STAND. COM. REP. NO. 344

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 478

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor and Technology, to which was referred S.B. No. 478 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND CABLE INDUSTRY INFORMATION REPORTING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Repeal chapter 440J, Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS), relating to telecommunications and cable industry information reporting requirements for broadband service providers; and

(2) Amend the definitions of "broadband infrastructure" and "broadband provider" under Chapter 206R, HRS, relating to the Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, CTIA, Hawaiian Telcom, and Charter Communications. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.

Your Committee finds that this housekeeping measure eliminates an outdated federal reporting requirement that is no longer useful in determining broadband service ability in the State. Your Committee recognizes that, not only does the Federal Communications Commission no longer require reporting of broadband service availability by census block, it now requires reporting broadband service availability by locations based on addresses and geographic coordinates and makes this data publicly available. According to testimony received by your Committee, state telecommunications policies that align with the existing federal wireless regulatory regime create efficiency and removes barriers to deployment.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Requiring the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to make available for public inspection all broadband coverage reports that providers have previously filed pursuant to chapter 440J, HRS; and

(2) Inserting an effective date of January 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor and Technology that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 478, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 478, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor and Technology,

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SHARON MORIWAKI, Chair