A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to appropriate funds to the wow E‑community development corporation to provide the state with broadband accessibility studies for nine rural eastern counties as a tool for planning broadband deployment and to ensure accountability for state funds used for deployment of broadband and to provide funds for broadband infrastructure for four northeastern counties to determine the efficacy of wireless broadband as a preferred solution for providing the remote rural communities in north carolina with broadband.
Whereas, WOW e‑CDC was designated by the General Assembly as the Technology Resource Center for the 16 counties in the Northeast Region of North Carolina; and
Whereas, pursuant to that mission, WOW e‑CDC is an advocate for all citizens in the Northeast Region having access to broadband; and
Whereas, WOW e‑CDC was contracted to conduct a broadband study of the 21 Eastern North Carolina counties in the Elizabeth City State University service area to ensure that its online courses would be accessible to the remote communities in Eastern North Carolina; and
Whereas, the State of North Carolina does not have documented studies as to which communities within each county have accessibility to broadband except the 21‑county study conducted by WOW e‑CDC; and
Whereas, WOW e‑CDC has determined by that study that the level of accessibility reported to the state by telecommunications companies is inflated; and
Whereas, such inflation is misleading and results in rural counties not receiving the infrastructure necessary to ensure its citizens broadband; and
Whereas, the lack of broadband negatively impacts education, business, and industry in these counties; and
Whereas, the State of North Carolina has not determined the efficacy of wireless broadband as part of its strategy for reaching the remote rural communities in the State; and
Whereas, WOW e‑CDC has successfully operated a wireless Internet service in Washington County for four years; and
Whereas, according to the WOW e‑CDC broadband accessibility study, Washington County has 62% accessibility, Chowan County has 63% accessibility, Bertie County has 51% accessibility, and Tyrrell County has 55% accessibility; and
Whereas, the county boards of commission of Washington, Chowan, and Bertie Counties have passed resolutions which support the WOW e‑CDC broadband study, and a request for infrastructure that will facilitate broadband accessibility in the remote communities within each of these counties; and
Whereas, deployment of wireless broadband in Washington, Chowan, Bertie, and Tyrrell Counties will demonstrate both the efficacy and cost effectiveness of wireless broadband as a preferred solution for broadband accessibility in rural counties; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Commerce for allocation to the WOW E‑Community Development Corporation (WOW e‑CDC) the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for the 2008‑2009 fiscal year to complete broadband accessibility studies for the remaining nine counties east of I‑95:  Brunswick, New Hanover, Onslow, Carteret, Duplin, Jones, Lenoir, Wayne, and Wilson.
SECTION 2.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Commerce for allocation to the WOW E‑Community Development Corporation (WOW e‑CDC) the sum of two million five hundred thousand dollars ($2,500,000) for the 2008‑2009 fiscal year for infrastructure and labor to provide wireless broadband accessibility to at least a documented ninety‑five percent (95%) of the citizens in Washington, Chowan, Bertie, and Tyrrell Counties.
SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2008.