SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1921        FILED ON: 2/18/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 49

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Paul R. Feeney

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to a Massachusetts broadband competitive marketplace study.

_______________

PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1921        FILED ON: 2/18/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 49

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 1964 OF 2019-2020.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

_______________

An Act relative to a Massachusetts broadband competitive marketplace study.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Section 1. (a) There shall be a special commission to examine the state of the advanced telecommunications broadband industry in Massachusetts, including fiber-to-the-premises, cable, wireless, and landline technologies with the goal of recommending a rational and balanced approach to oversight of the interconnected telecommunications network of the future and ensure the Commonwealth's consumers, both residents and businesses, as well as Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLECs) have access to reliable and competitive broadband network.

(b) The commission shall review: (i) status of competition and pricing for broadband communications services and networks; (ii) current and future consumer expectations; (iii) assessment of national and international approaches to ensuring core public interest principles and robust communications capabilities are maintained; (iv) reliability, resiliency and interoperability of networks; (v) technology types and speeds available across the state; (vi) access and underservice issues; (vii) Overview of the E-Rate, Rural Health, and FirstNet Federal and other broadband programs in the Commonwealth; and (viii) comparative analysis of results matching census data across the Commonwealth.

(c) The special commission shall consist of the following members or their designees: the Commissioner of the department of telecommunications and cable, who shall serve as a co-chair; the senate and house chairmen of the  Joint Committee on Telecommunication, Utilities and Energy who shall serve as the other co-chairs; (1) representative of the Massachusetts Attorney General Consumer Advocacy & Response Division (1) representative of the Massachusetts Communications Supervisors Association.; (1) representative of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute; (1) representative of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, Inc.; (1) representative of the  Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council ; (1) representative designated by the President of the AFL-CIO from a Massachusetts telecommunications union and (2) members who shall be appointed by the governor, (1) of whom shall be a professor from with research in telecommunication policy, and (1) of whom shall be a senior executive/manager from a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC).

(d) The special commission shall file an initial report of its recommendations and drafts of proposed broadband legislation or regulations, if any, on subsection (b) with the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate, the President of the Senate, The Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Governor and the chairs of the house and senate committees on ways and means not later than December 31, 2017. The special commission shall file a final report providing a full report regarding said subsection (b) not later than March 1, 2018.