Senate File 339 - Introduced SENATE FILE 339 BY HANCOCK A BILL FOR An Act increasing the wireless communications surcharge and 1 appropriating surcharge revenue for the establishment of a 2 bandwidth frequency compliance grant program. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 1465XS (7) 84 rn/nh
S.F. 339 Section 1. Section 34A.7A, subsection 1, paragraphs a and b, 1 Code 2011, are amended to read as follows: 2 a. Notwithstanding section 34A.6 , the administrator shall 3 adopt by rule a monthly surcharge of up to sixty-five cents one 4 dollar to be imposed on each wireless communications service 5 number provided in this state. The surcharge shall be imposed 6 uniformly on a statewide basis and simultaneously on all 7 wireless communications service numbers as provided by rule of 8 the administrator. 9 b. The program manager shall provide no less than one 10 hundred days’ notice of the surcharge to be imposed to each 11 wireless communications service provider. The program manager, 12 subject to the sixty-five cent one dollar limit in paragraph 13 “a” , may adjust the amount of the surcharge as necessary, but no 14 more than once in any calendar year. 15 Sec. 2. Section 34A.7A, subsection 2, Code 2011, is amended 16 by adding the following new paragraph: 17 NEW PARAGRAPH . 0g. Notwithstanding any other provision 18 or allocation of wireless communications surcharge revenue 19 otherwise applicable pursuant to this subsection, the revenue 20 collected pursuant to this section which is attributable to the 21 wireless communications surcharge rate in excess of sixty-five 22 cents shall be deposited in a separate bandwidth frequency 23 compliance fund within the state treasury under the control 24 of the program manager. Moneys in the fund are appropriated 25 and shall be utilized for the establishment and administration 26 of a grant program to assist local police, fire, medical 27 rescue, and emergency management personnel in complying with 28 federal government mandates regarding bandwidth frequencies 29 as contained in 47 C.F.R., pt. 90, § 209. The administrator, 30 in consultation with the E911 communications council, shall 31 establish grant program eligibility criteria, and application 32 and distribution procedures, by rule. 33 EXPLANATION 34 This bill provides for an increase in the wireless 35 -1- LSB 1465XS (7) 84 rn/nh 1/ 2
S.F. 339 communications surcharge imposed in Code chapter 34A, and 1 provides for the establishment of a grant program funded by the 2 resulting surcharge revenue. 3 A monthly surcharge is imposed on each wireless 4 communications service number provided in Iowa. The surcharge 5 is imposed on a uniform statewide basis and is determined 6 by the administrator of the homeland security and emergency 7 management division of the department of public defense. The 8 current surcharge rate is an amount up to 65 cents per month. 9 The bill increases the surcharge rate to up to $1 per month 10 and provides that the amount collected attributable to this 11 increase shall be utilized to establish by rule a grant program 12 to assist local police, fire, medical rescue, and emergency 13 management personnel in complying with federal government 14 mandates regarding bandwidth frequencies. 15 -2- LSB 1465XS (7) 84 rn/nh 2/ 2