SB 16-136 Summary

• Updates the definition of "advanced service" (broadband) from speeds exceeding 256 kilobits per second to at least 10 megabits per second downstream and 1 megabit per second upstream

• Allows local governments to evaluate broadband service feasibility without holding an election first, and requires 60 days' public notice to private providers before considering a ballot measure

• Modifies the voter approval exemption for unserved areas by defining them as areas with one or more contiguous census blocks where a majority of households lack access to both satellite and non-satellite broadband providers

• Expands local government activities allowed without voter approval to include leasing space to private providers, joint trenching agreements, and purchasing or operating middle-mile transport facilities on a nondiscriminatory basis

• Renames the broadband fund to the broadband support mechanism and requires quarterly coordination between state agencies (Department of Local Affairs and Office of Information Technology) to prevent duplication of broadband funding in rural areas