Bill Text: IL SB0851 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Engrossed

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Amends the Broadband Advisory Council Act. Provides that the Broadband Advisory Council shall 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 providing download speeds of at least one gigabyte per second and upload speeds of at least one gigabyte per second. Requires the Council to study the feasibility of connecting all Illinois public schools, public libraries, and State-owned correctional institutions or facilities to the Illinois Century Network by January 1, 2030. Provides that the Office of Broadband within the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall support and assist the Council in the development of the study. Provides that 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.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Passed) 2023-08-04 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 103-0483 [SB0851 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-SB0851-Engrossed.html

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SB0851 Engrossed LRB103 03309 RPS 48315 b
AN ACT concerning State government.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Broadband Advisory Council Act is amended
by changing Section 20 and by adding Section 30 as follows:
(220 ILCS 80/20)
Sec. 20. Powers and duties of the Council generally.
(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
residents and small businesses of Illinois;
(3) research ways to eliminate barriers to adoption
through measures such as: digital literacy programs;
programs to assist older citizens in using broadband
Internet access; programs to facilitate adoption by
disabled citizens; and programs to encourage collaborative
efforts among public universities, community colleges,
libraries, public housing, and other institutions;
(4) assess the availability of broadband for

SB0851 Engrossed - 2 - LRB103 03309 RPS 48315 b
low-income households compared to the availability of
broadband for other households;
(5) explore the potential for increased use of
broadband service for the purposes of education, career
readiness, workforce preparation, and alternative career
training;
(6) explore the potential for increased use of
broadband services to facilitate aging in place;
(7) explore ways for encouraging State and municipal
agencies, including public housing authorities, to expand
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;
(8) cooperate and assist in the expansion of
electronic instruction and distance education services;
and
(9) as the Federal Communications Commission updates
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
Act, the Council is hereby granted the powers necessary to
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
community broadband access that can be used for distance
education and workforce development; and
(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.
(c) The Council shall also:
(1) monitor the broadband-based development efforts of
other states in areas such as business, education, aging
in place, and health;
(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
(3) serve as the broadband advocate to State agencies
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.
(d) The Council shall exercise its powers and authority to
(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
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.
(e) The Council shall report to the General Assembly on or
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

SB0851 Engrossed - 7 - LRB103 03309 RPS 48315 b
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.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.