as introduced - 85th Legislature (2007 - 2008) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am
A bill for an act
relating to telecommunications; requiring the commissioner of commerce to
contract for a statewide inventory of broadband service; appropriating money.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
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The commissioner of commerce shall contract with a
nonprofit organization to produce a comprehensive statewide inventory and mapping of
existing broadband service and capability.
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The inventory must include, at a minimum, the following
information, which must be collected through research methods that produce statistically
significant results:
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(1) a measurement of statewide residential and business use of broadband,
computers, and related information technology;
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(2) barriers to broadband and computer use among residents and businesses; and
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(3) demographic analysis of the information in clauses (1) and (2).
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Data must be collected from broadband providers and entered
into a geographic information system to produce maps that, for the state of Minnesota and
any defined geographical entity within it, clearly convey the following information:
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(1) areas unserved by any broadband provider;
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(2) areas served by a single broadband provider;
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(3) the location of towers used to transmit and receive broadband signals;
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(4) actual upstream and downstream transmission speeds at the county level of detail;
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(5) areas served by multiple broadband providers; and
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(6) the types of technology used to provide broadband service.
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The data used to produce the maps must be capable of being integrated with demographic
data from other sources including, but not limited to, population density and household
income to allow for the production of maps that measure, down to the census block
level of detail, various characteristics of residents in areas receiving different levels of
broadband services and utilizing different technologies. Data provided by a broadband
provider to the contractor under this subdivision is nonpublic data under Minnesota
Statutes, section 13.02, subdivision 9. Maps produced under this subdivision are public
data under Minnesota Statutes, section 13.03.
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For the purposes of this section, "technology" or "technologies" means different
methods of connecting to the Internet including, but not limited to, cable modem, DSL,
ADSL, VDSL, and fiber optics.
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$....... is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of commerce for
the purposes of section 1.
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This section is effective the day following final enactment.
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