S-4734.1                   _______________________________________________

                                            SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6164

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State of Washington                              53rd Legislature                             1994 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Trade, Technology & Economic Development (originally sponsored by Senators Sheldon, Bluechel, Skratek, Williams, Erwin and M. Rasmussen)

Read first time 02/04/94.

Concerning economic development in rural areas.

          AN ACT Relating to rural economic development; adding a new section to chapter 43.330 RCW; creating a new section; and providing an effective date.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The legislature finds that the tremendous advances in communication and information technologies, and radical changes in the way these technologies can provide services, hold promise for distressed rural communities.  Communication technologies can reduce burdens of space and distance, factors that disadvantage rural areas, and provide rural communities with an equal opportunity to compete in national and international marketplaces.  For rural communities to be able to fully exploit telecommunications technologies for economic development, access to these services on a level found in urban areas is critical.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 43.330 RCW to read as follows:

          The department shall serve as an advocate of telecommunications policies which further rural economic development goals.

          The department shall develop strategies to:

          (1) Increase awareness of the linkages between telecommunications and rural economic development.  The department shall consider sponsoring, in cooperation with the utilities and transportation commission, regional workshops to share information about innovative uses of telecommunications and identify the telecommunications needs of rural communities;

          (2) Educate rural communities and small business on the uses of telecommunications services;

          (3) Integrate a telecommunications component into small business assistance and local capacity building efforts;

          (4) Ensure that work forces in rural communities are trained to meet the telecommunications needs of rural businesses.  The department shall work with the state board for community and technical colleges to develop telecommunications training courses; and

          (5) Assist rural communities, hospitals, and small businesses aggregate demand to acquire telecommunications services unavailable to them individually.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1994.

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