STAND. COM. REP. NO.  281-12

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2012

RE:   H.B. No. 2324

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Economic Revitalization & Business, to which was referred H.B. No. 2324 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO BROADBAND,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to temporarily exempt the upgrading and new construction of broadband facilities on state and county property from state and county permitting processes.

Sandwich Isles Communications, Incorporated testified in support of this measure.  The Department of Transportation; Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism; Office of Planning; and Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs testified in support of the intent of this measure.  Hawaiian Telcom testified in support of this measure with amendments.  The Office of Environmental Quality Control, Department of Information Technology of the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaiian Electric Company, Hawaii Electric Light Company, and Maui Electric Company testified in opposition to this measure.  The Department of Land and Natural Resources provided comments on this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Removing all broadband facilities on county property from the exemption;

     (2)  Clarifying the sunset date of June 30, 2012; and

     (3)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2112, for the purposes of facilitating further discussion.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Economic Revitalization & Business that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2324, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2324, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Economic Revitalization & Business,

____________________________

ANGUS L.K. McKELVEY, Chair