Funding of the Mississippi Electric Cooperatives Broadband COVID-19 Grant Program Fund and the COVID-19 Broadband Provider Grant Program to the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration for the Mississippi Electric Cooperatives COVID-19 Covid-19 Grant Program and the COVID-19 Covid-19 Grant Program for COVID-19 Broadband Providers; and for related purposes. Provides funding to support the state government for the 2021-22 fiscal year. Provides a one-time amount of $439 million to support library infrastructure grants for maintenance, capital projects, broadband technology and equipment purchases. The budget also includes $6 million to support the Library Broadband Connectivity Initiative, which provides grants to connect rural and underserved public libraries to upgrade devices to support high-speed connections. The bill also provides a one-time $35 million to support local library projects to expand broadband access and upgrade devices to access high-speed connections in remote and underserved communities through collaboration with libraries, local education organizations and telemedicine providers. Establishes the State Broadband Deployment Grant Program (Grant Program), which is administered by the Broadband Development Bureau (Bureau) of the Ministry of Commerce (Department). The objective of the grant program would include the Bureau`s development of a competitive grant program to provide funding to applicants who wish to expand access to broadband Internet services in the crown. Funding for the grant program would be subject to licensing legislation. Refers to the Idaho Broadband Fund; amends Chapter 47, Title 67, Idaho Code, by adding a new section 67-4760, Idaho Code to establish the Idaho Broadband Fund; Amends Chapter 47, Title 67, Idaho Code, by adding a new § 67-4761, Idaho Code to establish the Idaho Broadband Advisory Council.
The laws of the state of North Carolina set a number of requirements for municipal broadband initiatives that make it extremely difficult for public institutions to provide broadband services to residents. These requirements include compliance with vague legal requirements and waiving the use of specific financing and pricing mechanisms. The law also requires public institutions to include “phantom costs” in their tariffs and requires public institutions to provide commercially sensitive data to private sector competitors. State law also prohibits local authorities from providing broadband services outside their jurisdiction. Some existing public broadband networks have been integrated without these requirements. But laws make it nearly impossible for municipalities to build new broadband networks to serve residents. Establishes the pilot program (program) for the management of the RURAL SCHOOL ILEARN. Provides that the State Education Committee (State Committee), in consultation with the Ministry of Education (Ministry), may not approve the participation of more than 20 rural primary schools in the curriculum. Requires the ministry to examine the correlation between a student`s lack of access to the Internet or computer technology and the online management of the national assessment and submit its findings to the Legislative Council by November 1, 2023 and publish the results on its Internet website. The program expires on July 1, 2031.
The measure provides that any incumbent utility or communications service provider may apply a prescribed easement to install, construct, provide, maintain, modify, lease, operate, repair, replace or remove its communications equipment, system or facilities and provide communications services through them without such incumbent utility or the communications service provider pays additional compensation to the owner or occupant of the property served or the public service in place. provided that no additional electricity pylon is installed. At the time, Philadelphia was one of the first cities to announce plans to build and operate a broadband Wi-Fi network and provide broadband services to residents. As part of the Wireless Philadelphia initiative, the city has issued a tender for private ISPs to help develop broadband infrastructure and provide retail services to residents. Telecom providers Verizon and Comcast — none of which had bid on the project — ran a public relations campaign against the project, while local politicians tried to limit the city`s involvement in the project. State lawmakers, meanwhile, passed HB 30, a law that required municipalities to require private companies to provide services before expanding public broadband networks.