Sen. Rachel Ventura

Filed: 3/3/2023

 

 


 

 


 
10300SB1437sam001LRB103 27903 SPS 58516 a

1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 1437

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 1437 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 5. The Broadband Advisory Council Act is amended
5by changing Section 20 and by adding Section 30 as follows:
 
6    (220 ILCS 80/20)
7    Sec. 20. Powers and duties of the Council generally.
8    (a) The Council shall:
9        (1) explore any and all ways to expand the
10    availability to end-user customers of broadband services
11    using available technologies, including, but not limited
12    to, wireline, wireless, fixed wireless, and satellite
13    applications;
14        (2) identify barriers to broadband adoption among the
15    residents and small businesses of Illinois;
16        (3) research ways to eliminate barriers to adoption

 

 

10300SB1437sam001- 2 -LRB103 27903 SPS 58516 a

1    through measures such as: digital literacy programs;
2    programs to assist older citizens in using broadband
3    Internet access; programs to facilitate adoption by
4    disabled citizens; and programs to encourage collaborative
5    efforts among public universities, community colleges,
6    libraries, public housing, and other institutions;
7        (4) assess the availability of broadband for
8    low-income households compared to the availability of
9    broadband for other households;
10        (5) explore the potential for increased use of
11    broadband service for the purposes of education, career
12    readiness, workforce preparation, and alternative career
13    training;
14        (6) explore the potential for increased use of
15    broadband services to facilitate aging in place;
16        (7) explore ways for encouraging State and municipal
17    agencies, including public housing authorities, to expand
18    the use of broadband services for the purpose of better
19    serving the public, including audio and video streaming,
20    voice-over Internet protocol, teleconferencing, and
21    wireless networking;
22        (8) cooperate and assist in the expansion of
23    electronic instruction and distance education services;
24    and
25        (9) as the Federal Communications Commission updates
26    the benchmark downstream data rates and upstream data

 

 

10300SB1437sam001- 3 -LRB103 27903 SPS 58516 a

1    rates, publish the revised data rates in the Illinois
2    Register within 60 days after the federal update; and .
3        (10) encourage the development of a State-owned and
4    operated retail broadband service, including issuing
5    recommendations for increasing agency staffing,
6    infrastructure development, price modeling, and deployment
7    that prioritizes unserved and underserved areas of the
8    State.
9    (b) In addition to the powers set forth elsewhere in this
10Act, the Council is hereby granted the powers necessary to
11carry out the purpose and intent of this Act, as enumerated in
12this Section, including, but not limited to:
13        (1) promoting awareness of public facilities that have
14    community broadband access that can be used for distance
15    education and workforce development; and
16        (2) advising on deployment of e-government portals
17    such that all public bodies and political subdivisions
18    have websites and encourage one-stop government access and
19    that all public entities stream audio and video of all
20    public meetings.
21    (c) The Council shall also:
22        (1) monitor the broadband-based development efforts of
23    other states in areas such as business, education, aging
24    in place, and health;
25        (2)receive input provided on a voluntary basis from
26    all Illinois broadband stakeholders and advise the

 

 

10300SB1437sam001- 4 -LRB103 27903 SPS 58516 a

1    Governor and the General Assembly on policies related to
2    broadband in Illinois, provided that no stakeholders shall
3    be required to publicly disclose competitively sensitive
4    information or information that could compromise network
5    security or undermine the efficacy of reasonable network
6    management practices, and that any such information
7    voluntarily disclosed shall be protected from public
8    disclosure; and
9        (3) serve as the broadband advocate to State agencies
10    and other State entities to communicate the broadband
11    needs of citizens and organizations that do not have
12    access to broadband service or to broadband service
13    adequate for their needs.
14    (d) The Council shall exercise its powers and authority to
15(1) advise and make recommendations to the General Assembly
16and the Governor on bringing broadband service to unserved
17rural and urban areas and improving broadband service
18statewide, (2) advise and make recommendations to the General
19Assembly and the Governor on facilitating broadband adoption
20by all citizens, and (3) propose statutory changes that may
21enhance and expand broadband in the State.
22    (e) The Council shall report to the General Assembly on or
23before January 1 of each year. The report to the General
24Assembly shall be filed with the Clerk of the House of
25Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate in electronic
26form only, in the manner that the Clerk and the Secretary shall

 

 

10300SB1437sam001- 5 -LRB103 27903 SPS 58516 a

1direct. The report shall include the action that was taken by
2the Council during the previous year in carrying out the
3provisions of this Act. The Council shall also make any other
4reports as may be required by the General Assembly or the
5Governor.
6(Source: P.A. 100-833, eff. 1-1-19.)
 
7    (220 ILCS 80/30 new)
8    Sec. 30. Universal retail broadband Internet access.
9    (a) In furtherance of the purposes of this Act to expand
10affordable broadband service statewide, the Broadband Advisory
11Council shall study the feasibility of the State constructing,
12owning, and operating broadband infrastructure and offering
13retail broadband service statewide. The Office of Broadband
14within the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
15shall support and assist the Council in the development of the
16study.
17    (b) The feasibility study shall explore:
18        (1) efforts among other states and units of local
19    government to develop and administer public broadband
20    service;
21        (2) models for constructing, owning, and operating a
22    public retail broadband service network;
23        (3) the resources necessary to construct, own, and
24    operate a retail broadband service network across the
25    State of Illinois;

 

 

10300SB1437sam001- 6 -LRB103 27903 SPS 58516 a

1        (4) the benefits of offering a public broadband
2    service option;
3        (5) potential sources of funding for the development
4    and operation of statewide broadband service;
5        (6) additional staff and contracting needs to develop
6    and operate a public broadband service network;
7        (7) options for partnering with units of local
8    government in Illinois that have taken steps toward
9    offering public broadband service; and
10        (8) any other factors that are necessary for the
11    development of a statewide public retail broadband
12    service.
13    The feasibility study shall offer recommendations for the
14development and implementation of a State-owned statewide
15retail broadband service, including a deployment timeline,
16staffing needs, financial resources needed, and suggested
17rates for broadband service.
18    (c) The Council shall issue a report on its findings and
19recommendations for any necessary legislation to the General
20Assembly by January 1, 2024.
 
21    Section 999. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
22becoming law.".