The Me. House passed a bill (HB-470) expanding the state Telecom ...
The Me. House passed a bill (HB-470) expanding the state Telecom Education Access Fund’s broadband scope to cover public health clinics as well as K-12 schools and public libraries. The fund subsidizes equipment and broadband facilities for qualifying entities.…
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Funds for health clinics would be used to support telemedicine and electronic health records in rural or “medically underserved” areas. The bill goes to the Senate. The Me. House also saw introduction of a broadband development bill (HB-1471) that would create an Advanced Technology Investment Authority to identify unserved and underserved areas, and to find funding for wireless and wireline broadband deployment in those areas. The panel would include the PUC chairman, state CTO and 3 other appointed members. The bill would allow the new agency to draw on any surplus in the state universal service fund for its programs, and to authorize reimbursement of sales taxes paid on broadband infrastructure equipment in qualifying needy areas.