Bill > S1592

This bill, the "Florida Broadband Deployment Act of 2021," aims to increase the availability of broadband internet access throughout the state, particularly in areas that are underserved or unserved. The key provisions of the bill include: 1. Requiring municipal electric utilities to provide broadband providers with a promotional rate of $1 per wireline attachment per pole per year for new attachments necessary to make service available to unserved or underserved end users within the utility's service territory from July 1, 2021, to July 1, 2024. 2. Establishing that all wireline attachments must comply with the National Electrical Safety Code, and municipal electric utilities can adopt reasonable and non-discriminatory safety and engineering standards that exceed those specifications. 3. Allowing municipal electric utilities to require broadband providers to reimburse reasonable and non-discriminatory costs attributable solely to new pole attachments, except for costs associated with pole replacements necessary to correct existing violations, comply with changes in standards, or due to the pole reaching the end of its useful life. 4. Prohibiting municipal electric utilities from increasing the fees charged to broadband providers for pole attachments made between July 1, 2021, and July 31, 2022. The bill also directs the Office of Broadband within the Department of Economic Opportunity to work with rural communities to help them determine their current broadband availability, locate unserved and underserved customers, and identify opportunities to leverage assets and reduce barriers to the deployment of public and private broadband service.