Two bills carrying the recommendations of a legislative interim committee on broadband have cleared the Senate Education Committee on a unanimous vote, repealing the statutes that set up the now-defunct Idaho Education Network, and laying out Idaho’s new statutory structure, including grant funding to schools and libraries coordinated through the state Department of Education and a stakeholders’ advisory committee.

Rep. Luke Malek, R-Coeur d’Alene, who co-chaired the interim committee with Senate Education Chairman Dean Mortimer, R-Idaho Falls, told the Senate panel, “The committee, after listening to days and days of testimony, came up with several conclusions.” First, he said, was “we need local control. Some school districts have expertise at the local level and wanted to be able to go and pick their provider pursuant to applicable rules.”

The second consensus, he said, “was that we want to be able to provide resources to whatever school district needs it.” That would include “a central repository of skill sets that school districts can pull upon” to help with securing broadband services, Malek said. “After the IEN went away, the majority of the duties of the IEN went to the state Department of Education, and they’ve done a fantastic job,” Malek said. “So the committee, out of a recognition of that good work, has said we’re going to leave that there. However we do want to have some stakeholder input,” which is the reason for setting up the Education Opportunity Resource Committee.

SB 1334 repeals the existing laws regarding the Idaho Education Network and lays out the new structure, including the state Department of Education’s duties and the advisory committee. SB 1333 sets up a new grant fund, to offer matching funds for school districts or libraries for a new federal program that will subsidize broadband construction projects including laying fiber to schools. With a 10 percent match from the state, some school districts or libraries could essentially cover all their costs. Projects funded by the grants would have to allow competitors access to the fiber once it's laid.The bill doesn’t appropriate a specific amount to the new grant fund; Malek said that’s left up to the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee.

Both bills now move to the full Senate; they need passage there and in the House and the governor's signature to become law.