STAND. COM. REP. NO.  552-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   H.B. No. 2543

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 2543 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO BROADBAND,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to enhance access to broadband internet by extending for five years the provisions of Act 151, Session Laws of Hawaii 2011, and Act 264, Session Laws of Hawaii 2013, which expedite the approval process for broadband-related permit applications and exempt the installation, improvement, construction, or development of broadband infrastructure from most county and state permitting and approval requirements (Broadband Access Provisions).

The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; Oceanic Time Warner Cable; Hawaiian Telcom, Hawaiian Electric and its subsidiaries, Hawaii Electric Light Company and Maui Electric Company; and the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii testified in support of this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making the Broadband Access Provisions permanent.

     Your Committee notes that since the inception of the Broadband Access Provisions, no entity has provided the required notice of action to use Act 151, Session Laws of Hawaii 2011.  The sunset provision was enacted because the environmental community was concerned that the review process would be circumvented.  Because none of their concerns materialized, the sunset date is repealed to support the development of broadband in Hawaii.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2543, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2543, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce,

____________________________

ANGUS L.K. McKELVEY, Chair