16.995(3m)
(3m) Public debt repayment. To the extent that sufficient moneys for the provision of educational telecommunications access under
s. 16.997 are available in the appropriation account under
s. 20.505 (4) (mp) after payment of the administrative expenses specified in
s. 20.505 (4) (mp), the department shall use those available moneys to reimburse
s. 20.505 (4) (es) and
(et) for the payment of principal and interest costs incurred in financing educational technology infrastructure financial assistance under this section and to make full payment of the amounts determined by the building commission under
s. 13.488 (1) (m).
16.995(4)
(4) Funding for financial assistance. The department, subject to the limits of
s. 20.866 (2) (zc) and
(zcm), may request that the building commission contract public debt in accordance with
ch. 18 to fund financial assistance under this section.
16.995 History
History: 1997 a. 27,
41;
1999 a. 9;
2001 a. 16,
104;
2003 a. 33 ss.
238q,
1068d to
1072d; Stats. 2003 s. 16.995;
2005 a. 25.
16.997
16.997
Educational telecommunications access program. 16.997(1)(1) Except as provided in
s. 196.218 (4t), the department shall promulgate rules establishing an educational telecommunications access program to provide educational agencies with access to data lines and video links.
16.997(2)
(2) The rules promulgated under
sub. (1) shall do all of the following:
16.997(2)(a)
(a) Allow an educational agency to make a request to the department for access to either one data line or one video link, except as follows:
16.997(2)(a)1.
1. Any educational agency may request access to additional data lines if the agency shows to the satisfaction of the department that the additional data lines are more cost-effective than a single data line.
16.997(2)(a)2.
2. A school district that operates more than one high school or a public library board that operates more than one library facility may request access to both a data line and a video link and access to more than one data line or video link.
16.997(2)(a)3.
3. An educational agency that is eligible for a rate discount on telecommunications services under
47 USC 254 may request access to additional data lines and video links and to increased bandwidth access as provided in
s. 16.998.
16.997(2)(b)
(b) Establish eligibility requirements for an educational agency to participate in the program established under
sub. (1) and to receive additional telecommunications access under
s. 16.998, including a requirement that a charter school sponsor use data lines and video links to benefit pupils attending the charter school and a requirement that Internet access to material that is harmful to children, as defined in
s. 948.11 (1) (b), is blocked on the computers of juvenile correctional facilities that are served by data links and video links subsidized under this section.
16.997 Note
Note: Par. (b) is shown as affected by 2 acts of the 2005 Wisconsin legislature and as merged by the revisor under s. 13.93 (2) (c).
16.997(2)(c)
(c) Establish specifications for data lines and video links for which access is provided to an educational agency under the program established under
sub. (1) or for which additional access is provided to an educational agency under
s. 16.998.
16.997(2)(d)
(d) Require an educational agency to pay the department not more than $250 per month for each data line or video link that is provided to the educational agency under the program established under
sub. (1), except that the charge may not exceed $100 per month for each data line or video link that relies on a transport medium that operates at a speed of 1.544 megabits per second.
16.997(2)(f)
(f) Ensure that juvenile correctional facilities that receive access under this section to data lines and video links or that receive additional access under
s. 16.998 to data lines, video links, and bandwidth use those data lines and video links and that bandwidth only for educational purposes.
16.997 Note
Note: Par. (f) is shown as affected by 2 acts of the 2005 Wisconsin legislature and as merged by the revisor under s. 13.93 (2) (c).
16.997(2g)
(2g) An educational agency that is provided access to a data line under the program established under
sub. (1) or to an additional data line under
s. 16.998 may not do any of the following:
16.997(2g)(b)
(b) Request access to an additional data line for purposes of providing access to bandwidth to a political subdivision under a shared service agreement under
sub. (2r) (a).
16.997(2r)(a)(a) A public library board that is provided access to a data line under the program established under
sub. (1) or to an additional data line under
s. 16.998 may enter into a shared service agreement with a political subdivision that provides the political subdivision with access to any excess bandwidth on the data line that is not used by the public library board, except that a public library board may not sell, resell, or transfer in consideration for money or anything of value to a political subdivision access to any excess bandwidth. A shared service agreement under this paragraph is not valid unless the agreement allows the public library board to cancel the agreement at any time after providing notice to the political subdivision.
16.997(2r)(b)
(b) A political subdivision that obtains access to bandwidth under a shared service agreement under
par. (a) may not receive compensation for providing any other person with access to the bandwidth.
16.997(2r)(c)
(c) A public library board shall provide the department with written notice within 30 days after entering into or modifying a shared service agreement under
par. (a).
16.997(3)
(3) The department shall prepare an annual report on the status of providing data lines and video links that are requested under
sub. (2) (a) and the impact on the universal service fund of any payment under contracts under
s. 16.974.
16.997(4)
(4) If the federal communications commission promulgates or modifies rules that provide rate discounts for telecommunications services to educational agencies under
47 USC 254, the governor shall submit a report to the joint committee on finance that includes any recommended changes to statutes or rules with respect to funding the program established under
sub. (1).
16.997(6)(a)(a) From the appropriation under
s. 20.505 (4) (s) or
(tm), the department may award an annual grant to a school district or private school that had in effect on October 14, 1997, a contract for access to a data line or video link, as documented by the department. The department shall determine the amount of the grant, which shall be equal to the cost incurred by the state to provide telecommunications access to a school district or private school under a contract entered into under
s. 16.971 (13) or
(15) less the amount that the school district or private school would be paying under
sub. (2) (d) if the school district or private school were participating in the program established under
sub. (1), except that the amount may not be greater than the cost that a school district or private school incurs under the contract in effect on October 14, 1997. A school district or private school receiving a grant under this subsection is not eligible to participate in the program under
sub. (1). No grant may be awarded under this subsection after December 31, 2005.
16.997(6)(b)
(b) Notwithstanding
par. (a), the department may award a school district that operates more than one high school and that had in effect on October 14, 1997, a contract for access to more than one data line or video link an annual grant for each data line or video link serving each high school covered by that contract.
16.997(7)
(7) From the appropriation under
s. 20.505 (4) (s), the department shall award $25,000 annually in grants to consortia of school districts that meet all of the following criteria for the purpose of developing and implementing a technology-enhanced high school curriculum:
16.997(7)(a)
(a) The curriculum is developed for and implemented through streaming video conferencing and online course work.
16.997(7)(b)
(b) The consortium includes high schools from at least 8 school districts.
16.997(7)(c)
(c) The participating school districts collectively contribute an amount equal to at least the amount of the grant received in the same fiscal year.
16.997(7)(d)
(d) The curriculum is made available to each high school participating in the consortium.
16.997 History
History: 1999 a. 9 ss.
2318,
2323 to
2329;
2001 a. 16;
2003 a. 33 ss.
238r,
1073d to
1088d; Stats. 2003 s. 16.997;
2005 a. 25,
344; s. 13.93 (2) (c).
16.997 Annotation
The provision, under s. 196.218 (4r) [now ss. 44.70 to 44.73], of subsidized links to all schools public and private, including religious schools, on a neutral basis does not violate the establishment clause of the 1st amendment of the United States constitution. Unrestricted direct cash grants, under sub. (4r) (g) [now sub. (6)], to religious organizations do violate the establishment clause. Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. v. Bugher,
55 F. Supp. 2d 962 (1999).
16.998
16.998
Educational telecommunications; additional access. An educational agency that is eligible for a rate discount for telecommunications services under
47 USC 254 may request data lines, video links, and bandwidth access that is in addition to what is provided under the program under
s. 16.997 (1). The department shall apply for aid under
47 USC 254 to cover the costs of the data lines, video links, and bandwidth access that are provided under this section and shall credit any aid received to the appropriation account under
s. 20.505 (4) (mp). To the extent that the aid does not fully cover those costs, the department shall require an educational agency to pay the department a monthly fee that is sufficient to cover those costs and shall credit any monthly fee received to the appropriation account under
s. 20.505 (4) (Lm).
16.998 History
History: 2005 a. 25.
