DOIT says resource-sharing revenues should be used strategically; committee adds reporting requirement

Eric Bais, the state chief technology officer for infrastructure at the Department of Information Technology, testified before the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee in support of House Bill 266, which would broaden permissible uses of revenues generated through resource-sharing agreements (RSAs).

Bais told the committee that RSAs — legal agreements under which private telecommunications companies pay to use state-owned assets such as towers, fiber, rights-of-way, bridges and building rooftops — produce revenues that DOIT views as an "important source of funding for shared investments." He said HB 266 "provides the flexibility needed to use those funds more strategically" and emphasized the bill "does not create new costs for state agencies or local governments. It does not impose new fees or require additional appropriations."

The department committed to providing a detailed report on RSA revenues consistent with an amendment the committee adopted. Committee members pressed only lightly on fiscal impacts in the hearing record provided; the amendment requires DOIT to account for and report on how it uses RSA revenues.

Implications: If enacted, HB 266 would let DOIT target existing RSA revenues toward statewide digital infrastructure and public safety communications projects that serve multiple agencies. The precise projects and fiscal allocations will depend on DOIT's subsequent reporting and decisions.

Next steps: The committee adopted the reporting amendment and moved the bill forward. The transcript does not include a full roll-call tally of the committee vote in the provided excerpt.