Bill Text: NC H45 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Amended

North Carolina House Bill 45 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Internet Access for Public Schools

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2013-03-14 - Ref To Com On Appropriations/Base Budget [H45 Detail]

Download: North_Carolina-2013-H45-Amended.html

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2013

H 3

HOUSE BILL 45*

Committee Substitute Favorable 2/13/13
Third Edition Engrossed 3/13/13

Short Title: Internet Access for Public Schools.		(Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:

February 4, 2013

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT providing for an inventory of infrastructure to support robust digital learning in the public schools, as recommended by the legislative research commission study Committee on DIGITAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

Whereas, digital learning is becoming an integral component of a 21st Century education for all students in all schools across North Carolina; and

Whereas, effective digital learning requires a variety of resources, including infrastructure requirements, digital devices, educational software, high‑quality teachers, and perhaps most essentially, reliable Internet connectivity; and

Whereas, while all LEAs currently have Internet access, wireless access on a school building level may be either unavailable or unreliable due to funding or infrastructure limitations; Now, therefore,

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1. The State Board of Education shall establish a standard for sufficient classroom wireless connectivity for a digital learning environment and conduct an inventory of the wireless access and bandwidth capacity of each public school in the State based on that standard.

The State Board of Education shall report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee and to the Joint Legislative Committee on Information Technology by December 1, 2013, on the inventory results, its recommendations on ways to achieve a sufficient standard of wireless access and bandwidth in all classrooms, and the cost of achieving that standard.

SECTION 2. This act becomes effective July 1, 2013.