Signed by Governor Jay Inslee

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to concur with house amendments and pass a bill that authorizes public utility districts or port districts provide retail telecommunication services in an unserved area.

Highlights:

• Defines "unserved areas" as areas of Washington in which households and businesses lack access to broadband service of speeds at a minimum of 100 megabits per second download and at a minimum 20 megabits per second upload (Sec. 2.h.ii).

• Authorizes a public utility district in existence on June 8, 2000, to construct, purchase, acquire, develop, finance, lease, license, handle, provide, add to, contract for, interconnect, alter, improve, repair, operate, and maintain any telecommunications facilities within or without the district's limits for the provision of wholesale telecommunications services as follows (Sec. 2-1.a.ii)

• Within the district and by contract with another public utility district;

• Within an area in an adjoining county that is already provided electrical services by the district; or

• Within an adjoining county that does not have a public utility district providing electrical or telecommunications services headquartered within the county's boundaries, but only if the district providing telecommunications services is not authorized to provide electrical services.

• Requires a public utility district to notify and consult with the governor's statewide broadband office within 30 days of its decision to provide retail telecommunications services to unserved areas. The governor's statewide broadband office must post notices received from a public utility district pursuant to this subsection on its public website (Sec. 2-10.b).

• Requires any public utility district that intends to provide retail telecommunications services to unserved areas to submit a telecommunications infrastructure and service plan to the governor's statewide broadband office that will be published on the office's website. Submission of plans will enable the governor's statewide broadband office (Sec. 2-10.c):

• To better understand infrastructure deployment;

• To potentially allocate funding for unserved areas;

• To advance the state policy objectives;

• To determine whether the plan aligns with state policy objectives and broadband priorities;

• To measure progress toward serving those in unserved areas;

• To report on the feasibility and sustainability of the project; and

• To confirm that the project is within an unserved area.

• Authorizes a port district that exercises its authority to provide retail telecommunications services to use state funds, federal funds appropriated through the state, or federal funds dedicated for projects in unserved areas to fund projects identified in the submitted telecommunications infrastructure and service plan (Sec. 3-10.d).

• Requires the report to the legislative committee with jurisdiction over broadband policy and finance to contain the following (Sec. 4-2.b):

• The number of public utility districts and port districts providing retail telecommunications services in an unserved area; and

• Any recommendations to improve the provision of retail telecommunications services in unserved areas.

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to amend and pass a bill that authorizes public utility districts or port districts provide retail telecommunication services in an unserved area.

Highlights:

• Defines "unserved areas" as areas of Washington in which households and businesses lack access to broadband service of speeds at a minimum of 100 megabits per second download and at a minimum 20 megabits per second upload (Sec. 2.h.ii).

• Authorizes a public utility district in existence on June 8, 2000, to construct, purchase, acquire, develop, finance, lease, license, handle, provide, add to, contract for, interconnect, alter, improve, repair, operate, and maintain any telecommunications facilities within or without the district's limits for the provision of wholesale telecommunications services as follows (Sec. 2-1.a.ii)

• Within the district and by contract with another public utility district;

• Within an area in an adjoining county that is already provided electrical services by the district; or

• Within an adjoining county that does not have a public utility district providing electrical or telecommunications services headquartered within the county's boundaries, but only if the district providing telecommunications services is not authorized to provide electrical services.

• Requires a public utility district to notify and consult with the governor's statewide broadband office within 30 days of its decision to provide retail telecommunications services to unserved areas. The governor's statewide broadband office must post notices received from a public utility district pursuant to this subsection on its public website (Sec. 2-10.b).

• Requires any public utility district that intends to provide retail telecommunications services to unserved areas to submit a telecommunications infrastructure and service plan to the governor's statewide broadband office that will be published on the office's website. Submission of plans will enable the governor's statewide broadband office (Sec. 2-10.c):

• To better understand infrastructure deployment;

• To potentially allocate funding for unserved areas;

• To advance the state policy objectives;

• To determine whether the plan aligns with state policy objectives and broadband priorities;

• To measure progress toward serving those in unserved areas;

• To report on the feasibility and sustainability of the project; and

• To confirm that the project is within an unserved area.

• Authorizes a port district that exercises its authority to provide retail telecommunications services to use state funds, federal funds appropriated through the state, or federal funds dedicated for projects in unserved areas to fund projects identified in the submitted telecommunications infrastructure and service plan (Sec. 3-10.d).

• Requires the report to the legislative committee with jurisdiction over broadband policy and finance to contain the following (Sec. 4-2.b):

• The number of public utility districts and port districts providing retail telecommunications services in an unserved area; and

• Any recommendations to improve the provision of retail telecommunications services in unserved areas.

Full Bill Text