RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, the promise of delivering broadband internet service almost anywhere that radio waves can travel is a reality in several American cities. WiFi, short for wireless fidelity, uses antennas to broadcast signals from broadband internet connections; and

WHEREAS, this service can be found in numerous cities, state capitols, and major airports; and

WHEREAS, according to some industry analysts, the number of WiFi hot spots is expected to grow from the current twenty-two thousand to about sixty-five thousand by the year 2008; and

WHEREAS, most public WiFi hot spots require a paid subscription for which access can be hourly, daily, or monthly; and

WHEREAS, state legislatures have long been ahead of the curve on adopting wireless technologies; and

WHEREAS, the historic nature of capitol buildings makes them incompatible with the wires and cables necessary to network computers, so wireless technology has been the perfect solution for many states; and

WHEREAS, in 2003, the State of Arizona launched POWER (Public Online Wireless Electronic Resource) through a public-private partnership with Intel and Cox Communications and with services provided by hotZona, a local internet service provider, and established the Arizona POWER WiFi network, one of the largest free hot spots in Arizona; and

WHEREAS, in the State of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia city planners are contemplating turning one hundred thirty-five square miles of the city into the world's largest wireless internet hot spot; and

WHEREAS, thirty-one states have wireless networks that allow legislators and legislative staff to access information on their laptops in the chamber or in offices, but public demand for wireless internet access has now prompted many states to extend that wireless access throughout the capitol to the public; and

WHEREAS, states such as Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia, which provide public wireless internet access at their state capitols, now offer wireless internet access in their capitols for anyone who has a laptop equipped for wireless; and

WHEREAS, private citizens, journalists, and lobbyists, while waiting for hearings or meetings with legislators, can track bill status and committee updates on legislative websites and still keep apprised of business and family matters by e-mail; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2005, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Accounting and General Services is requested to study the feasibility of installing a wireless fidelity internet network system in the State Capitol; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature requests that the study include but not be limited to issues such as cost, accessibility, compatibility with existing computer networks, security, and other information that the Department of Accounting and General Services deems appropriate; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Accounting and General Services is requested to consult the Clerks of the Senate and House of Representatives on the wireless fidelity needs of the Legislature; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Accounting and General Services is requested to invite the participation, guidance, and recommendations of the University of Hawaii, Verizon Hawaii, and other interested participants or third-party internet service providers regarding the installation of a WiFi network at the State Capitol; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Accounting and General Services is requested to submit its findings and recommendations to the Legislature not later than twenty days prior to the convening of the 2006 Regular Session; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Comptroller, the President of the Senate, and the Chairs of the Senate Committees on Media, Arts, Science and Technology, and Ways and Means, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the House of Representatives Chair of the Committee on Legislative Management.

Report Title:

Internet Network System; State Capitol