FINAL BILL REPORT

                  ESB 5789

                          C 285 L 99

                      Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Creating the K‑20 educational network board.

Sponsors:  Senators Bauer, West, Kohl‑Welles, McAuliffe, Eide, Sheahan, Rossi, Rasmussen, Honeyford, Franklin, Patterson, Wojahn, Thibaudeau, Prentice, Jacobsen and Fraser.

Senate Committee on Higher Education

House Committee on Appropriations

Background:  In 1996, the Legislature created the K-20 Network, a kindergarten-to-college telecommunications network, to provide access to educational opportunities that are enhanced by maximum use of a common telecommunications backbone network.

The Telecommunications Oversight and Policy Committee (TOPC), established to ensure coordinated policy and planning, program quality, interoperability, and efficient service delivery, has overseen the design, development, and deployment of the network.

Summary:  The K-20 Educational Network Board is created as the successor to the Telecommunications Oversight and Policy Committee.  Board membership is 11 voting members and seven nonvoting members with the Director of the Department of Information Services (or designee) serving as chair.  A majority of voting members must constitute a quorum.

The board ensures that the broad public interest is served above the interest of any network user.  No statutory responsibilities of the participants are duplicated.  The board authorizes release of funds from the K-20 technology account and has rule-making authority over acceptable use and conditions of use policies.

The K-20 network technical steering committee is established under the ISB with general operational and technical oversight over the K-20 network.  Network connections for independent nonprofit higher education institutions are subject to conditions requiring agreements to ensure against constitutional violation and to determine that such connections will not jeopardize the network=s eligibility for federal e-rate funds.

The K-20 board must make recommendations regarding the copayments charged to public educational sector institutions and other public entities connected to the network as well as charges to nongovernmental entities connected to the network.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate 48 0

House     93 0 (House amended)

Senate        (Senate refused to concur)

House     96 0 (House amended)

Senate    46 0 (Senate concurred)

Effective:  July 1, 1999