Florida Senate - 2009                             CS for SB 2092
       
       
       
       By the Committee on Communications, Energy, and Public
       Utilities; and Senator King
       
       
       
       579-04880-09                                          20092092c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to broadband Internet service;
    3         providing legislative findings and intent; authorizing
    4         the Department of Management Services to engage in
    5         certain activities related to assessing the need for
    6         broadband Internet service in the state, planning for
    7         such service, and encouraging the statewide deployment
    8         of such service; authorizing the department to apply
    9         for and accept certain funds; authorizing the
   10         department to enter into contracts; authorizing the
   11         department to establish committees or workgroups;
   12         authorizing the department to adopt rules; providing
   13         an effective date.
   14  
   15  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   16  
   17         Section 1. (1) The Legislature finds that broadband
   18  Internet service is critical to the economic development of the
   19  state and is beneficial for libraries, schools, colleges and
   20  universities, health care providers, and community
   21  organizations. The Legislature further finds that barriers exist
   22  to the statewide deployment of broadband Internet service,
   23  especially in rural, unserved, or underserved communities. The
   24  Legislature therefore intends to promote the efficient and
   25  effective deployment of broadband Internet service throughout
   26  the state through a coordinated statewide effort.
   27         (2) The Department of Management Services is authorized to
   28  work collaboratively with, and to receive staffing support and
   29  other resources from, Enterprise Florida, Inc., state agencies,
   30  local governments, private businesses, and community
   31  organizations to:
   32         (a) Conduct a needs assessment of broadband Internet
   33  service in collaboration with communications service providers,
   34  including, but not limited to, wireless and wireline Internet
   35  service providers, to develop geographical information system
   36  maps at the census tract level that will:
   37         1. Identify geographic gaps in broadband services,
   38  including areas unserved by any broadband provider and areas
   39  served by a single broadband provider;
   40         2. Identify the download and upload transmission speeds
   41  made available to businesses and individuals in the state, at
   42  the census tract level of detail, using data rate benchmarks for
   43  broadband service used by the Federal Communications Commission
   44  to reflect different speed tiers; and
   45         3. Provide a baseline assessment of statewide broadband
   46  deployment in terms of percentage of households with broadband
   47  availability.
   48         (b) Create a strategic plan that has goals and strategies
   49  for increasing the use of broadband Internet service in the
   50  state.
   51         (c) Build and facilitate local technology planning teams or
   52  partnerships with members representing cross-sections of the
   53  community, which may include, but are not limited to,
   54  representatives from the following organizations and industries:
   55  libraries, K-12 education, colleges and universities, local
   56  health care providers, private businesses, community
   57  organizations, economic development organizations, local
   58  governments, tourism, parks and recreation, and agriculture.
   59         (d) Encourage the use of broadband Internet service,
   60  especially in the rural, unserved, and underserved communities
   61  of the state through grant programs having effective strategies
   62  to facilitate the statewide deployment of broadband Internet
   63  service. For any grants to be awarded, priority must be given to
   64  projects that:
   65         1. Provide access to broadband education, awareness,
   66  training, access, equipment, and support to libraries, schools,
   67  colleges and universities, health care providers, and community
   68  support organizations.
   69         2. Encourage investments in primarily unserved areas to
   70  give consumers a choice of more than one broadband Internet
   71  service provider.
   72         3. Work toward establishing affordable and sustainable
   73  broadband Internet service in unserved areas of the state.
   74         4. Facilitate the development of applications, programs,
   75  and services, including, but not limited to, telework,
   76  telemedicine, and e-learning to increase the usage of, and
   77  demand for, broadband Internet service in the state.
   78         (3) The department may apply for and accept federal funds
   79  for purposes of this section, as well as gifts and donations
   80  from individuals, foundations, and private organizations.
   81         (4) The department is authorized to enter into contracts
   82  necessary or useful to carry out the purposes of this section.
   83         (5) The department is authorized to establish any committee
   84  or workgroup to administer and carry out the purposes of this
   85  section.
   86         (6) The department is authorized to adopt rules necessary
   87  to carry out the purposes of this section, including, without
   88  limitation, the authority to establish definitions of terms
   89  pertinent to this section.
   90         Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.