STAND. COM. REP. NO. 628

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.B. No. 371

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Higher Education & Technology, to which was referred H.B. No. 371 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to repeal chapter 440J, Hawaii Revised Statutes, relating to telecommunications and cable industry information reporting requirements for broadband service providers.

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

Your Committee finds that accurately pinpointing unserved and underserved areas where broadband infrastructure is needed continues to be critical to access federal funding to provide service to all residents no matter where they work or live across the State. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) created the recently launched FCC National Broadband Map that displays where Internet services are available on a location-by-location basis across the nation. The National Broadband Map and data are publicly available, allowing open access to this location-specific information. Your Committee further finds that the collection of broadband coverage data under chapter 440J, Hawaii Revised Statutes, has effectively been replaced by the more comprehensive and granular data collection provided by the FCC and, therefore, chapter 440J, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is no longer needed.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to June 30, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Higher Education & Technology that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 371, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 371, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Higher Education & Technology,

____________________________

AMY A. PERRUSO, Chair