STAND. COM. REP. 3404

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: S.R. No. 58

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Science, Arts, and Technology and Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing, to which was referred S.R. No. 58 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS, THE DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING AND GENERAL SERVICES, THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII, THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO CREATE AND ISSUE A COORDINATED STRATEGY FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL NETWORK AND THE PUBLIC, EDUCATION, AND GOVERNMENT ACCESS SYSTEM,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request the convening of an intergovernmental committee to examine and formulate a coordinated intergovernmental strategy for the improvement of the Institutional Network and the Public, Education, and Government (PEG) access system.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA), Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS), University of Hawaii (UH), Akaku: Maui Community TV, and Oceanic Time Warner Cable.

The State's Institutional Network provides high speed connectivity and essential broadband telecommunication services to various state agencies, the UH, and the counties, including real-time distribution of educational curriculum and instructional material, video conferencing capabilities, and real-time data exchange between various government agencies and private businesses. The PEG access system, through channels set aside by cable franchise holders, provides a public forum for the discussion of important policy issues.

Your Committees find that there are plans to expand the Network throughout the State, and that the Department of Education (DOE) has plans to connect more public schools located on the neighbor islands or in geographically isolated areas to the Institutional Network. Additionally, there is a growing momentum in communities throughout the State to expand the PEG access system.

Your Committees further find that these expansion plans are designed to meet the increased demands placed on both the Institutional Network and the PEG access system in the near future, as well as provide a greater array of telecommunications-related services.

Your Committees further find that it is critical that state officials and experts from the UH work together to ensure that the future expansion of both the Institutional Network and the PEG access system is carried out in a well-coordinated and cost efficient manner. Therefore, this measure requests DCCA, DAGS, DOE, and the UH to form an intergovernmental committee to examine and formulate a coordinated intergovernmental strategy for the improvement of the Institutional Network and the PEG access system.

Your Committees have amended this measure:

(1) To include representatives of the counties on the intergovernmental committee;

(2) To require the committee's report to be provided to the PEG entities; and

(3) By making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of style and consistency to the title and body of this measure.

Finally, your Committees note that the PEG entities had expressed a desire to serve on the intergovernmental committee. However, since the entities are not governmental bodies, they were not included as committee participants.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Science, Arts, and Technology and Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 58, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 58, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Science, Arts, and Technology and Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing,

____________________________

RON MENOR, Chair

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DAVID Y. IGE, Chair