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Public Act 103-0483 |
SB0851 Enrolled | LRB103 03309 RPS 48315 b |
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AN ACT concerning State government.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 5. The Broadband Advisory Council Act is amended |
by changing Section 20 and by adding Section 30 as follows: |
(220 ILCS 80/20)
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Sec. 20. Powers and duties of the Council generally.
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(a) The Council shall: |
(1) explore any and all ways to expand the |
availability to end-user customers of broadband services |
using available technologies, including, but not limited |
to, wireline, wireless, fixed wireless, and satellite |
applications; |
(2) identify barriers to broadband adoption among the
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residents and small businesses of Illinois;
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(3) research ways to eliminate barriers to adoption
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through measures such as: digital literacy programs;
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programs to assist older citizens in using broadband
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Internet access; programs to facilitate adoption by
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disabled citizens; and programs to encourage collaborative
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efforts among public universities, community colleges,
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libraries, public housing, and other institutions;
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(4) assess the availability of broadband for |
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low-income households compared to the availability of |
broadband for other households;
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(5) explore the potential for increased use of
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broadband service for the purposes of education, career
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readiness, workforce preparation, and alternative career
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training;
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(6) explore the potential for increased use of
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broadband services to facilitate aging in place;
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(7) explore ways for encouraging State and municipal
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agencies, including public housing authorities, to expand
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the use of broadband services for the
purpose of better |
serving the public, including audio and
video streaming, |
voice-over Internet protocol,
teleconferencing, and |
wireless networking;
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(8) cooperate and assist in the expansion of |
electronic
instruction and distance education services; |
and
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(9) as the Federal Communications Commission updates
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the benchmark downstream data rates and upstream data |
rates, publish the revised
data rates in the Illinois |
Register within 60 days after the
federal update ; and . |
(10) evaluate the expansion of the Illinois Century |
Network to Illinois public schools, public libraries, and |
State-owned correctional institutions or facilities, |
including issuing recommendations for increasing agency |
staffing, infrastructure development, price modeling, and |
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providing download speeds of at least one gigabyte per |
second and upload speeds of at least one gigabyte per |
second. |
(b) In addition to the powers set forth elsewhere in this
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Act, the Council is hereby granted the powers necessary to
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carry out the purpose and intent of this Act, as enumerated
in |
this Section, including, but not limited to: |
(1) promoting awareness of public facilities that have
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community broadband access that can be used for distance
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education and workforce development; and
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(2) advising on deployment of e-government portals |
such
that all public bodies and political subdivisions |
have
websites and encourage one-stop government access and |
that
all public entities stream audio and video of all |
public
meetings.
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(c) The Council shall also:
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(1) monitor the broadband-based development efforts of
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other states in areas such as business,
education, aging |
in place, and health;
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(2)receive input provided on a voluntary basis from |
all Illinois broadband stakeholders and advise the |
Governor and the General Assembly on policies related to |
broadband in Illinois, provided that no stakeholders shall |
be required to publicly disclose competitively sensitive |
information or information that could compromise network |
security or undermine the efficacy of reasonable network |
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management practices, and that any such information |
voluntarily disclosed shall be protected from public |
disclosure; and
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(3) serve as the broadband advocate to State agencies
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and other State entities to communicate the broadband |
needs
of citizens and organizations that do not have |
access to
broadband service or to broadband service |
adequate for
their needs.
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(d) The Council shall exercise its powers and authority to
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(1) advise and make recommendations to the General Assembly |
and
the Governor on bringing broadband service to unserved and |
underserved rural and urban areas and improving broadband
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service statewide , (2) advise and make
recommendations to the |
General Assembly and the Governor on
facilitating broadband |
adoption by all citizens, and (3)
propose statutory changes |
that may enhance and expand broadband in the State.
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(e) The Council shall report to the General Assembly on or
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before January 1 of each year. The report to the General |
Assembly shall be filed with the Clerk of the House of |
Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate in electronic |
form only, in the manner that the Clerk and the Secretary shall |
direct. The report shall include the
action that was taken by |
the Council during the previous year
in carrying out the |
provisions of this Act. The Council
shall also make any other |
reports as may be required by the
General Assembly or the |
Governor.
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(Source: P.A. 100-833, eff. 1-1-19 .) |
(220 ILCS 80/30 new) |
Sec. 30. Illinois Century Network Study. |
(a) The Council shall study the feasibility of connecting |
all Illinois public schools, public libraries, and State-owned |
correctional facilities to the Illinois Century Network by |
January 1, 2030. The purpose and scope of the study is limited |
to connecting all public schools, public libraries, and |
State-owned correctional facilities to the Illinois Century |
Network, with a goal to give all public schools, public |
libraries, and State-owned correctional institutions or |
facilities access to reliable, gigabit-level broadband service |
by January 1, 2030. The Office of Broadband within the |
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall support |
and assist the Council in the development of the study. |
(b) The feasibility study required under subsection (a) |
shall explore: |
(1) efforts among other states and units of local |
government to connect public schools, public libraries, |
and correctional facilities to a public broadband service; |
(2) the current state of broadband service connection |
for all public schools, public libraries, and State-owned |
correctional facilities, including connection speeds, type |
of technology, and whether the network is serviced by the |
Illinois Century Network currently; |
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(3) models for expanding the Illinois Century Network |
solely for the purpose of connecting all Illinois public |
schools, public libraries, and State-owned correctional |
facilities; |
(4) the resources necessary to expand the Illinois |
Century Network across the State of Illinois to all |
Illinois public schools, public libraries, and State-owned |
correctional facilities; |
(5) the benefits of the Illinois Century Network in |
Illinois public schools, public libraries, and State-owned |
correctional facilities; |
(6) potential sources of funding for the expansion of |
the Illinois Century Network to Illinois public schools, |
public libraries, and State-owned correctional facilities; |
(7) additional staff and contracting needs that would |
be necessary to expand the Illinois Century Network to all |
Illinois public schools, public libraries, and State-owned |
correctional facilities; |
(8) options for partnering with units of local |
government in Illinois that have taken steps toward |
offering public broadband service for the purpose of |
connecting all Illinois public schools, public libraries, |
and State-owned correctional facilities to the Illinois |
Century Network; and |
(9) any other factors that are necessary for the |
exploration of the feasibility of expanding the Illinois |
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Century Network to all Illinois public schools, public |
libraries, and State-owned correctional facilities. |
The feasibility study shall offer recommendations based on |
the results of the study and shall offer options for the |
expansion of the Illinois Century Network, including a |
timeline, staffing needs, financial resources needed, and |
suggested rates for broadband service. |
(c) The Council shall issue a report on its findings, |
recommendations, options for expansion, and any recommended |
legislation to the General Assembly by January 1, 2024.
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Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon |
becoming law.
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