SLS 20RS-686 ORIGINAL
2020 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 35
BY SENATOR MIZELL
TRANSPORTATION/DEV DEPT. Requests DOTD to determine which of its assets are
available for broadband internet lines and to implement a "Dig Once" policy allowing
broadband internet operators to install cable in the ground.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To urge and request the Department of Transportation and Development to determine which
3 of its assets are available for broadband internet lines and to implement a "Dig Once"
4 policy allowing broadband internet operators to install cable in the ground more
5 economically.
6 WHEREAS, there is a digital divide between demographics and regions that have
7 access to modern technology and communications and those that do not; and
8 WHEREAS, data from the United States Department of Transportation's Intelligent
9 Transportation Systems Joint Program Office indicates that the average cost of deploying
10 fiber-optic cable is about twenty-seven thousand dollars per mile; and
11 WHEREAS, the Federal Highway Administration recently reported that up to ninety
12 percent of the cost to install broadband cable is tied to the process of actually digging up
13 roadways and not to the actual installation of the fiber lines; and
14 WHEREAS, this expense inhibits the deployment of fiber-optic cable in more
15 isolated areas, as well as those with lower population densities or unfavorable terrain,
16 contributing to the service gap between urban and rural residents; and
17 WHEREAS, this discrepancy is clearly shown in United States Department of
18 Transportation data, when between 2001 and 2013, per-mile deployment costs ranged
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SLS 20RS-686 ORIGINAL
1 between six thousand six hundred dollars and two hundred sixty-seven thousand dollars per
2 mile; and
3 WHEREAS, the incredibly expensive cost to install high-speed fiber-optic
4 infrastructures is the most formidable barrier to bridging the digital divide; and
5 WHEREAS, a "Dig Once" policy is aimed at cost cutting and seeks to save money
6 by minimizing the amount of excavation required to install infrastructure and facilitating
7 access to public rights-of-way; and
8 WHEREAS, a "Dig Once" policy attempts to lower the cost of broadband
9 deployment by providing internet companies access to state-owned rights-of-way and is
10 complemented by the mandatory installation of the conduit for fiber-optic cable during road
11 construction, or by allowing qualified broadband deployments to be installed during road
12 construction projects; and
13 WHEREAS, some states and cities have promoted the idea of future-proofing public
14 highway rights-of-way during road construction projects; and
15 WHEREAS, this concept is generally referred to as "Dig Once" and mandates
16 inclusion of broadband conduits, flexible plastic pipes that may be used to more easily install
17 fiber-optic communications cable; and
18 WHEREAS, the "Dig Once" policy effectively eliminates the need to dig up recently-
19 paved roads to expand broadband infrastructure, significantly reducing the cost to provide
20 internet access to under served communities.
21 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
22 urge and request the Department of Transportation and Development to determine which of
23 its assets are available for installation of broadband internet lines and to implement a "Dig
24 Once" policy to allow a broadband internet operator to install cable in the ground more
25 economically.
26 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that no later than March 1, 2021, that the Department
27 of Transportation and Development shall prepare a written report of its findings and
28 recommendations to the House of Representatives and to the Senate.
29 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
30 secretary of the Department of Transportation and Development.
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SLS 20RS-686 ORIGINAL
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Sharon F. Lyles.
DIGEST
SCR 35 Original 2020 Regular Session Mizell
Requests DOTD to determine which of its assets are available for installation of broadband
internet lines and to implement a "Dig Once" policy to allow a broadband internet operator
to install cable in the ground more economically.
Requires DOTD to submit a written report of its findings and recommendations to the
speaker of the House of Representatives and to the president of the Senate no later than
March 1, 2021.
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