Bill Text: IL HJR0112 | 2017-2018 | 100th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Creates the Rural Broadband Deployment Task Force to assess the rural telecommunications infrastructure of the State of Illinois for the purpose of determining the present and future needs of the State with respect to realizing the goals of competition, affordability, universal service, and securing the State's telecommunications and economic future.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2019-01-08 - Session Sine Die [HJR0112 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2017-HJR0112-Introduced.html

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HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The deployment and adoption of rural high-speed
Internet services and information technology has resulted in
enhanced economic development and public safety for the State's
communities, improved health care and educational
opportunities, and a better quality of life for the State's
residents; and
WHEREAS, Continued progress in the deployment and adoption
of rural high speed Internet services and information
technology is vital in ensuring that the State of Illinois
remains competitive and continues to create business and job
growth; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE
CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Rural Broadband Deployment Task
Force is created; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Rural Broadband Deployment Task Force
shall consist of the following members:
(1) one Senate member appointed by the Senate
President, who shall serve as co-chairperson;
(2) one Senate member appointed by the Senate Minority
Leader;

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(3) one House member appointed by the Speaker of the
House, who shall serve as co-chairperson;
(4) one House member appointed by the House Minority
Leader;
(5) the Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity,
or his or her designee;
(6) the Chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission,
or his or her designee;
(7) the Secretary of Transportation, or his or her
designee;
(8) the Chairman of the Illinois State Toll Highway
Authority, or his or her designee;
(9) the Chairman of the Illinois Finance Authority, or
his or her designee;
(10) the State Superintendent of Education, or his or
her designee;
(11) the Chairman of the Board of Higher Education, or
his or her designee
(12) the Director of Central Management Services, or
his or her designee; and
(13) the Director of Innovation & Technology, or his or
her designee; and be it further
RESOLVED, That appointments to the Rural Broadband
Deployment Task Force shall be made with consideration of the
diversity of the State, including members representing rural

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areas, underserved rural areas, consumer interests, community
interests, commercial interests including Incumbent and
Competitive Local Exchange Carriers, and other entities
providing communications or information services but not
classified as Local Exchange Carriers; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Rural Broadband Deployment Task Force
shall be charged with the following duties:
(1) identify those portions of the rural
telecommunications infrastructure owned by agencies of the
State of Illinois that can be made available for lease to
commercial ventures, non-profit agencies, and local
governments and to establish standard procedures and
pricing for lease of that infrastructure;
(2) study any rural infrastructure improvements that
are currently underway by the State of Illinois; this
includes the installation of an underground conduit that
can be made available on a non-discriminatory basis to
public, private, and non-profit entities interested in
running fiber-optic lines for communications or
information services through the conduit;
(3) study the current level of coordination between
rural private and public telecommunications deployment,
including, but not limited to, grant-making and financing
of various statewide, local, and regional efforts and
public-private partnerships;

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(4) study the available rural State, federal, and
private funding sources for private and public
telecommunications deployment;
(5) study rural telecommunications initiatives that
require legislative approval, including the creation of a
State entity that handles distribution of funds for private
and public telecommunications projects;
(7) study ways to foster competition among all rural
entities providing commercial communications or
information services; and
(8) assess and catalog the rural telecommunications
infrastructure of the State of Illinois for the purpose of
determining the present and future needs of the State with
respect to realizing the goals of competition,
affordability, universal service, and securing the State's
telecommunications and economic future; and be it further
RESOLVED, That members of the Rural Broadband Deployment
Task Force shall serve without compensation and the Illinois
Department of Innovation & Technology shall provide
administrative and other support to the Task Force; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That the Rural Broadband Deployment Task Force
shall submit its final report to General Assembly by December
31, 2018; and be it further

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RESOLVED, That upon the filing of its final report, the
Rural Broadband Deployment Task Force is dissolved.