Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 959, S.D. 2, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to provide a dedicated source of funding for public, educational, and governmental programming by requiring any cable operator providing cable service to Maui County to distribute the access operating fees collected from subscribers to:

Maui Community College and numerous concerned individuals supported this bill. The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, a member of the Maui County Council, Akaku: Maui Community TV, Methuen Community Television, Midpeninsula Community Media Center, Malden Access Television, Hui Malama Learning Center, ACM Western States Region, Society of Professional Journalists-Hawaii Chapter, The Santa Barbara Channels, Community Television of Santa Cruz County, Thurston Community Television, and numerous concerned individuals opposed this bill. The Alliance for Community Media and two concerned individuals offered comments.

Your Committee has amended this measure by deleting its contents and inserting the substance of part II of H.B. No. 784, H.D. 2. As amended, this bill appropriates funds from the Compliance Resolution Fund Cable Television for infrastructure upgrades to telecommunications systems within the Department of Education.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 959, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 959, S.D. 2, H.D. 1.