Alaska § 44.33.920 - Statewide Broadband Advisory Board.

§ 44.33.920. Statewide Broadband Advisory Board.

 (a) The Statewide Broadband Advisory Board is established.

 (b) The purpose of the advisory board is to provide technology-neutral input, recommendations, and advice regarding        (1) state broadband policy, goals, and objectives;

 (2) project proposal processes and criteria for project selection;

 (3) mapping and data collection and sharing efforts; and

 (4) progress made on the recommendations of the Governor's Task Force on Broadband established under Administrative Order No. 322.

 (c) The advisory board is composed of        (1) the commissioner of education and early development or the commissioner's designee;

 (2) the commissioner of commerce, community, and economic development or the commissioner's designee;

 (3) two members from the legislature, serving as ex officio nonvoting members, one of whom shall be appointed by the president of the senate and one by the speaker of the house of representatives; and

 (4) 11 additional members, at least two of whom live in an unserved or underserved area, appointed by the governor to three-year terms             (A) representing a local government;

 (B) representing an Alaska Native corporation;

 (C) representing a tribal government;

 (D) representing a school district;

 (E) representing the University of Alaska;

 (F) representing the health care community;

 (G) representing the business community;

 (H) representing the broadband industry;

 (I) a broadband consumer;

 (J) representing rural energy systems; and

 (K) a technology neutral consultant.

 (d) The advisory board shall establish a broadband technical working group to provide technical recommendations to the advisory board. The advisory board shall appoint individuals to the broadband technical working group who collectively have expertise in the different technologies that provide broadband service in the state and who manage and deliver projects in the state. The broadband technical working group is composed of eight members appointed by the advisory board to three-year terms as follows:        (1) one member who is a mechanical engineer;

 (2) one member who is a civil engineer;

 (3) one member who is an aerospace engineer;

 (4) one member who has expertise in telecommunications;

 (5) one member who has expertise in fiber optics;

 (6) one member who has expertise in satellite technology;

 (7) one member who has expertise in microwave technology; and

 (8) the advisory board broadband industry representative.

 (e) Members of the advisory board shall elect a chair from among the members listed in or appointed under (c)(1), (2), or (4) of this section.

 (f) Members of the advisory board and the broadband technical working group are not entitled to compensation, per diem, or reimbursement of travel expenses.