HOUSE COMMITTEE ON ADVANCING E-GOVERNMENT

January 19, 2001 Hearing Room E

3:30 PM Tapes 2 - 3

MEMBERS PRESENT: Rep. Jim Hill, Chair

Rep. Kathy Lowe

MEMBER EXCUSED: Rep. Rob Patridge, Vice-Chair

STAFF PRESENT: Mark Jolley, Committee Administrator

Alice Morton, Committee Assistant

MEASURE/ISSUES HEARD: Implementation Overview of SB 622 (1999)

These minutes are in compliance with Senate and House Rules. Only text enclosed in quotation marks reports a speaker’s exact words. For complete contents, please refer to the tapes.

TAPE/#	Speaker	Comments
TAPE 2, A
010	Chair Hill	Calls committee to order at 3:35 p.m.
IMPLEMENTATION OVERVIEW OF SB 622 (1999)
015	Joan Smith	Commissioner, Public Utilities Commission (PUC). Provides PUC implementation update report (EXHIBIT A) on SB 622, a telecommunications act that requires carriers electing price regulation to fund telecommunications infrastructure and technology.
155	Smith	Reports that service quality levels have improved.
195	Smith	Declares the PUC is very pleased with the outcomes of the bill.
209	Smith	Says PUC project staffing generally comes from a pool of retired telecommunications workers, and that position vacancies generally stay open longer than management prefers.
224	Sherry Sheng	Oregon Economic & Community Development Department (OECDD). Presents OECDD implementation report (EXHIBIT B) of SB 622. Includes explanation on the focus of SB 622, on the allocation of funds, and a summary of activities.
301	Sheng	Continues report on funding structure.
390	Sheng	Outlines implementation activities, progress, and describes community and business partner’s contributions to the process.
TAPE 3, A
010	Sheng	Describes use of telecommunications infrastructure account funds, including seven projects approved October 2000. Gives overview of existing telecommunications infrastructure and the nine proposed projects as of December 2000.
055	Sheng	Describes Portland proposal and says staff has reviewed the proposals and that they seem a good fit to the funding parameters.
111	Sheng	Continues presentation, describing the main finding of the statewide need assessment conducted by OECDD.
140	Sheng	Describes next steps for the project, which includes: serving as a convener for future projects, reviewing applications, monitoring progress of approved projects, and increasing knowledge and use of technology.
200	Pat McLarney	Telecommunications Manger, OECDD. Makes brief remarks regarding technology project implementation calendar. Says that there are no specific dates identified, but that there is an 18-month timeframe for the work. Adds that dates will be determined fairly soon.
213	Chair Hill	Says he will invite OECDD, the PUC, as well as Qwest back in February for a brief update. Asks Ms. Sheng what amount of uncommitted dollars they anticipate being left in the fund after the next go-round.
228	Sheng	Responds they are looking at obligating most of the money.
235	Chair Hill	Adjourns committee at 4:20 p.m.

Submitted By, Reviewed By,

Alice Morton, Mark Jolley,

Committee Assistant Committee Administrator

EXHIBIT SUMMARY

A –Implementation Overview of SB 622 (1999), written testimony, Joan Smith, 2pp.

B –Implementation Overview of SB 622 (1999), written material, Sherry Sheng, 18pp.