An Act To Support Municipal Broadband Infrastructure through Incentives and Competition
Maine Legislature, Session 130, LD 1894
Committee Amendment CA_A_S483 (Senate)
Amends: 35-A MRSA §2111, 35-A MRSA §9211-A

COMlvlITTEE AMENDMENT"/¼ "to S.P. 664, L.D. 1894, "An Act To Support 
Municipal Broadband Infrastructure through Incentives and Competition" 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and inserting the 
following: 
'Sec. 1. 35-A MRSA §2111 is enacted to read: 
§2111. 
Expansion into broadband by consumer-owned utilities; registration 
requirements 
A consumer-owned public utility shall register with the commission prior to exercising 
any authority the consumer-owned public utility may have, pursuant to other law, to 
directly or indirectly own, lease, construct, maintain or operate broadband or other Internet 
access systems or to provide broadband or other Internet access services to the public. A 
consumer-owned public utility registering under this section shall provide to the 
commission the name, mailing address and phone number of a contact person who is 
knowledgeable regarding the consumer-owned public utility's broadband and Internet 
access systems activities in the State. The commission shall inform the consumer-owned 
public utility of the requirements of section 713. 
Sec. 2. 35-A MRSA §9211-A, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2021, c. 293, Pt. B, § 11 
and c. 362, §3, is further amended to read: 
3. Purpose of the fund. The fund is established to address the need in the State for 
access to broadband infrastructure that will enhance the State's competitiveness in national 
and international economies. +e Except as described in subsection 3-A, to the extent funds 
are available, the fund must be used to provide grants to municipalities to support public-
private partnerships to support a municipal gigabit fiber-optic broadband network in their 
regions with the following goals: 
A. 
Provide high-speed broadband access to attract, create and grow the State's 
economy and market the products and services of businesses in the State in national 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
~os 
COMMITTEEAMENDMENT"ft "to S.P. 664, L.D. 1894 (s-11~3) 
and international markets with symmetric connectivity and address challenges in 
geography; 
B. Provide expanded health care services by facilitating access to telehealth, as defmed 
in Title 24-A, section 4316, subsection 1, and state and local services for senior citizens 
and persons with disabilities; 
C. Expand educational opportunities for students across the State through virtual and 
distance learning; 
D. Facilitate broader access for the public to services provided by municipal and 
county governments, including, but not limited to, law enforcement entities, the 
judicial system and child, youth and family social services; and 
E. Provide expanded residential services to support employment opportunities. 
In order to facilitate the achievement of the goals and policies of this section, the authority 
shall establish and regularly update, after opportunity for public comment and taking into 
consideration relevant federal policies, definitions of "gigabit fiber-optic broadband 
network" and "broadband infrastructure." 
Sec. 3. 35-A MRSA §9211-A, sub-§3-A is enacted to read: 
3-A. Purpose of the fund; grant match funding. In addition to grants provided in 
accordance with subsection 3, the fund may be used to provide grant match funding to 
municipal entities applying for project grants from other sources that reguire applicants to 
provide matching funds. To the extent that funds are available, grant match funding may 
be awarded for a project under this subsection only if the authority finds the project is 
consistent with the purposes stated in subsection 3. A municipal entity selected for grant 
match funding under this subsection must provide services to any unserved community 
anchor institution in the project area to which the municipal entity is extending services 
that provides or will provide open access to the Internet for the public. For purposes of this 
subsection, "municipal entity" means a municipality or a group of municipalities working 
together to support a gigabit fiber-optic broadband network project. The authority shall, 
by rule, define an applicant's "project area" and "unserved community anchor institution" 
for the purposes of this subsection. The authority may also adopt other rules to administer 
grant match funding awards under this subsection. 
Sec. 4. 35-A MRSA §9211-A, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2021, c. 362, §3, is 
further amended to read: 
4. Implementation grants; maximum awards. To the extent funds are available, the 
authority shall award implementation grants to achieve the purpose of the fund as described 
in su-bsectioR subsections 3 and 3-A as follows. 
C. An applicant selected for funding, other than grant match funding in accordance 
with subsection 3-A, must be required to provide a 25% cash match. 
D. ConnectMaine funds may not be used to fund more than 50% of the total cost of a 
project. 
E. An applicant must demonstrate either that no more than one Internet service 
provider already offers symmetrical high-speed Internet to a majority of the premises 
to be served or that the grant will be used to construct or expand an open-access 
network. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
~os 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "/J-" to S.P. 664, L.D. 1894 ( S ~ L{ 1)3) 
Sec. 5. Water district charter language; development. The ConnectMaine 
Authority, as established by the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 35-A, section 9203, in 
consultation with the Public Utilities Commission and the Office of the Public Advocate, 
shall develop standard charter provisions that may be used by a water district to help it 
develop a legislative proposal to amend its charter to operate broadband or other Internet 
access systems or to provide broadband or other Internet access services to the public. Once 
the standard charter provisions are developed, the authority shall make them available to 
the public and may provide to any water district assistance in adapting the standard charter 
provisions to address the needs of the water district.' 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section 
number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment replaces the bill. 
The amendment establishes a registration process administered by the Public Utilities 
Commission for consumer-owned public utilities seeking to expand into the provision of 
broadband or other Internet access services. Prior to exercising any authority it may have 
pursuant to other law, a consumer-owned public utility must register with the commission 
and identify a contact person knowledgeable about the proposed or planned broadband and 
Internet access systems activities. 
The amendment also makes changes to the Municipal Gigabit Broadband Network 
Access Fund instead of creating a new fund as proposed in the bill. The ConnectMaine 
Authority may award funds to provide grant matches to municipalities that are applying for 
grants from other sources that require fund matching. Grant match funding may be awarded 
only to applicants whose projects are consistent with the goals of the Municipal Gigabit 
Broadband Network Access Fund. Municipalities receiving funds for grant matching 
purposes are not subject to the 25% cash match requirement. The amendment also 
establishes a requirement that municipalities receiving grant match funding provide 
services to unserved community anchor institutions in the area into which they are 
extending services if those unserved community anchor institutions will provide the public 
with access to the Internet. The amendment requires the authority to engage in rulemaking 
to define "unserved community anchor institutions" and "project area" for the purposes of 
grant match funding. 
The amendment also directs the ConnectMaine Authority, in consultation with the 
Public Utilities Commission and the Office of the Public Advocate, to develop standard 
charter provisions that may be used by a water district to develop a legislative proposal to 
amend its charter to operate broadband or other Internet access systems or to provide 
broadband or other Internet access services to the public. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 03/18/22 ~ae 
LD 1894 
LR2293(02) 
An Act To Support Municipal Broadband Infrastructure through Incentives and Competition 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment '}:3!-' Cc;;- L{ 8'3) 
Committee: Energy, Utilities and Technology 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Changes to grants - Municipal Gigabit Broadband Network Access Fund 
Minor cost increase - Other Special Revenue Funds 
This bill makes changes to the Municipal Gigabit Broadband Network Access Fund by allowing the ConnectMaine 
Authority to award funds to provide grant matches to municipalities that are applying for grants from other sources 
that require fund matching without requiring a 25% cash match requirement from the municipality. Any additional 
costs to the Public Utilities Commission as a result of the registration process for consumer-owned utilities seeking to 
expand into the provision of broadband services are anticipated to be minor and can be absorbed within existing 
budgeted resources. 
LR2293(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1