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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Gardner
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
2/21/07
HB 938
SHORT TITLE Earmarked Funds as Credit for Qwest Customers
SB
ANALYST Earnest
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY07
FY08
NFI
NFI
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Office of the Attorney General (OAG)
Public Education Department (PED)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
House Bill 938 would state the Legislature’s refusal to appropriate Qwest’s $5 million donation
to the Public Education Department for the Strong Project as provided in the settlement
agreement between Qwest and the state. By not appropriating the $5 million, it will be returned
to Qwest’s customers as credits.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The Public Education Department would not have an additional $5 million for the STONG
project.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
The Alternative Form of Regulation (AFOR) settlement agreement, known as the Second
Amended Settlement Agreement (SASA), signed by Qwest, the NM Attorney General, General
Services Department, NM Internet Professionals Association and PRC Staff, was approved by
pg_0002
House Bill 938 – Page
2
the PRC and became effective February 2, 2007. The bulk of the $270 Million settlement
addresses telecommunication infrastructure improvements throughout NM. Of this amount, $5
million is devoted to the Public Education Department for the STRONG project, a version of the
executive’s laptop initiative. The $5 million is subject to legislative appropriation.
PED indicates that the $5 million would be used for public schools statewide designated as
Restructing-2 (or “R-2 School"), which are schools that have failed to meet Adequate Yearly
Progress (AYP) for six consecutive years. Specifically, the funds would have been applied
toward technology intervention and teacher professional development and to administrator
professional development—as required under the federal No Child Left Behind Act for states to
take strong corrective actions.
OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES
The total amount required for settlement of the AFOR I cases is $270 million and includes:
$81.3 million for high speed internet access, including additional penetration into rural
areas.
$33 million for redundant and diverse routes project, i.e. wire center upgrades
$30 million for cable improvements for basic phone service
$50 million for advanced telecommunications technologies projects
$60 for network improvement and capacity augmentation projects and cost overruns of
other projects listed above
$5 million over three years for PED’s STRONG project.
The original settlement agreement, announced in July 2006, included $15 million over three
years for the STRONG Project. It was not subject to legislative appropriations.
WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL
Status quo. The $5 million is still subject to legislative appropriation. If not appropriated,
credits will be provided to Qwest customers.
BE/mt