96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
SB1863

 

Introduced 2/20/2009, by Sen. Deanna Demuzio

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
20 ILCS 661/20

    Amends the High Speed Internet Services and Information Technology Act. Authorizes the enlisted nonprofit organization to accept federal funds to provide grants to advance, encourage, support, and expand broadband access and infrastructure. Effective immediately.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1     AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The High Speed Internet Services and Information
5 Technology Act is amended by changing Section 20 as follows:
 
6     (20 ILCS 661/20)
7     Sec. 20. Duties of the enlisted nonprofit organization.
8     (a) The high speed Internet deployment strategy and demand
9 creation initiative to be performed by the nonprofit
10 organization shall include, but not be limited to, the
11 following actions:
12         (1) Create a geographic statewide inventory of high
13     speed Internet service and other relevant broadband and
14     information technology services. The inventory shall:
15             (A) identify geographic gaps in high speed
16         Internet service through a method of GIS mapping of
17         service availability and GIS analysis at the census
18         block level; and
19             (B) provide a baseline assessment of statewide
20         high speed Internet deployment in terms of percentage
21         of Illinois households with high speed Internet
22         availability.
23         (2) Track and identify, through customer interviews

 

 

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1     and surveys and other publicly available sources,
2     statewide residential and business adoption of high speed
3     Internet, computers, and related information technology
4     and any barriers to adoption.
5         (3) Build and facilitate in each county or designated
6     region a local technology planning team with members
7     representing a cross section of the community, including,
8     but not limited to, representatives of business, K-12
9     education, health care, libraries, higher education,
10     community-based organizations, local government, tourism,
11     parks and recreation, and agriculture. Each team shall
12     benchmark technology use across relevant community
13     sectors, set goals for improved technology use within each
14     sector, and develop a plan for achieving its goals, with
15     specific recommendations for online application
16     development and demand creation.
17         (4) Collaborate with high speed Internet providers and
18     technology companies to encourage deployment and use,
19     especially in underserved areas, by aggregating local
20     demand, mapping analysis, and creating market intelligence
21     to improve the business case for providers to deploy.
22         (5) Collaborate with the Department in developing a
23     program to increase computer ownership and broadband
24     access for disenfranchised populations across the State.
25     The program may include grants to local community
26     technology centers that provide technology training,

 

 

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1     promote computer ownership, and increase broadband access.
2         (6) Accept federal funds to provide grants to advance,
3     encourage, support, and expand broadband access and
4     infrastructure.
5     (b) The nonprofit organization may apply for federal grants
6 consistent with the objectives of this Act.
7     (c) The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
8 shall use the funds in the High Speed Internet Services and
9 Information Technology Fund to (1) provide grants to the
10 nonprofit organization enlisted under this Act and (2) for any
11 costs incurred by the Department to administer this Act.
12     (d) The nonprofit organization shall have the power to
13 obtain or to raise funds other than the grants received from
14 the Department under this Act.
15     (e) The nonprofit organization and its Board of Directors
16 shall exist separately and independently from the Department
17 and any other governmental entity, but shall cooperate with
18 other public or private entities it deems appropriate in
19 carrying out its duties.
20     (f) Notwithstanding anything in this Act or any other Act
21 to the contrary, any information that is designated
22 confidential or proprietary by an entity providing the
23 information to the nonprofit organization or any other entity
24 to accomplish the objectives of this Act shall be deemed
25 confidential, proprietary, and a trade secret and treated by
26 the nonprofit organization or anyone else possessing the

 

 

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1 information as such and shall not be disclosed.
2     (g) The nonprofit organization shall provide a report to
3 the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability on
4 an annual basis for the first 3 complete State fiscal years
5 following its enlistment.
6 (Source: P.A. 95-684, eff. 10-19-07.)
 
7     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
8 becoming law.