2020 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 35
BY SENATOR MIZELL
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To urge and request the Department of Transportation and Development 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 more
economically.
WHEREAS, there is a digital divide between demographics and regions that have
access to modern technology and communications and those that do not; and
WHEREAS, data from the United States Department of Transportation's Intelligent
Transportation Systems Joint Program Office indicates that the average cost of deploying
fiber-optic cable is about twenty-seven thousand dollars per mile; and
WHEREAS, the Federal Highway Administration recently reported that up to ninety
percent of the cost to install broadband cable is tied to the process of actually digging up
roadways and not to the actual installation of the fiber lines; and
WHEREAS, this expense inhibits the deployment of fiber-optic cable in more
isolated areas, as well as those with lower population densities or unfavorable terrain,
contributing to the service gap between urban and rural residents; and
WHEREAS, this discrepancy is clearly shown in United States Department of
Transportation data, when between 2001 and 2013, per-mile deployment costs ranged
between six thousand six hundred dollars and two hundred sixty-seven thousand dollars per
mile; and
WHEREAS, the incredibly expensive cost to install high-speed fiber-optic
infrastructures is the most formidable barrier to bridging the digital divide; and
WHEREAS, a "Dig Once" policy is aimed at cost cutting and seeks to save money
by minimizing the amount of excavation required to install infrastructure and facilitating
access to public rights-of-way; and
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WHEREAS, a "Dig Once" policy attempts to lower the cost of broadband
deployment by providing internet companies access to state-owned rights-of-way and is
complemented by the opportunity to install conduit during road construction, or by allowing
qualified broadband deployments to be installed during road construction projects; and
WHEREAS, some states and cities have promoted the idea of future-proofing public
highway rights-of-way during road construction projects; and
WHEREAS, this concept is generally referred to as "Dig Once" and mandates
notification by the Department of Transportation and Development of the opportunity to
install protective, flexible plastic pipes for broadband conduits that may be used to more
easily install fiber-optic communications cable; and
WHEREAS, the "Dig Once" policy effectively eliminates the need to dig up recently-
paved roads to expand broadband infrastructure, significantly reducing the cost to provide
internet access to under served communities.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request the Department of Transportation and Development 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.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that no later than March 1, 2021, that the Department
of Transportation and Development shall prepare a written report of its findings and
recommendations to the House of Representatives and to the Senate.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
secretary of the Department of Transportation and Development.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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