines and civil liability for damage to a critical infrastructure facility.
|
Infrastructure
|
Oklahoma |
HB 3151 Passed House 3/10/20
|
Imposes maximum charges with respect to certain connections to utility poles; prescribes method for determination of permissible rate increases; excludes rates related to electric power; provides for payment of rates for electric services; requires payment by rural electric cooperatives for certain relocations; prescribes method for computation of certain attachment rates; prohibits rural electric cooperatives from providing certain services; requires franchise prior to provision of certain cable services.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Oklahoma |
HB 3196 Passed House 3/10/20
|
Relates to rural electric cooperative easements; provides for use of certain easements for broadband service; prohibits class action lawsuits against certain entities based on trespass or inverse condemnation; provides for permanent nature of trespass or inverse condemnation; prescribes measure of damages; prohibits admission of certain evidence for purposes of fair market value determination; provides for permanent easement based upon payment of damages.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Oklahoma |
HB 3729 Passed House 3/9/20
|
Relates to telecommunications; modifies the definition of high speed Internet access service and broadband service for purposes of the Telecommunications Act.
|
High Speed
|
Oklahoma |
HB 3771
|
Relates to technology; enacts the Rural Broadband Expansion Incentives Act.
|
Rural and Underserved
|
Oklahoma |
HB 3775
|
Relates to broadband access; enacts the Rural Electric Co‑operative Broadband Access Policy Act of 2020.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Oklahoma |
HB 4018 Veto overridden 5/22/20, Chapter 165
|
Relates to telecommunications; enacts the Rural Broadband Expansion Act; creates the Rural Broadband Expansion Council; imposes requirements on meetings of the Council; requires a study of rural broadband access; provides for an analysis of geographic areas; requires the creation of a mapping system; requires an analysis of financial viability; revises provisions relating to the Digital Transformation Program Revolving Fund.
|
Governance, Mapping and Rural and Underserved
|
Oklahoma |
SB 1002 Veto overridden 5/22/20, Chapter 167
|
Relates to rural broadband expansion; relates to the Rural Broadband Expansion Council; modifies membership; provides for appointees by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the State Senate.
|
Governance
|
Oregon |
HB 4079
|
Modifies definitions applicable for purposes of universal service surcharge; subjects sale of retail commercial mobile radio services and retail interconnected voice over internet protocol services to universal service surcharge; reduces rate cap to 6% of sale of services subject to surcharge; directs Public Utility Commission to transfer up to a certain amount per year of moneys deposited in universal service fund to Broadband Fund; establishes Broadband Fund.
|
Funding
|
Oregon |
SB 1603, First Special Session Signed by governor 7/7/20, Chapter 17
|
Modifies definitions applicable for purposes of universal service surcharges; revises provisions relating to the Universal Service Fund; establishes the Broadband Fund.
|
Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Pennsylvania |
HB 305 Passed House 6/20/19
|
Provides for an inventory of state and county owned communications assets and the use of communication towers for the development of wireless broadband services in unserved and underserved areas of this Commonwealth; provides for the Statewide Mobile Radio and Microwave System.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Pennsylvania |
HB 2348 Passed House 6/10/20
|
Provides for Unserved High‑Speed Broadband Funding Program; establishes the Unserved High‑Speed Broadband Funding Program Account; makes an appropriation; makes a related repeal.
|
Funding, High Speed and Rural and Underserved
|
Pennsylvania |
HB 2410
|
Prohibits termination of cable and Internet service during a disaster emergency.
|
|
Pennsylvania |
HB 2421
|
Relates to school finances; establishes the Bridging the Digital Divide in Schools Grant Program.
|
Education/Schools and Funding
|
Pennsylvania |
HB 2438 Signed by governor 10/29/20, Act 98
|
This bill amends Title 68 (Real and Personal Property) to add a new chapter called “Broadband Services” that provides new definitions and for the ability of electric cooperative corporations or an affiliate to use existing infrastructure facilities to deploy fiber optic lines for broadband through an existing easement owned, held or used by the cooperative corporation. An electric cooperative corporation may only supply retail broadband services through one or more affiliates. The bill clarifies that the attachment of broadband facilities to existing infrastructure and easements of a rural electric cooperative’s affiliate do not constitute a change to the physical use of the easement or interfere with, impair any property rights, or place additional burdens on the property. This is only extended to affiliates of the electric cooperative, not to the cooperative itself to minimize any cross-subsidization of the costs. It also permits a telecommunications company, cable operator or internet supplier to use the easement at terms and conditions no less favorable than those offered to an affiliate of an electric cooperative. It does not permit existing facilities and easements to be expanded. The bill does not apply to new poles or structures within an existing easement, only existing infrastructure that can meet applicable safety standards and maintains structural integrity. The bill also provides a five-year grace period for existing attachment agreement rates and prevents the comingling of funds derived from telecommunications and electric service. Rural electric providers may provide loans, investments or leases with an affiliate providing telecommunications service.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Pennsylvania |
HB 2510 Signed by governor 5/29/20, Act 24
|
Provides for regional response health collaborations to promote health in facilities by supporting coronavirus readiness and response, and improving the quality of infection prevention; makes emergency appropriations for human services. Specifies that funds appropriated to a county for COVID Relief can be used for broadband internet deployment with priority given to unserved or underserved areas.
|
Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Pennsylvania |
HB 2637
|
Provides for emergency lifeline broadband benefit during a disaster emergency.
|
Rural and Underserved
|
Pennsylvania |
HB 2705
|
Relates to public schools; provides for online instruction. Requires schools to survey students and families annually as to their ability to access technology equipment and technology infrastructure from home. Requires schools to identify all students living in an acute poverty household and lacking the technology equipment or technology infrastructure, or both, to allow for online instruction, and submit a grant request through the fund to address the unmet needs relating to technology equipment or technology infrastructure.
|
Education/Schools and Rural and Underserved
|
Pennsylvania |
HB 2722
|
Provides for public housing broadband internet benefits.
|
Rural and Underserved
|
Pennsylvania |
HB 2786
|
Provides for the expansion of broadband access in underserved areas; establishes the Underserved and Unserved Broadband Deployment Grant Program and the Underserved and Unserved Broadband Deployment Fund; transfers funds from the COVID 19 Response Restricted Account.
|
Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Pennsylvania |
HR 64
|
Establishes a legislative task force on the delivery of high‑speed broadband services and directing the Joint State Government Commission to establish an advisory committee to conduct a study on the delivery of high‑speed broadband services in unserved areas and underserved areas of this Commonwealth and to report its findings and recommendations to the House of Representatives.
|
Governance, High Speed and Rural and Underserved
|
Pennsylvania |
SB 835 Signed by governor 11/25/20, Act 132
|
Creates the Unserved High-Speed Broadband Funding Program, which will be administered by the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA). Eligible applicants for the program include nongovernmental entities with the ability to build and operate a high-speed broadband service within the commonwealth, or a rural electric cooperative or local development district as established under the Local Development District Act. Nongovernmental entities must use private capital to finance a minimum of 25% of a project. The CFA shall establish an application period between 90 days and 150 days. Applications shall be submitted to the CFA and must contain detailed information about a proposed project. Preference shall be given to projects that have already been awarded federal money for projects within the commonwealth, and to areas that have no internet access. The CFA is permitted to require further information and establish additional requirements or restrictions upon revenue as necessary. Grant recipients may not make substantial changes to an approved plan without first obtaining authority consent in writing, and any unused revenue shall be returned to the authority. Grant money may not be used to pay fees for financing, paying interest on borrowed money, refinancing existing debt, paying for lobbying services, paying fines, or paying application preparation fees. The bill also repeals §1804-E and §1805-E of the Tax Reform Code, eliminating the Mobile Telecommunications Broadband Tax Credit Program.
|
Funding, Governance, High Speed, Rural and Underserved Taxes
|
Pennsylvania |
SB 1112 Passed Senate 10/21/20
|
Provides for an alternative form of regulation of telecommunications services; provides for additional powers and duties of the Commission.
|
|
Pennsylvania |
SB 1118
|
Provides for broadband services.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Puerto Rico |
None
|
|
|
Rhode Island |
HB 7096
|
Requests the governor to designate a state-wide broadband coordinator and establish a Broadband Advisory Council.
|
Governance
|
Rhode Island |
HB 8087
|
This bill requires all school districts to provide students enrolled in grades 2 Kindergarten through 12 (K-12) access to high-speed internet.
|
Education/Schools and Rural and Underserved
|
Rhode Island |
SB 2776
|
Requests respectfully that the governor designate a statewide broadband coordinator and establish a Rhode Island Broadband Advisory Council.
|
Governance
|
A. Samoa |
Not available
|
|
|
South Carolina |
HB 3210 Signed by governor 9/25/20, Act 154
|
Appropriates funds to the Department of Education for technology purchases of devices and connectivity equipment to support online learning resulting from COVID-19.
|
Education/Schools and Rural and Underserved
|
South Carolina |
HB 3780 Signed by governor 9/29/20, Act 175
|
Adds article 25 to chapter 9, title 58 so as to create the "broadband accessibility act", to, among other things, set forth the broadband authority of electric cooperatives and to set forth the manner in which broadband networks are constructed; amends §33-49-20, relating to electric cooperatives, so as to define terms; amends §33-49-150, relating to the authority of the office of regulatory staff, so as to set forth the office's broadband authority; amends §33-49-250, relating to the powers of electric cooperatives, so as to provide certain broadband authority; by adding §58-31-230 so as to set forth the broadband authority of the public service authority; and to specify that this act does not convey or confer any implied or express grant of authority to an investor-owned electric utility to provide broadband facilities or broadband services.
|
Funding, Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
South Carolina |
HB 4759
|
Directs the state Department of Education to develop a technology plan for providing wireless internet access in all public schools and further direct the department to provide a report of its plan to the speaker of the House of Representatives and the president of the Senate before Aug. 1, 2021.
|
Education/Schools and Rural and Underserved
|
South Carolina |
HB 4943
|
Creates the South Carolina rural communications infrastructure study committee to address access to communications services, including broadband, internet, voice, and cellular.
|
Governance, Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
South Carolina |
HB 4993
|
Adds Article 25 to Chapter 9, Title 58 entitled "Local Government-Owned Broadband Internet Access Service" so as to authorize and regulate local government-owned broadband internet access service providers.
|
Municipal and Rural and Underserved
|
South Carolina |
SB 1076
|
Adds Article 25 to Chapter 9, Title 58 entitled "Broadband Accessibility Act" so as to provide legislative findings; to define relevant terms; to authorize and regulate the provision of broadband internet access service by electric cooperatives; to amend §33-49-20, relating to definitions applicable to the "electric cooperative act", so as to define the term "broadband system"; to amend §33-49-150, relating to the authority and jurisdiction of the office of regulatory staff over electric cooperatives, so as to vest the office of regulatory staff with the authority and jurisdiction to conduct inspections, audits, and examinations regarding the compliance of electric cooperatives with the provisions of this act; and to amend §33-49-250, relating to the powers of electric cooperatives, so as to provide that a cooperative has the power to wholly or partially own, operate, maintain, construct, install, and replace a broadband system directly or indirectly, through itself or through another entity including, but not limited to, a subsidiary, a corporation, or a cooperative of which it is a member or an affiliate.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
South Carolina |
SB 1080
|
Adds Article 25 to Chapter 9, Title 58 entitled "Broadband Accessibility Act" so as to provide legislative findings; to define relevant terms; to authorize and regulate the provision of broadband internet access service by electric cooperatives; to amend §33-49-20, relating to definitions applicable to the "electric cooperative act", so as to define the term "broadband system"; to amend §33-49-150, relating to the authority and jurisdiction of the office of regulatory staff over electric cooperatives, so as to vest the office of regulatory staff with the authority and jurisdiction to conduct inspections, audits, and examinations regarding the compliance of electric cooperatives with the provisions of this act; and to amend §33-49-250, relating to the powers of electric cooperatives, so as to provide that a cooperative has the power to wholly or partially own, operate, maintain, construct, install, and replace a broadband system directly or indirectly, through itself or through another entity including, but not limited to, a subsidiary, a corporation, or a cooperative of which it is a member or an affiliate.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
South Carolina |
SB 1235
|
Adds §58-4-140 so as to establish the office of broadband development, to provide duties of the office, and to provide for annual reports.
|
Governance
|
South Dakota |
HB 1189 Signed by governor 3/27/20, Chapter 240
|
Makes an appropriation to expand rural access to broadband services.
|
Funding, Governance and Rural and Underserved
|
South Dakota |
HB 1271
|
Establishes certain provisions regarding the rural broadband fund.
|
Funding, Governance and Rural and Underserved
|
South Dakota |
HB 1292
|
Makes an appropriation to expand rural access to broadband services and declares an emergency.
|
Funding, Governance and Rural and Underserved
|
South Dakota |
SB 154 Withdrawn from further consideration 2/24/20
|
Affects broadband in South Dakota.
|
|
Tennessee |
HB 2150 Withdrawn from further consideration 3/5/20 SB 2133
|
Removes a provision that requires the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations to report to the chairs of the Commerce Committee of the House of Representatives and Commerce and Labor Committee of the Senate on the impact of the Competitive Wireless Broadband Investment, Deployment, and Safety Act after the report is given.
|
Governance
|
Tennessee |
HB 2318 SB 2086
|
Adds to those receiving the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations report on the impact of the Competitive Wireless Broadband Investment, Deployment, and Safety Act of 2018 by a specified date, the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of representatives.
|
Governance
|
Tennessee |
HB 2400 SB 2851
|
Designates as an unfair or deceptive act or practice in violation of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act of 1977 certain failures by a provider of broadband services to provide the stated upload and download speeds to a consumer; allows the attorney general to assess a civil penalty of $5,000 to $15,000 for each violation.
|
|
Tennessee |
HB 2605 SB 2803
|
Requires the department of environment and conservation to make broadband internet service available to visitors at all state parks.
|
Rural and Underserved
|
Tennessee |
HB 2662 SB 1987
|
Requires a cooperative to provide written notice to other cooperatives supplying cable, video, or broadband services to customers in the service area of any new construction or development of the dates on which open trenching will be available for the other providers to install equipment at their own expense.
|
Dig Once and Infrastructure
|
Tennessee |
HB 2664 SB 2547
|
Requires that the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations report on the Competitive Wireless Broadband Investment, Deployment, and Safety Act of 2018 due Jan. 1, 2021, to legislative committees also be made available on Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations's website by Jan. 1, 2021.
|
Governance
|
Tennessee |
HB 2678 SB 2476
|
Requires the statutorily required report by the department on the status of grants under the broadband accessibility grant program; includes progress toward increased access to and adoption of broadband services, by a specified date in any year in which grants are distributed under the program.
|
Funding and Governance
|
Texas |
No regular 2020 legislative session
|
|
|
Utah |
HB 385 Enacting clause struck 3/12/20
|
This bill creates the Division of Digital Access and Opportunity within the Department of Heritage and Arts. This bill: defines terms; creates the Division of Digital Access and Opportunity (the division) within the Department of Heritage and Arts; describes the division's responsibilities; provides for the appointment of a division director; provides that the division may establish a foundation; and creates an expendable special revenue fund.
|
Digital Literacy, Funding, Governance, and Rural and Underserved
|
Vermont |
HB 958 Signed by governor 6/23/20, Act 119
|
This bill proposes to authorize the legislative body of a municipality, rather than the eligible voters of a municipality at an annual or special meeting, to vote to form a communications union district during a declared state of emergency due to COVID-19. It also amends the requirements for the initial appointment of member representatives and alternates and the initial organizational meeting.
|
Municipal and Rural and Underserved
|
Vermont |
HB 966 Signed by governor 7/2/20, Act 137
|
This bill proposes to appropriate state Coronavirus Relief Funds to various broadband, housing, and other initiatives in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency.
|
Funding and Rural and Underserved
|
Virginia |
HB 831 Signed by governor 4/10/20, Chapter 1132 SB 794 Signed by governor 4/10/20, Chapter 1131
|
Declares that it is the policy of the Commonwealth that (i) easements for the location and use of electric and communications facilities may be used to provide or expand broadband or other communications services; (ii) the use of easements to provide or expand broadband or other communications services is in the public interest; (iii) the installation, replacement, or use of public utility conduit, including the costs of installation, replacement, or use of conduit of a sufficient size to accommodate the installation of infrastructure to provide or expand broadband or other communications services, is in the public interest; (iv) the use of easements to provide or expand broadband or other communications services (a) does not constitute a change in the physical use of the easement; (b) does not interfere with, impair, or take any vested or other rights of the owner or occupant of the servient estate; (c) does not place any additional burden on the servient estate other than a de minimis burden, if any; and (d) has value to the owner or occupant of the servient estate greater that any de minimum impact; and (v) the installation and operation of broadband or other communications services within easements, appurtenant or gross, are merely changes in the manner, purpose, or degree of the granted use as appropriate to accommodate a new technology. The measure further provides that (1) absent any express prohibition on the installation and operation of broadband or other communications services in an easement that is contained in a deed or other instrument by which the easement was granted, the installation and operation of broadband or other communications services within any easement shall be deemed, as a matter of law, to be a permitted use within the scope of every easement for the location and use of electric and communications facilities and (2) subject to compliance with any express prohibitions in a written easement, any incumbent utility or communications provider may use an easement to install, construct, provide, maintain, modify, lease, operate, repair, replace, or remove its communications equipment, system, or facilities, and provide communications services through the same, without such incumbent utility or communications provider paying additional compensation to the owner or occupant of the servient estate or to the incumbent utility, provided that no additional utility poles are installed. The measure provides that any incumbent utility or communications provider may use a prescriptive easement to install, construct, provide, maintain, modify, lease, operate, repair, replace, or remove its communications equipment, system, or facilities, and provide communications services through the same, without such incumbent utility or communications provider paying additional compensation to the owner or occupant of the servient estate or to the incumbent utility, provided that no additional utility poles are installed.
|
Dig Once, Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Virginia |
HB 979
|
Declares that a prescriptive easement, including the right to use such easement for both electric and communications services, exists in an area unserved by broadband when an electric cooperative has a utility map showing the placement, dating back not fewer than 20 years, of facilities owned, maintained, or controlled by the electric cooperative within an easement, and there is no documentation in those records of the electric cooperative or in the public record showing a grant of an inconsistent express easement by the landowner to the cooperative within the easement area. The measure entitles a third-party nongovernmental broadband service provider to use such a prescriptive easement at no charge by the electric cooperative for apportionment and lease of the real estate rights of the cooperative. The measure also provides that when a cooperative has acquired a prescriptive easement in an area unserved by broadband pursuant to which it has the right to install, maintain, and use poles and wires or underground conduits for a communications purpose, it shall be the public policy of the commonwealth to encourage broadband expansion and to interpret such easement to also include the right of a nongovernmental broadband service provider to install, maintain, operate, repair, and replace broadband lines, systems, and facilities necessary for the provision and extension of broadband and other communications services within such easement. The measure gives the State Corporation Commission exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute as to the right of an electric cooperative or nongovernmental broadband service provider to use such a prescriptive easement.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Virginia |
HB 1052
|
Authorizes any locality to provide any telecommunications service, including cable television services, Internet, broadband, telephone service, and wireless internet service, within its boundaries, after holding a public hearing, adopting a resolution, and obtaining approval from the State Corporation Commission. The measure eliminates existing provisions that (i) prohibit cross-subsidization of such services, (ii) require feasibility studies, (iii) prevent a locality from charging less than an incumbent provider, and (iv) limit the types of localities, by population and whether they provide electric utility service, that may qualify to offer such services.
|
Municipal
|
Virginia |
HB 1068
|
Provides that if a public service company has acquired a prescriptive easement pursuant to which it has the right to poles and wires to provide electric service, its rights under that prescriptive easement shall be deemed to include the right to grant to a provider of broadband or other telecommunications services the rights to attach its wires and facilities to the public service company's poles and to enter upon the right-of-way to install and maintain the wires and facilities without the approval of the owner of the servient tract of land.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Virginia |
HB 1177
|
Requires each school board to establish a policy to prohibit any teacher in the school division from assigning to any student a homework assignment that requires the use of an internet connection that is capable of transmitting information at a rate that is not less than 256 kilobits per second in at least one direction when such student lacks meaningful access to such an internet connection.
|
Education/Schools and Rural and Underserved
|
Virginia |
HB 1242
|
Provides that any locality may establish any department, office, board, commission, agency, or other governmental division or entity that has authority to offer telecommunications, internet access, broadband, information, and data transmission services.
|
Municipal
|
Virginia |
HB 1264 Stricken from docket 1/16/20
|
Allows a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization to obtain a land use permit from the Department of Transportation to use rights-of-way to operate a wholesale open-access fiber network.
|
Infrastructure
|
Virginia |
HB 1271 Signed by governor 4/10/20, Chapter 1026 SB 792 Signed by governor 4/10/20, Chapter 1027
|
Allows a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization to obtain a land use permit from the Department of Transportation to use rights-of-way to operate a wholesale open-access fiber network.
|
Infrastructure
|
Virginia |
HB 1280 Signed by governor 4/6/20, Chapter 752
|
Authorizes an electric utility to lease to any third party that is a wholesaler and that is not a government-owned broadband authority, for the purposes of providing broadband connectivity. The leases may extend in length beyond the end of the pilot program under which the utility provides broadband capacity to nongovernmental internet service providers in areas of the commonwealth unserved by broadband.
|
Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
|
Virginia |
HB 1697
|
Establishes a procedure by which a broadband service provider may obtain approval to place its fiber optic broadband lines across a railroad right-of-way. The measure provides that a broadband service provider may submit to the railroad company a notice of intent to construct, accompanied by a specification exhibit and a standard crossing fee of $800; if the railroad does not claim within 35 days that special circumstances exist or that the required specification exhibit is inadequate or incomplete, the broadband service provider is deemed to have authorization to commence placing the fiber optic broadband line across the railroad's right-of-way. The measure provides that a railroad company that believes that special circumstances exist may file a petition for relief with the State Corporation Commission. The bill requires the Commission to adopt regulations prescribing the terms and conditions for a crossing.
|
Infrastructure
|
Virginia |
HB 5009, Special Session
|
Requires each school board to provide in-person instruction to any student whose primary residence is not capable of receiving internet access at speeds greater than 10 Mbps download speed and 1 Mbps upload speed. The bill contains an emergency clause. The bill sunsets upon the expiration of the state of emergency declared by the governor in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the commonwealth.
|
Education/Schools, High Speed and Rural and Underserved
|
Virginia |
SB 302 Substituted by SB 794 2/3/20
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Provides that any utility easement, granted before, on, or after July 1, 2020, whether granted publicly or privately, by statute, local ordinance, deed, or other recorded instrument, or by prescription, shall be deemed to include the laying, hanging, and maintenance of fiber optic cable. The bill further provides that any utility easement shall also be deemed to include access over private or public lands to permit the grantee to have physical access to such cable, unless the instrument granting the easement was recorded prior to July 1, 2020, and specifically states otherwise.
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Infrastructure
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Virginia |
SB 351 Stricken from docket 1/20/20
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Provides that any locality may establish any department, office, board, commission, agency, or other governmental division or entity that has authority to offer telecommunications, internet access, broadband, information, and data transmission services.
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Governance and Municipal
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Virginia |
SB 526 Passed by indefinitely 1/21/20
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Requires the governor to include in the budget bill recommended appropriations for initiatives that promote and develop broadband infrastructure comparable to or greater than any recommended appropriations for economic development.
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Funding
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Virginia |
SB 536
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Directs the Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission to award at least $50 million per year in grants to cover expenditures for the purchase and installation of wireless and broadband equipment to rural service areas in the commonwealth. The bill defines "rural service areas" as any locality with a mean broadband download speed of less than 10 megabits per second, and a mean broadband upload speed of less than one megabit per second.
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Funding and Rural and Underserved
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Virginia |
SB 539 Substituted by SB 794 2/3/20
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Declares that it is policy of the commonwealth that (i) existing or future easements for the location and use of electric facilities be used to provide or expand broadband or other communications services; (ii) such use of such easements is in the public interest; (iii) the use of such easements for the provision of broadband or other communications services, where no additional poles are erected, does not constitute a change in the physical use of the easement, interfere with or impair any vested rights of the owner or occupier of the servient estate, nor does it place any additional burden on the servient estate; and (iv) the installation and operation of broadband or other communications services within an existing or future electric easement are merely changes in the manner, purpose, or degree of the granted use as appropriate to accommodate a new technology. The measure also establishes that in the absence of any express prohibition on the installation and operation of broadband services in an existing electric easement, the installation and operation of broadband services within the existing electric easement shall be deemed as a matter of law to be permitted uses within the scope of every easement for the location and use of electricity facilities. The measure also limits the damages that a landowner may be awarded in any trespass action against a public utility or a broadband service provider or any of its employees, agents, officers, attorneys, directors, representatives, or contractors arising from the installation, maintenance, or operation of any utility poles, wires, conduit, or other infrastructure or fiber optic cabling to the lesser of actual damages or $2,000 per tract of land.
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Dig Once, Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
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Virginia |
SB 919 Passed Senate 2/4/20
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Establishes a sales and use tax exemption for broadband providers that purchase technology for improving existing broadband infrastructure. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act.
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Infrastructure and Taxes
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Virginia |
SB 1053 Passed by indefinitely 1/28/20
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Authorizes the Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission to distribute funds from the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Fund to tobacco-dependent communities in an equitable manner throughout the Middle Peninsula, Northern Neck, Southside, and Southwest regions of the Commonwealth in order to expand access to broadband internet in those areas.
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Funding and Rural and Underserved
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Virginia |
SB 5021, Special Session Postponed indefinitely 8/19/20
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Provides that if a school board requires students to engage in virtual learning for any reason, whether full time or part time, and a computer and Internet service to connect to the curriculum is required, then the school board must provide appropriate technology devices to every student enrolled in the school system so they may access the learning platform. Additionally, the bill requires school boards to provide adequate Internet service to a student's household at no cost if a student's family income is below 125 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. The bill contains an emergency clause.
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Education/Schools and Rural and Underserved
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Virginia |
SB 5114, Special Session Passed by indefinitely 8/26/20
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Requires each school board to make available in-person instruction to each enrolled student when any residential area in the local school division is not capable of receiving Internet access at speeds greater than 10 Mbps download speed and 1 Mbps upload speed. The bill contains an emergency clause.
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Education/Schools and Rural and Underserved
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Virginia |
SB 5115, Special Session Passed by indefinitely 9/2/20
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Appropriates to the Department of Housing and Community Development a sum sufficient to expand access to broadband services in underserved and unserved areas of the commonwealth.
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Funding and Rural and Underserved
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U.S. Virgin Islands |
None
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Washington |
HB 2414
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Establishes and sets forth requirements for the Digital Equity Opportunity Grant Program under the Department of Commerce (Department). Creates a Digital Equity Planning Grant Program to fund the development of a Digital Equity Plan. Provides that the Department may convene a statewide action team on broadband access and adoption. Requires the Statewide Broadband Office to prepare a report on the comparative availability and adoption of broadband across the state by July 1, 2021.
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Funding and Rural and Underserved
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West Virginia |
HB 2028 Passed House 2/19/20
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Provides for the purpose of expansion of internet service to underserved areas of the state at a lower construction cost, prior to a public service district beginning construction of a water or sewer line on any state rights-of-way, the public service district shall notify the municipality if the construction is within a municipality’s limits, or the county commission if the construction will occur outside any municipality. When the location and construction activity is suitable, the public service district shall allow that local government unit to install a fiber optics cable or conduit suitable for future installation of fiber optic cable. The local governmental unit shall pay for the costs of installation of the cable or conduit and shall own and control its use.
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Dig Once and Infrastructure
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West Virginia |
HB 4015 Signed by governor 3/25/20, Act 36
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Amends and reenacts §31G-1-3 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; and amends said code by adding thereto a new article, designated §31G-5-1, §31G-5-2, 2 §31G-5-3, and §31G-5-4, all relating to telecommunications and broadband; limits the consecutive terms of the public members of the Broadband Enhancement Council; limits the consecutive terms of the chair and vice-chair of the Broadband Enhancement Council; enacts the Vertical Real Estate Management and Availability Act; requires the Department of Administration to coordinate with the governor to seek proposals to manage state-owned vertical real estate; establishes how the vertical real estate is to be managed; defines “vertical real estate” as any structure that is suitable for the mounting of communications equipment and associated ground facilities; provides for a distribution of funds from leasing state-owned vertical real estate; and sets forth certain exceptions to the availability for management of state-owned vertical real estate.
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Governance and Infrastructure
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West Virginia |
HB 4403
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Adds a new section, designated §46A-6-111, relating to establishing limitations on billing practices of internet providers relating to customer outages; and establishes civil penalties.
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West Virginia |
HB 4619 Signed by governor 3/25/20, Act 37
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Adds a new section, designated §24-2-1o; amends and reenacts §31G-4-5 of said code; and to amend said code by adding thereto a new section, designated §31G-4-5a, all relating to broadband enhancement; excepts certain middle-mile fiber broadband infrastructure from consideration as a public utility; makes legislative findings; defines terms; establishes the Middle-Mile Fiber Broadband Infrastructure Expansion Program; authorizes certain electric utilities to participate in said program; sets forth powers and duties of the Public Service Commission in reviewing and considering written plans and amendments thereto submitted pursuant to said program; requires certain electric utilities to file written plans and application with the Public Service Commission upon a determination by the Broadband Enhancement Council that a proposed project is feasible; establishes that such a written plan and application is in lieu of a proceeding pursuant to §24-2-11; sets forth the required contents of said written plan and application; requires that an electric utility publish in certain publication areas the anticipated monthly and yearly electric rate increase, if any, and actual rates under the proposal, as a Class I legal advertisement in compliance with the provisions of §59-3-1, et seq. of this code; requires that a public hearing be held within 90 days of the publication of said notice; sets forth instances when no such public hearing is necessary; requiring that the Public Service Commission issue a final order within 150 days of the application filing date; sets forth instances when the Public Service Commission must approve such a written plan; authorizes an electric utility to implement such a plan upon approval by the Public Service Commission; sets forth project costs that an electric utility is entitled to recover as part of the implementation of an approved project; authorizes an electric utility to make certain accounting accruals; provides that electric utilities shall control the scope, scheduling and execution of a project; authorizes an electric utility to reestablish electric service and assure safety of its workers prior to restoration of middle-mile fiber broadband service; authorizes electric utilities to use contractors chosen by the electric utility to construct, install, operate, maintain and repair middle-mile fiber assets; provides an electric utility with sole control of the location and method of attachment and connection of certain middle-mile fiber infrastructure; requires electric utilities to manage and document the entities that lease middle-mile fiber assets for last-mile operations; allows an electric utility to own, manage, or control certain broadband capacity, fiber strands, equipment and electronics; allows an electric utility to lease certain broadband capacity, fiber strands, equipment and electronics to certain internet service providers and other third parties; allows an electric utility to provide access points that are outside the electric utility’s power supply zone to allow connection between the electric utility’s broadband capacity system or fiber strands and non-governmental Internet service provider’s or other third party’s system; removing certain references to underserved areas of the state from feasibility studies of proposed broadband projects; and authorizes certain electric cooperatives to utilize their distribution system, poles, or rights of way to provide for critical infrastructure.
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Governance, Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
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West Virginia |
SB 753
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Amends and reenacts §24-2-1 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; and amends said code by adding thereto a new section, designated §24-2-1o, all relating to authorizing the Public Service Commission to approve plans proposed by electric utilities to install middle-mile broadband fiber and provide expedited cost recovery.
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Governance, Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
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Wisconsin |
AB 344 Signed by governor 3/3/20, Act 128
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Revises provisions relating to a telephone company tax exemption for property used to provide broadband service.
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Infrastructure and Taxes
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Wisconsin |
AB 955 Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1 4/1/20
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Prioritizes certain farm projects under the broadband expansion grant program.
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Funding, Governance, Infrastructure and Rural and Underserved
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Wisconsin |
AB 959 Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1 4/1/20
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Concerns the Public Service Commission's authority to obtain information about internet service availability, broadband expansion grants; makes an appropriation.
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Funding, Governance, Infrastructure, Mapping, and Rural and Underserved
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Wisconsin |
SB 59 Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1 4/1/20
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Relates to state finances and appropriations, constituting the executive budget act of the legislature.
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Municipal and Rural and Underserved
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Wisconsin |
SB 321 Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1 4/1/20
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Relates to telephone company tax exemption for property used to provide broadband service.
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Infrastructure and Taxes
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Wisconsin |
SB 834 Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1 4/1/20
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Prioritizes certain farm projects under the broadband expansion grant program.
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Funding, Governance, Infrastructure, and Rural and Underserved
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Wisconsin |
SB 835 Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1 4/1/20
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Concerns installation of empty conduit lines as part of a digging project in a right of way and offers of service from fiber optic cable broadband lines installed in rights of way.
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Dig Once and Infrastructure
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Wisconsin |
SB 836 Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1 4/1/20
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Concerns broadband expansion grants for cities, villages, towns, and counties and telecommunications related construction projects of cities, villages, and towns.
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Funding, Governance and Municipal
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Wisconsin |
SB 837 Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1 4/1/20
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Concerns advertising broadband and other internet speeds; provides a standardized broadband label.
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Wisconsin |
SB 838 Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1 4/1/20
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Concerns requirements for broadband expansion grants; makes an appropriation.
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Funding, Governance and Infrastructure
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Wisconsin |
SB 839 Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1 4/1/20
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Concerns the Public Service Commission's authority to obtain information about internet service availability, broadband expansion grants; makes an appropriation.
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Funding, Governance, Infrastructure, Mapping, and Rural and Underserved
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