Bill Text: CT SB00331 | 2016 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: An Act Establishing A High-speed Internet Service Pilot Program.

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-03-21 - Motion Failed JFS [SB00331 Detail]

Download: Connecticut-2016-SB00331-Introduced.html

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General Assembly		Raised Bill No. 331
February Session, 2016		LCO No. 2074
		*02074_______PD_*
Referred to Committee on PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
Introduced by:
(PD)

AN ACT ESTABLISHING A HIGH-SPEED INTERNET SERVICE PILOT PROGRAM.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. (Effective July 1, 2016) (a) For the purposes of this section:

(1) "Municipality" means any town, city, borough, consolidated town and city or consolidated town and borough.

(2) "Infrastructure" means the physical elements of a communications network that serves homes and businesses and is capable of providing high-speed Internet service that is capable of increases to ten gigabits per second in the next five years if demand requires such increases.

(3) "High-speed Internet service" means data communications services capable of transmitting one gigabit per second in the downstream direction, on a sustained basis, to all customers in the service area who request service.

(4) "Community antenna television company" and "telephone company" have the same meanings as provided in section 16-1 of the general statutes.

(b) The Office of Policy and Management shall establish a high-speed Internet service pilot program to support the development of infrastructure. The Office of Policy and Management shall develop and issue, in consultation with the Office of Consumer Counsel, the Department of Economic and Community Development and the Department of Administrative Services, a request for proposals from individual municipalities and groups of two or more municipalities. Municipalities may join in a proposal with one or more additional entities, including, but not limited to, a telephone company, community antenna television company, Internet service provider or for-profit or nonprofit business. Each proposal must demonstrate the ability of the applicant to support the development of infrastructure by accessing funds matching or exceeding the amount sought in the proposal. Such demonstration may include commitments from private entities.

(c) The Office of Policy and Management, in consultation with the Office of Consumer Counsel, the Department of Economic and Community Development and the Department of Administrative Services, shall award grants under the high-speed Internet service pilot program to one or more applicants. Criteria for selection shall include, but are not limited to, financial viability, technical viability, anticipated cost of high-speed Internet service to subscribers, projected longevity of the infrastructure to be developed, and the demand and need for high-speed Internet service for economic development, education, health care, public safety or the promotion of access to high-speed Internet service by low-income residents. Each grant shall only be used for the development of infrastructure in municipalities where access to high-speed Internet service does not exist or is severely limited. If possible, grants shall be awarded to at least two applicants with population densities higher than average, and at least two applicants with population densities lower than average.

(d) Not later than one year after receiving a grant under the high-speed Internet service pilot program, and annually for a period of four years thereafter, each grant recipient shall submit a report to the Office of Policy and Management, the Office of Consumer Council, the Department of Economic and Community Development and the Department of Administrative Services, and, in accordance with section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and energy and technology. Such report shall include information concerning the status of the grant recipient's high-speed Internet services.

(e) The sum of twenty million dollars is appropriated to the Office of Policy and Management, from the General Fund, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017, for the purpose of implementing the high-speed Internet service pilot program, provided the Office of Policy and Management may utilize not more than one million dollars of that sum for management and administration of the high-speed Internet service pilot program, including periodic audits and ongoing verification of compliance with award terms by grant recipients.

This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1	July 1, 2016	New section

Statement of Purpose:

To require the Office of Policy and Management to establish a high-speed Internet service pilot program.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]