LRB-1957/P1
MDK:ahe
2019 - 2020 LEGISLATURE
DOA:......Sherwin, BB0323 - Broadband definitions
For 2019-2021 Budget -- Not Ready For Introduction
An Act ...; relating to: the budget.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
State government
Public utility regulation
This bill makes changes to the broadband expansion program administered by the PSC. Under current law, the PSC makes grants for constructing broadband infrastructure in “underserved” areas, which are defined as areas of the state served by fewer than two broadband service providers. The bill revises the definition of underserved so that it refers instead to an area of the state in which households or businesses lack access to broadband service of at least 25 megabits per second download speed and 3 megabits per second upload speed. Current law also specifies various criteria for the PSC to prioritize grants for certain types of projects. One of the criteria is to prioritize grants for projects that affect “unserved” areas, which are defined, in part, as areas with Internet service that does not exceed minimum speeds based on speeds designated by the Federal Communications Commission. The bill revises the definition of “unserved” so that it refers instead to areas in which households or businesses lack access to broadband service of at least 10 megabits per second download speed and 1 megabit per second upload speed.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
Section
1. 196.504 (1) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
196.504 (1) (b) “Underserved" means served by fewer than 2 broadband service providers an area of this state in which households or businesses lack access to broadband service of at least 25 megabits per second download speed and 3 megabits per second upload speed.
Section
2. 196.504 (1) (c) (intro.) of the statutes is renumbered 196.504 (1) (c) and amended to read:
196.504 (1) (c) “Unserved area” means an area of this state that is not served by an Internet service provider offering Internet service that is all of the following: in which households or businesses lack access to broadband service of at least 10 megabits per second download speed and one megabit per second upload speed.
Section
3. 196.504 (1) (c) 1. and 2. of the statutes are repealed.
(End)
