Connecticut § 16-330a - Definitions.

§ 16-330a. Definitions.

Sec. 16-330a. Definitions. As used in this section, section 16-49 and 16-330b to 16-330g, inclusive:

(1) “Broadband Internet access service” means a mass-market retail service by wire that provides the capability to transmit data to and receive data from all or substantially all Internet endpoints, including any capabilities that are incidental to and enable the operation of the communications service, but excluding dial-up Internet access service;

(2) “Broadband Internet access service provider” means any person or entity that provides broadband Internet access service through facilities occupying public highways or streets authorized by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, including through a certificate of public convenience and necessity, a certificate of video franchise authority, a certificate of cable franchise authority, or as a certified telecommunications provider;

(3) “Digital equity” means a condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for participation in society, democracy and the economy of the state;

(4) “Digital literacy” means the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills;

(5) “Distressed municipality” has the same meaning as provided in section 32-9p;

(6) “Shapefile” means a digital storage format containing geospatial or location-based data and attribute information (A) regarding the availability of broadband Internet access service, and (B) that can be viewed, edited, and mapped in geographic information system software; and

(7) “Unserved area” means an area, not larger than a United States census block, as determined in accordance with the most recent United States census, identified on the broadband map developed pursuant to section 16-330b, where broadband Internet access service with download speeds of at least twenty-five megabits per second and upload speeds of at least three megabits per second is not available from at least one broadband Internet access service provider.

(P.A. 21-159, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 21-159 effective July 1, 2021.