2017-03-28 Letter to Roy M. Takumi re SB 1201 SD 2 HD 2 relating to Technology (Broadband)

Home

Wil Okabe • - Managing Director Harry Kim ' • ' Mayor .- : • . . . . • _ • Barbara J.Kossow *O; Deputy Managing Director '• *441 • • • COWIN Of Paitxun Mffire of the Alagor 25 Aupuni Street,Suite 2603 • Hilo,Hawai'i 96720 • (808)961-8211 • Fax(808)961-6553 KONA: 74-5044 Me Keohokalole Hwy.,Bldg.C • Kailua-Kona,Hawaii 96740 (808)323-4444 • Fax(808)323-4440 March 28, 2017 Rep. Roy M. Takumi, Chair Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce Hawai'i State Capitol Honolulu, HI 96813 Dear Chair Takumi and Members: RE: SB 1201, SD 2, HD 2 Relating to Technology (Broadband) Thank you for this opportunity to express tentative support for SB1201, SD2, HD2, relating to broadband infrastructure, but requesting amendment. Over the past weeks, we have raised objections to various aspects of numerous telecommunication bills. Early on, we suggested that the bills be kept alive for further discussion, but we came to the belief that the issues are simply too complex to expect them to be resolved this session. We then started urging that no bill pass this session, and that the Legislature set up a mechanism (by Joint Resolution, study by the Auditor, or some other approach) for further discussion in the interim, with a consensus bill to be presented to next year's Legislature. The installation of telecommunication facilities on county-owned or State-owned property is complicated, far reaching in scope, and raises substantial questions related to fairness, public safety and costs. Our concerns are mirrored by the State and the other counties, and with numerous private sector voices compounding the number of perspectives that must be accommodated, we trust that the legislative process will yield a satisfactory result, but only if given substantially more time. Upon first reading of SB1201, SD2, HD2, we thought it might be calling for the kind of interim work that we could endorse. However, we are concerned that the bill would only be effective if some other co-location bill were also approved. Our hope was that this kind of Task Force would be set up without anything else passing this legislative session. County of Hawaii is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.