|
|
|
HB0754 Engrossed |
- 2 - |
LRB095 10377 WGH 30592 b |
|
|
1 |
| assessing the needs of their communities with respect to |
2 |
| high speed Internet services and information technology. |
3 |
| Section 10. Definitions. In this Act: |
4 |
| "Nonprofit organization" means an organization that (i) is |
5 |
| a nonprofit organization as described in Section 501(c)(3) of |
6 |
| the federal Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax |
7 |
| under Section 501(a) of that Code; (ii) has no part of the net |
8 |
| earnings of which inures to the benefit of any member, founder, |
9 |
| contributor, or individual; and (iii) is organized under, |
10 |
| subject to, and has all the powers and duties of a |
11 |
| not-for-profit corporation under the General Not For Profit |
12 |
| Corporation Act of 1986. |
13 |
| Section 15. Connect IL. |
14 |
| (a) Notwithstanding any other statute, the Lieutenant |
15 |
| Governor, with the advice of the Broadband Deployment Council, |
16 |
| shall authorize the creation of a nonprofit corporation called |
17 |
| Connect IL to implement a comprehensive, statewide high speed |
18 |
| Internet deployment strategy and demand creation initiative |
19 |
| with the purpose of: |
20 |
| (1) ensuring that all State residents and businesses |
21 |
| have access to affordable and reliable high speed Internet |
22 |
| service; |
23 |
| (2) achieving improved technology literacy, increased |
24 |
| computer ownership, and home high speed Internet use among |
|
|
|
HB0754 Engrossed |
- 3 - |
LRB095 10377 WGH 30592 b |
|
|
1 |
| State residents and businesses; |
2 |
| (3) establishing and empowering local technology |
3 |
| planning teams in each county to plan for improved |
4 |
| technology use across multiple community sectors; and |
5 |
| (4) establishing and sustaining an environment ripe |
6 |
| for high speed Internet access and technology investment |
7 |
| statewide. |
8 |
| (b) Connect IL's governing board shall be appointed by the |
9 |
| Lieutenant Governor, with the advice of the Broadband |
10 |
| Deployment Council, and shall not exceed 11 members, with a |
11 |
| maximum of 6 representing the private sector and a maximum of 5 |
12 |
| representing the government and nonprofit sectors. Four of the |
13 |
| private sector members shall be from the largest incumbent |
14 |
| local exchange carriers, one shall be from the cable television |
15 |
| industry, and one shall be from the Internet Service Provider |
16 |
| (ISP) industry. Members representing the public sector shall |
17 |
| include one member from a public Illinois university, one |
18 |
| member that represents Community Technology Centers, one |
19 |
| member from the Department of Commerce and Economic |
20 |
| Opportunity, one member from the Lieutenant Governor's office, |
21 |
| and one member from the Department of Central Management |
22 |
| Services. The board shall select its chairperson to serve a |
23 |
| 2-year term. |
24 |
| (c) In lieu of, or in addition to creating a nonprofit, the |
25 |
| Lieutenant Governor, with the Broadband Deployment Council's |
26 |
| advice, shall enlist an existing nonprofit organization that |
|
|
|
HB0754 Engrossed |
- 4 - |
LRB095 10377 WGH 30592 b |
|
|
1 |
| has an established competency and proven record of working with |
2 |
| public and private sectors to accomplish wide-scale deployment |
3 |
| and adoption of broadband and information technology. |
4 |
| Section 20. Duties of Connect IL. |
5 |
| (a) The high speed Internet deployment strategy and demand |
6 |
| creation initiative to be performed by the nonprofit |
7 |
| organization shall include, but not be limited to, the |
8 |
| following actions: |
9 |
| (1) Create a geographic statewide inventory of high |
10 |
| speed Internet service and other relevant broadband and |
11 |
| information technology services. The inventory shall: |
12 |
| (A) identify geographic gaps in high speed |
13 |
| Internet service through a method of GIS mapping of |
14 |
| service availability and GIS analysis at the census |
15 |
| block level; and |
16 |
| (B) provide a baseline assessment of statewide |
17 |
| high speed Internet deployment in terms of percentage |
18 |
| of Illinois households with high speed Internet |
19 |
| availability. |
20 |
| (2) Track and identify, through customer interviews |
21 |
| and surveys and other publicly available sources, |
22 |
| statewide residential and business adoption of high speed |
23 |
| Internet, computers, and related information technology |
24 |
| and any barriers to adoption. |
25 |
| (3) Build and facilitate in each county or designated |
|
|
|
HB0754 Engrossed |
- 5 - |
LRB095 10377 WGH 30592 b |
|
|
1 |
| region a local technology planning team with members |
2 |
| representing a cross section of the community, including, |
3 |
| but not limited to, representatives of business, K-12 |
4 |
| education, health care, libraries, higher education, |
5 |
| community-based organizations, local government, tourism, |
6 |
| parks and recreation, and agriculture. Each team shall |
7 |
| benchmark technology use across relevant community |
8 |
| sectors, set goals for improved technology use within each |
9 |
| sector, and develop a plan for achieving its goals, with |
10 |
| specific recommendations for online application |
11 |
| development and demand creation. |
12 |
| (4) Collaborate with high speed Internet providers and |
13 |
| technology companies to encourage deployment and use, |
14 |
| especially in underserved areas, by aggregating local |
15 |
| demand, mapping analysis, and creating market intelligence |
16 |
| to improve the business case for providers to deploy. |
17 |
| (5) Establish a program to increase computer ownership |
18 |
| and Internet access for disenfranchised populations across |
19 |
| the State. |
20 |
| (b) The nonprofit organization may apply for federal grants |
21 |
| consistent with the objectives of this Act. |
22 |
| (c) The Lieutenant Governor shall use the funds in the High |
23 |
| Speed Internet Services and Information Technology Fund to |
24 |
| provide grants to the nonprofit organization created or |
25 |
| enlisted under this Act. |
26 |
| (d) The nonprofit organization shall have the power to |
|
|
|
HB0754 Engrossed |
- 6 - |
LRB095 10377 WGH 30592 b |
|
|
1 |
| obtain or to raise funds other than the grants receive from the |
2 |
| Lieutenant Governor under this Act. |
3 |
| (e) The nonprofit organization and its Board of Directors |
4 |
| shall exist separately and independently from the Office of the |
5 |
| Lieutenant Governor and any other governmental entity, but |
6 |
| shall cooperate with the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, the |
7 |
| Broadband Deployment Council, and other public or private |
8 |
| entities it deems appropriate in carrying out its duties. |
9 |
| (f) Notwithstanding anything in this Act or any other Act |
10 |
| to the contrary, any information that is designated |
11 |
| confidential or proprietary by an entity providing the |
12 |
| information to the nonprofit organization or any other entity |
13 |
| to accomplish the objectives of this Act shall be deemed |
14 |
| confidential, proprietary, and a trade secret and treated by |
15 |
| the nonprofit organization, Connect IL's governing board, or |
16 |
| anyone else possessing the information as such and shall not be |
17 |
| disclosed. |
18 |
| Section 25. Scope of authority. Nothing in this Act shall |
19 |
| be construed as giving the Lieutenant Governor, the Broadband |
20 |
| Deployment Council, the nonprofit organization, or other |
21 |
| entities any additional authority, regulatory or otherwise, |
22 |
| over providers of telecommunications, broadband, and |
23 |
| information technology.
|
24 |
| Section 30. High Speed Internet Services and Information |
|
|
|
HB0754 Engrossed |
- 7 - |
LRB095 10377 WGH 30592 b |
|
|
1 |
| Technology Fund. |
2 |
| (a) There is created in the State treasury a special fund |
3 |
| to be known as the High Speed Internet Services and Information |
4 |
| Technology Fund, to be used, subject to appropriation, by the |
5 |
| Lieutenant Governor for purposes of providing grants to the |
6 |
| nonprofit organization enlisted under this Act. |
7 |
| (b) On the effective date of this Act, all moneys in the |
8 |
| Digital Divide Elimination Infrastructure Fund which have not |
9 |
| already been distributed or ordered distributed by the Illinois |
10 |
| Commerce Commission shall be transferred to the High Speed |
11 |
| Internet Services and Information Technology Fund. Nothing |
12 |
| contained in this subsection (b) shall affect the validity of |
13 |
| grants issued under this Act before June 30, 2007. |
14 |
| Section 35. Local broadband projects. Any municipality or |
15 |
| county may undertake local broadband projects and the provision |
16 |
| of services in connection therewith; may lease infrastructure |
17 |
| that it owns or controls; may aggregate customers or demand for |
18 |
| broadband services; may apply for and receive funds or |
19 |
| technical assistance to undertake such projects to address the |
20 |
| level of broadband access available to its businesses and |
21 |
| residents. To the extent that it seeks to serve as a retail |
22 |
| provider of telecommunications services, the municipality or |
23 |
| county shall be required to obtain appropriate certification |
24 |
| from the Illinois Commerce Commission as a telecommunications |
25 |
| carrier. |