STAND. COM. REP. NO 507

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                

 

RE:    S.B. No. 891

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committees on Economic Development and Technology and Energy and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 891 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO BROADBAND,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to establish seven broadband cable landing sites and for the performance of island-specific environmental impact studies.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Chamber of Commerce Hawaii; High Technology Development Corporation; Pacific-Asia Institute for Resilience and Sustainability; Enterprise Honolulu; Hawaiian Telcom; and two individuals.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority.

 

     Your Committees find that advanced broadband services are essential in creating an infrastructure that can support an innovative economy and a knowledgeable and competitive society in the twenty-first century.  Specifically, high-speed broadband services at affordable prices are essential for the advancement of education, health, public safety, research and innovation, civic participation, e-government, economic development and diversification, and public safety and services.

 

     Your Committees further find that supporting and encouraging public-private partnerships are the most effective vehicles for moving forward and completing the Hawaii broadband initiative.  The collaborative efforts of the private sector and the State, especially efforts focused on research and development, are also the most effective way to address the infrastructure needs of the State. 

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Deleting the specific number of cable landing sites to be established;

 

     (2)  Amending the purpose of the appropriation to be for completion of any necessary environmental impact statements, in addition to establishment of the cable landing sites;

 

     (3)  Changing the means of financing of the appropriation from general revenues to general obligation bonds and making the appropriation for only fiscal year 2015-2016;

 

     (4)  Requiring the appropriated funds to be expended by the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism and delegated through the High Technology Development Corporation; and

 

     (5)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Economic Development and Technology and Energy and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 891, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 891, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 


Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Economic Development and Technology and Energy and Environment,

 

____________________________

MIKE GABBARD, Chair

 

____________________________

GLENN WAKAI, Chair