Authorizes the department of commerce and consumer affairs to develop a statewide public affairs programming system.

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. Currently, public access programming is available to the residents of each county of the State through the public, educational, and governmental (PEG) access organizations, Na Leo o Hawaii, Olelo, Hoike, and Akaku. These PEG access organizations operate as independent and separate entities with their own programming, and there is no PEG entity that distributes public access programming statewide. The legislature finds that the establishment of a statewide PEG entity would maximize the benefits of PEG programming by providing for statewide distribution of programming on public affairs events and proceedings.

In January 2004, the department of commerce and consumer affairs issued the Plan for Public, Education, and Government Access, or PEG Plan. This report was the result of public meetings held throughout the State to solicit public comments on the department's proposed plan for the future development of PEG access television in Hawaii. The report referred to public comments regarding a need for more civic affairs programming including state and county legislative, executive, and judicial proceedings, as well as community-based activities such as neighborhood board meetings, in order to encourage public interest and participation in the democratic process. One of the options discussed in the PEG Plan to address this issue is the development of a system of statewide distribution of civic/public affairs television programming.

Under this system, known as the Hawaii statewide civic affairs network, or HI-SCAN, an independent nonprofit entity would produce and distribute public affairs programming throughout the State, similar to what C-SPAN does on a national level. The PEG Plan report found that the idea of a C-SPAN-like entity for Hawaii has potential, but requires the consideration of issues such as funding, channel capacity, and duplication of services provided by PEG access organizations. The report concluded that before the HI-SCAN concept can move forward, a dialogue on these issues is required between stakeholders, including the concept's proponents, the cable operator, government agencies, and the PEG entities.

The purpose of this Act is to authorize the department of commerce and consumer affairs to proceed with the planning and development of a statewide public affairs programming system.

SECTION 2. The department of commerce and consumer affairs may plan and develop a statewide system for the production and distribution of governmental and public affairs programming, to be called the Hawaii Statewide Civic Affairs Network, or HI-SCAN. The network shall include a statewide PEG affiliated cable channel.

The department shall report its progress toward the planning, development, and implementation of HI-SCAN to the legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the regular session of 2006.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.