Bill Text: IL SB1437 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Creates the Universal Broadband Act. Creates the Office of Broadband Access within the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Provides that the Office of Broadband Access shall oversee the construction, development, and operation of a Statewide retail broadband network to provide reliable broadband service to all areas of the State. Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois to make conforming changes.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-05-03 - Senate Committee Amendment No. 2 Rule 3-9(a) / Re-referred to Assignments [SB1437 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-SB1437-Introduced.html

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103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 SB1437 Introduced 2/7/2023, by Sen. Rachel Ventura SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
New Act
20 ILCS 605/605-1110 new
30 ILCS 105/5.990 new
Creates the Universal Broadband Act. Creates the Office of Broadband Access within the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Provides that the Office of Broadband Access shall oversee the construction, development, and operation of a Statewide retail broadband network to provide reliable broadband service to all areas of the State. Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois to make conforming changes.
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A BILL FOR
SB1437 LRB103 27903 HLH 54281 b
AN ACT concerning State government.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
Universal Broadband Act.
Section 10. Intent. The General Assembly finds and
declares that:
(1) Broadband Internet access has become an integral
part of daily life.
(2) Broadband Internet access enhances economic
development, access to government services, education,
health care, and employment.
(3) Broadband Internet access is critical in
addressing the needs of people with disabilities.
(4) Broadband Internet access helps to promote public
safety and environmental sustainability.
(5) The State has a critical role in ensuring that
affordable broadband is deployed equitably and reliably.
(6) The State should encourage the expansion of
reliable broadband Internet service that is accessible
statewide by the year 2040.
Section 15. Definitions.

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"Broadband Internet service" means mass-market retail
Internet service in Illinois that provides the capability, by
wire or radio, to transmit data to and receive data from all or
substantially all Internet endpoints, including any
capabilities that are incidental to and enable the operation
of communications service, but excluding dial-up Internet
service.
"Department" means the Department of Commerce and Economic
Opportunity.
"Office" means the Office of Broadband Access created
under Section 605-1110 of the Department of Commerce and
Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of
Illinois.
"Reliable broadband service" means broadband Internet
service with speeds of not less than 100 megabits per second
for downloads and 20 megabits per second for uploads and a
latency sufficient to support real-time interactive
applications.
Section 20. Universal broadband.
(a) The Office shall oversee the construction,
development, and operation of a Statewide retail broadband
network to provide reliable broadband service to all areas of
the State, including areas of the State that have no broadband
Internet service or inadequate broadband Internet service. The
Office has the power and authority necessary to implement this

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Section, including but not limited to, the authority to enter
into contracts with one or more entities to acquire goods and
services and to take actions it deems necessary and
appropriate for the development, acquisition, construction,
maintenance, and operation of the statewide retail broadband
network.
(b) The Office may partner with units of local government
to foster improvement and expansion of existing municipal
broadband service.
(c) The Office shall identify Statewide broadband network
locations that will enable service connections with sufficient
capacity and at affordable rates. The Office should prioritize
communities that are unserved or underserved.
Section 25. Rulemaking. The Department shall adopt rules
for the implementation of this Act.
Section 30. Universal Broadband Fund. The Universal
Broadband Fund is hereby created as a special fund in the State
treasury. The Department and the Office shall administer the
Fund to for the construction, maintenance, and operation of
the Statewide retail broadband network described in Section
20. The Fund shall receive revenue from the following sources:
(1) any appropriations from the State for the purposes
described in this Section;
(2) federal money to advance broadband deployment in

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the State;
(3) rates and fees charged by the State for broadband
service;
(4) rates and fees charged by the State for the use of
broadband infrastructure;
(5) any other legal source designated for deposit into
the Fund.
Section 900. The Department of Commerce and Economic
Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois
is amended by adding Section 605-1110 as follows:
(20 ILCS 605/605-1110 new)
Sec. 605-1110. Office of Broadband Access. The Department
shall provide staff and administrative support an Office of
Broadband Access. The Office of Broadband Access shall have
the powers and duties described in the Universal Broadband
Act.
Section 905. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
Section 5.990 as follows:
(30 ILCS 105/5.990 new)
Sec. 5.990. The Universal Broadband Fund.