STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3294

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 2543

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 2543, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO BROADBAND,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to make permanent the provisions of Act 151, Session Laws of Hawaii 2011, and Act 264, Session Laws of Hawaii 2013, that establish deadlines for certain actions of the State and the counties relating to broadband-related permits and facilities, and subject weight load for utility poles to certain established capacities and established exemptions from certain state and county requirements for actions relating to the installation, improvement, construction, or development of infrastructure relating to broadband service or broadband technology.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Cable Television Division of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; Chamber of Commerce Hawaii; Hawaiian Electric Companies; Hawaiian Telcom; and Oceanic Time Warner Cable.

     Your Committee finds that streamlining broadband permits can facilitate statewide access to affordable, high-speed broadband services.  Improvements in the permitting process will allow for more private sector participants, which can lead to increased competition in the State's broadband sector.  Your Committee further finds that increasing Hawaii's broadband capacity will have numerous benefits across the State, such as:  enabling rapid access to information; accelerating business development; creating telehealth opportunities for the health care industry; enhancing education resources; and improving communications networks.  Accordingly, this measure makes permanent laws that will enable greater efficiency in the broadband-related permitting process.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing its effective date to July 1, 2016.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2543, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2543, H.D. 2, S.D. 1.

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

________________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair