Legislative Session number- 83

Bill Name: SF0766

Establishing an education telecommunications fund account and +imposing a
surcharge (access fee) on end user bills issued by communications +providers for
customer wirelines or wireless access lines for voice or data telecommunications
services for deposit in the account by the +commissioner of revenue to fund the
kindergarten through grade 12 schools and public +library portions of the
learning network of Minnesota formerly funded through+ the department of
children, families and learning (CFL), specifying +certain eligible
expenditures; requiring the Minnesota education +telecommunications council
(METC) to oversee the operation of the network, to develop a +funding plan
consistent with the regional distribution method recommended by +the permanent
funding report and to establish standards for +interoperability and minimum
bandwidth; requiring schools and libraries receiving +telecommunications funds
to apply for e-rate discounts through the appropriate region or+ cluster,
regions and clusters denied the discounts to be fully funded through +the
account; designating the department as the fiscal agent for the +programs;
limiting the amount authorized to be expended from the account for
administration costs (je)