STAND. COM. REP. NO. 170

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: H.B. No. 533

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Economic Development & Business, to which was referred H.B. No. 533 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO BROADBAND,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Establish the Hawaii Broadband Office within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT);

(2) Establish the position of State Broadband Strategy Officer;

(3) Require the Director of DBEDT, instead of the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, to convene and chair the Broadband Assistance Advisory Council (Council); and

(4) Appropriate funds for the creation and staffing of the Hawaii Broadband office.

The Department of Education, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i testified in support of this measure. The DBEDT provided comments on this measure.

Your Committee notes that the Council was originally formed to channel funding from the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) that was awarded as part of the federal stimulus package under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The Council was only designated within the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs because Congress was sending the funding through the United States Department of Commerce to the states for BTOP. However, the federal stimulus package has ended. Consequently, your Committee finds that this warrants a fresh look at where to appropriately locate the government broadband entities.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing its effective date to July 1, 2112; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Economic Development & Business that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 533, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 533, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Intrastate Commerce.

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

____________________________

ANGUS L.K. McKELVEY, Chair