H259 - 2023 Appropriations Act. (SL 2023-134)

Overview: Section 38.8 of S.L. 2023-134 makes various changes to the laws that relate to broadband deployment and the Department of Information Technology (DIT), which include:

• Broadening the stated purpose of the Broadband Stop Gap Solutions grant program to include expanding broadband service to unserved and underserved businesses, State facilities, and community anchor institutions.
• Revising provisions related to the amount of federal funds received under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58) that DIT can use for administrative and planning purposes.
• Allowing the Information Technology Strategy Board to elect the chair from among its membership for one-year terms.
• Directing DIT to develop a formal challenge process for broadband grant programs it administers, and to report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Information Technology and the Fiscal Research Division on the challenge process no later than December 1, 2023.

This section became effective July 1, 2023.