STAND. COM. REP. NO. 171

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: H.B. No. 1156

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Economic Development & Business and Intrastate Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 1156 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO BROADBAND SERVICE INFRASTRUCTURE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Establish the Broadband Service Infrastructure Grant Program (Program) to award grants to applicants to extend the deployment of facilities used to provide broadband service to unserved and underserved areas of the State; and

(2) Appropriate funds for the establishment and administration of the Program.

Charter Communications and O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i supported this measure. The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, Hawaiian Telcom, Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Maui Electric Company, Ltd., and Hawai‘i Electric Light Company, Inc. provided comments.

Your Committees have amended this measure by changing its effective date to July 1, 2112, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Economic Development & Business and Intrastate Commerce that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1156, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1156, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Economic Development & Business and Intrastate Commerce,

____________________________ TAKASHI OHNO, Chair

____________________________ ANGUS L.K. McKELVEY, Chair