1998 Minnesota Statutes

     16E.13 Community technology resource development. 

    Subdivision 1.    Creation and purpose.  The information 
 and telecommunications technology (IT) community resource 
 development initiative is created under the oversight 
 jurisdiction of the office of technology to build the capacity 
 of citizens, businesses, communities, and regions of the state 
 to fully realize the benefits of IT for sustainable community 
 and economic development and to help facilitate the transition 
 into the market-based, competitive IT environment. 

    Subd. 2.    Duties generally.  Through this initiative, 
 the office shall: 

    (1) collect, organize, and distribute information regarding 
 the benefits, applications, and effective uses of IT; 

    (2) promote community-based telecommunications planning and 
 development and the use of community-oriented electronic 
 communications and information applications in health care, 
 education, and commerce; 

    (3) award grants for community-based development seed funds 
 to encourage public-private partnerships that foster effective 
 IT use and IT integration activities in the community; and 

    (4) facilitate the aggregation of demand for IT on a 
 comprehensive private, nonprofit, and public sector shared basis 
 in communities. 

    Subd. 3.    Assistance and funding; general principles.  
 Community technical assistance and development seed funding for 
 aggregation of demand and community IT planning provided through 
 the IT community resource development initiative is contingent 
 upon the following general principles: 

    (1) that communities and regions show evidence of, or 
 intent to do, cooperative funding and planning between sectors 
 including, but not limited to, private sector providers, public 
 sector technology investments such as the state information 
 infrastructure, library systems, health care providers, 
 businesses, schools and other educational institutions, and the 
 nonprofit sector; and 

    (2) that communities and regions agree to form local and 
 regional IT coordination committees or modify similar, existing 
 committees to be more inclusive of other sectors and undertake 
 comprehensive planning across those sectors to leverage public 
 and private IT investment to the maximum benefit of all citizens.

    HIST: 1997 c 202 art 3 s 17; 1998 c 359 s 16