A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to establish an accessible electronic information service for blind and disabled persons and to appropriate funds for the service.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Article 7 of Chapter 62 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
"§ 62‑157A.  Accessible Electronic Information Act.
(a)	Short Title. – This section shall be known and may be cited as the 'Accessible Electronic Information Act'.
(b)	Legislative Findings. – The General Assembly finds and declares all of the following:
(1)	Thousands of citizens in the State have disabilities, including blindness or visual impairment, which prevent them from using conventional print material.
(2)	The State fulfills an important responsibility by providing books and magazines prepared in Braille, audio, and large‑type formats made available to eligible blind and disabled persons.
(3)	The technology, transcription methods, and means of distribution used for these materials are labor‑intensive and cannot support rapid dissemination to individuals in rural and urban areas throughout the State.
(4)	Lack of direct and prompt access to information included in newspapers, magazines, newsletters, schedules, announcements, or other time‑sensitive materials limits literacy, participation, and educational opportunities for blind and disabled persons.
(5)	This limitation can best be overcome through use of high‑speed computer and telecommunications technology, combined with customized software, that provides a practical and cost‑effective means to convert electronic text‑based information, including daily newspapers, into synthetic speech suitable for statewide distribution with modern telecommunications technology.
(6)	Low‑cost interstate telecommunications rates make distribution of electronic text‑based information to eligible users both efficient and cost‑effective for the State.
(7)	Federal funds have been used to develop the technology and infrastructure needed for statewide toll‑free access to daily newspapers and other timely information of local, State, and national interest through a service known as NFB‑NEWSLINE®, providing an efficient and cost‑effective means of reader registration, content acquisition, and interstate telecommunications support.
(8)	Use of this accessible electronic information service will enhance the State's current efforts to meet the needs of blind and disabled citizens for access to information that is otherwise available in print, thereby reducing isolation and supporting full integration and equal access for these individuals.
(c)	Definitions. – The following definitions apply in this section:
(1)	Accessible electronic information service. – A service where news and other timely information, including newspapers, is provided to eligible individuals from a multistate service center, using high‑speed computers and telecommunications technology for interstate acquisition of content and rapid distribution in a form appropriate for use by blind and disabled persons.
(2)	Blind and disabled persons. – Those individuals who are eligible for library loan services through the Library of Congress and the State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 701.10(b).
(3)	Director. – The Director of the Division of Services for the Blind in the Department of Health and Human Services.
(4)	Qualified entity. – An agency, instrumentality, or political subdivision of the State or a nonprofit organization that:
a.	Provides interstate access for eligible persons to read daily newspapers producing audio editions by computer.
b.	Provides a means of program administration or reader registration on the Internet.
(d)	Administration of Service. – The Division of Services for the Blind shall administer the statewide accessible electronic information service, including its establishment, operation, and promotion. The Director of the Division of Services for the Blind shall enter into an agreement with a qualified entity to provide an accessible electronic information service for eligible blind and disabled persons. The Division of Services for the Blind shall plan for continuation of the service from year to year and make maximum use of federal and other funds available by obtaining grant or in‑kind support from appropriate programs and securing access to low‑cost interstate rates for telecommunications by reimbursement or otherwise.
(e)	Power to Regulate. – The Commission shall have the same power to regulate the operation of the accessible electronic information service as it has to regulate any public utility subject to the provisions of this Chapter."
SECTION 2.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services the sum of seventy‑five thousand dollars ($75,000) for the 2004‑2005 fiscal year to be used by the Division of Services for the Blind to establish an accessible electronic information service for blind and disabled persons in this State.
SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2004.