Revision: Dec. 23, 2021, 12:50 p.m.
SB 395 - AS INTRODUCED
2022 SESSION
22-3074
04/10
SENATE BILL 395
AN ACT relative to the broadband matching grant initiative.
SPONSORS: Sen. Kahn, Dist 10; Sen. Bradley, Dist 3; Sen. Sherman, Dist 24; Sen. Whitley, Dist 15; Sen. Watters, Dist 4; Sen. Cavanaugh, Dist 16; Sen. Prentiss, Dist 5; Sen. Rosenwald, Dist 13; Sen. Perkins Kwoka, Dist 21; Sen. Hennessey, Dist 1; Rep. Maneval, Ches. 9; Rep. Weber, Ches. 1; Rep. Buco, Carr. 2; Rep. Porter, Hills. 1
COMMITTEE: Election Law and Municipal Affairs
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ANALYSIS
This bill allows municipalities and cell phone service providers to apply for broadband matching grant funds to upgrade local cell phone service to the standard necessary to support broadband and other advanced communication services.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
22-3074
04/10
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Two
AN ACT relative to the broadband matching grant initiative.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Paragraph; Department of Business and Economic Affairs; Broadband Matching Grant Initiative. Amend RSA 12-O:61 by inserting after paragraph III the following new paragraph:
IV.(a) A municipality that is located in an area that is determined to lack adequate cell phone service shall be eligible to apply for a grant under this section to provide such service through a communications provider that is capable of serving the area in which the municipality is located. A cell phone service provider that serves an area lacking adequate cell phone service shall, upon approval of governing body of the municipality to be served, also be eligible to apply for a grant under this section. For the purposes of this paragraph, “adequate cell phone service” shall mean cell phone service that meets federal standards for speed, latency, reliability, and consistency in quality of service.
(b) Any infrastructure or improvements funded through a grant under this section shall be capable of scaling speed over time to meet the evolving connectivity needs of households and businesses, and to support the deployment of future wireless technologies and other advanced communications services. For the purposes of this paragraph, “advanced communications services” shall have the same meaning as in 47 C.F.R. section 14.10(c), as amended, including:
(1) Interconnected VoIP service.
(2) Non-interconnected VoIP service.
(3) Electronic messaging service.
(4) Interoperable video conferencing service.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.