Technology (Broadband Access)

HB 1799 modifies Tennessee's comptroller reporting requirements. It deletes two existing reports: one about broadband services in underserved areas and another about the Tennessee Helping Heroes Scholarship Program. The bill also revises the property tax relief program reporting by requiring the comptroller to annually estimate program costs during budget preparation and submit this to the legislature. These changes affect the state comptroller's office and the General Assembly, streamlining certain reporting obligations.

SB 1687 modifies Tennessee's comptroller reporting requirements by removing two existing mandates: reports on broadband services in historically unserved areas and the Tennessee Helping Heroes Scholarship Program. It revises the property tax relief program reporting to require the comptroller to annually estimate program costs and submit this to the legislature during budget planning instead of previous detailed reports. The bill directly affects the comptroller's office, which must adjust its annual reporting process under these changes. This is a procedural adjustment to streamline reporting, not a substantive policy change to programs or services.

SB 556 prohibits Tennessee's Public Utility Commission from regulating the entry, rates, terms, or conditions of broadband internet access services or interconnected VoIP services, or treating providers of these services as carriers. It directly affects broadband and VoIP providers by removing state regulatory oversight and the Public Utility Commission by restricting its authority over these services. The bill preserves general consumer protection and fair competition laws while exempting existing tariffed services from 2006. It does not affect federal law, 911 fees, or universal service assessments.