Minnesota Session Laws - 2008, Regular Session

CHAPTER 212--S.F.No. 1918

An act

relating to telecommunications; creating the Ultra High-Speed Broadband Task Force.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

new text begin ULTRA HIGH-SPEED BROADBAND GOAL TASK FORCE. new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Establishment; membership. new text end

new text begin (a) The governor shall convene an Ultra High-Speed Broadband Task Force to make recommendations to the governor and the legislature regarding the creation of a state ultra high-speed broadband goal and a plan to implement that goal. new text end

new text begin (b) The Ultra High-Speed Broadband Task Force consists of: new text end

new text begin (1) one member representing higher educational systems, one member representing regional public libraries, and one member representing K-12 institutions or consortia; new text end

new text begin (2) one member representing health care institutions located in the metropolitan area, and one member representing health care institutions located in rural areas; new text end

new text begin (3) three members appointed by the governor representing telephone companies, one of whom shall represent telephone companies with 50,000 or fewer subscribers located outside the metropolitan area; new text end

new text begin (4) one member representing cable communications systems providers located in the metropolitan area, and one member representing cable communications systems providers located in rural areas; new text end

new text begin (5) one member representing wireless service providers; new text end

new text begin (6) one member representing metropolitan area Minnesota counties, and one member representing rural area Minnesota counties; new text end

new text begin (7) two members representing Minnesota cities, including one member representing metropolitan area cities, and one member representing rural area Minnesota cities; new text end

new text begin (8) four citizen-at-large members representing Internet users, equally divided between business and residential users; new text end

new text begin (9) one member representing a labor organization representing communications workers; new text end

new text begin (10) the commissioner of commerce or the commissioner's designee; new text end

new text begin (11) the commissioner of employment and economic development or the commissioner's designee; and new text end

new text begin (12) one representative from the Office of Enterprise Technology. new text end

new text begin For the purposes of this paragraph, "metropolitan area" means the counties of Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington, and "rural area" means an area outside of the metropolitan area. new text end

new text begin (c) The governor shall appoint the members described in paragraph (b), clauses (1) to (9), and shall designate one of the citizen-at-large members to serve as chair of the task force who shall convene the first meeting after all members have been appointed. new text end

new text begin (d) The Department of Commerce shall provide logistical and administrative support to the task force. new text end

new text begin (e) By November 1, 2009, the task force shall submit a report to the governor and the chairs and ranking minority members of the senate and house committees with primary jurisdiction over telecommunications policy containing recommendations, including possible legislation, for the development of a comprehensive statewide plan designed to achieve a state ultra high-speed broadband goal that the task force considers appropriate. The report must include, at a minimum: new text end

new text begin (1) identification of the level of broadband service, including connection speeds for sending and receiving data, that is reasonably needed by all citizens by 2015; new text end

new text begin (2) a description of the policies and actions necessary to achieve the goal established in clause (1), including the elimination of obstacles to investment and the identification of areas in the state that currently lack infrastructure necessary to support broadband service; new text end

new text begin (3) a description of the opportunities for the public and private sectors to cooperate to achieve the goal; new text end

new text begin (4) an evaluation of strategies, financing methods, and financial incentives used in other states and countries to support the deployment of high-speed broadband; new text end

new text begin (5) an evaluation and recommendation of the security, vulnerability, and redundancy actions necessary to ensure the reliability of high-speed broadband; new text end

new text begin (6) an estimate of the costs of reaching the broadband goal, including capital costs, and identification of who will bear those costs; new text end

new text begin (7) a description of economic development opportunities made possible by the wide dissemination of high-speed broadband; and new text end

new text begin (8) an evaluation of how access to high-speed broadband can benefit educational institutions, healthcare institutions, community-based organizations, and government institutions. new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Expiration. new text end

new text begin This section expires March 1, 2010. new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment. new text end

Presented to the governor April 17, 2008

Signed by the governor April 18, 2008, 10:49 a.m.