1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to telecommunications; creating a public 
  1.3             telecommunication services fund; providing support for 
  1.4             various public telecommunication networks; 
  1.5             appropriating money; proposing coding for new law in 
  1.6             Minnesota Statutes, chapter 237. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  [237.82] [PUBLIC TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES 
  1.9   FUND.] 
  1.10     Subdivision 1.  [FUND ESTABLISHED.] A public 
  1.11  telecommunication services fund is established as an account in 
  1.12  the state treasury.  Earnings, such as interest, dividends, and 
  1.13  any other earnings arising from fund assets, must be credited to 
  1.14  the account.  
  1.15     Subd. 2.  [LEARNING NETWORK.] Commencing in fiscal year 
  1.16  2004, the account shall fund the learning network of Minnesota 
  1.17  formerly funded through the higher education services office. 
  1.18     The commissioner shall consult with the Minnesota education 
  1.19  telecommunications council prior to making funding decisions 
  1.20  under this subdivision.  
  1.21     Subd. 3.  [TELECOMMUNICATION ACCESS REVENUE 
  1.22  PROGRAM.] Commencing in fiscal year 2003, the account shall fund 
  1.23  the telecommunication access revenue program under section 
  1.24  125B.25.  If the amount available in the fund is insufficient to 
  1.25  fund fully the program, the Minnesota education 
  1.26  telecommunications council must allocate the amount available to 
  2.1   enable districts or regional clusters to maintain current 
  2.2   connections within available funding.  
  2.3      Subd. 4.  [REGIONAL LIBRARY AID.] Commencing in fiscal year 
  2.4   2003, the account shall fund the regional library 
  2.5   telecommunication aid under section 134.47.  In fiscal year 
  2.6   2003, this amount must be $2,000,000.  
  2.7      Subd. 5.  [COORDINATED PLAN.] The Minnesota education 
  2.8   telecommunications council shall develop a specific funding plan 
  2.9   that integrates the funding authorized in subdivisions 2 to 4, 
  2.10  consistent with the regional distribution method recommended by 
  2.11  the permanent funding committee in the report required by the 
  2.12  legislature.  The council shall submit the plan to the education 
  2.13  budget division chairs of the legislature by January 15, 2003.  
  2.14  All entities receiving funding under subdivisions 2 to 4 that 
  2.15  are eligible for federal telecommunication aid or discounts must 
  2.16  apply for the maximum assistance available and must use the 
  2.17  amounts or discounts received to reduce the state aid that may 
  2.18  be necessary. 
  2.19     Subd. 6.  [MNLINK.] The account shall fund the shortfall, 
  2.20  if any, in fiscal year 2003 for the MnLink program formerly 
  2.21  funded through the higher education services office.  
  2.22     Subd. 7.  [TELEMEDICINE; HOSPITAL EMERGENCY 
  2.23  COMMUNICATIONS.] Commencing in fiscal year 2004, the 
  2.24  commissioner of administration shall make grants to fund a 
  2.25  hospital emergency communications network.  The initial grants 
  2.26  may be used for hospital telecommunications equipment and 
  2.27  connection charges.  Subsequent grants are only for connection 
  2.28  costs.  Applications for the grants must be submitted by 
  2.29  regional groups of hospitals.  The commissioner must ensure the 
  2.30  interoperability of networks among hospitals with the learning 
  2.31  network.  The commissioner shall establish an application 
  2.32  procedure for grants and award grants with the advice of the 
  2.33  commissioner of health and the technology enterprise board.  
  2.34  Grants may not exceed 80 percent of the cost of the proposal.  
  2.35  The hospital network must be redundant to the telephone network 
  2.36  and use Internet technology.  The network must be designed so 
  3.1   that it can also be used for telemedicine and education.  All 
  3.2   entities that are eligible for federal telecommunication aid or 
  3.3   discounts must apply for the maximum assistance available and 
  3.4   must use the amounts or discounts received to reduce the state 
  3.5   aid that may be necessary.  Grants may be used to upgrade 
  3.6   existing systems.  The goal of the grant program is to connect 
  3.7   all hospitals in Minnesota to one interoperable network for the 
  3.8   sharing of information.  
  3.9      Subd. 8.  [EMERGENCY RESPONSE NETWORK.] Commencing in 
  3.10  fiscal year 2004, the commissioner, in collaboration with the 
  3.11  commissioner of public safety, shall make grants for the 
  3.12  creation and operation of an emergency response network using 
  3.13  Internet technology that enables communication among law 
  3.14  enforcement agencies, fire departments, fire stations, and 
  3.15  hospitals and to the extent funds are available, other emergency 
  3.16  response organizations.  The commissioner shall consult with the 
  3.17  technology enterprise board before awarding grants.  
  3.18     Subd. 9.  [CONSULTATION.] The commissioner shall consult 
  3.19  with the Minnesota education telecommunications council prior to 
  3.20  making funding decisions related to education networks.  
  3.21     Subd. 10.  [COST REDUCTIONS; PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS.] In 
  3.22  awarding grants from the fund, the commissioner and the 
  3.23  technology enterprise board must attempt to obtain cost 
  3.24  reductions and performance improvements by encouraging 
  3.25  cooperation among education, health care, and public safety 
  3.26  recipients of state telecommunication assistance.  
  3.27     Connection costs funded under this section may not be paid 
  3.28  to a state agency unless the regional group making the 
  3.29  application demonstrates that no other entity submitted bids to 
  3.30  provide the connection.  
  3.31     Subd. 11.  [FISCAL AGENT.] The commissioner of 
  3.32  administration is the fiscal agent for funding programs under 
  3.33  this section and is not authorized to, nor responsible for, the 
  3.34  management or operation of those programs.  
  3.35     Subd. 12.  [ADMINISTRATION COSTS.] Not more than $200,000 
  3.36  each fiscal year may be expended from the account for paying the 
  4.1   expenses of the commissioner of administration in administering 
  4.2   this section. 
  4.3      Subd. 13.  [APPROPRIATION.] Money in the fund is 
  4.4   appropriated to the commissioner of administration for the 
  4.5   purposes described in this section.  This appropriation 
  4.6   terminates upon the effective date of the creation of a 
  4.7   universal service fund by the public utilities commission or the 
  4.8   legislature that addresses a broad range of access and 
  4.9   affordability issues.  Any administrative responsibilities under 
  4.10  this section must be transferred to the entity responsible for 
  4.11  administering the universal service fund.