(a) The Council finds that:

(1) Low-income residents and residents in economically disadvantaged areas of the District of Columbia are also likely to be digitally-disadvantaged in that they cannot afford access to the Internet or may lack the computer equipment and training necessary to benefit meaningfully from Internet access.

(2) Certain assets of the District, including light poles and buildings, may provide value to telecommunications carriers for the attachment of wireless network antennae and the deployment of broadband internet services.

(3) The District government does not have the funds to provide to digitally-disadvantaged residents the range of services necessary to afford Internet access and permit them to benefit meaningfully from that Internet access.

(4) By awarding one or more franchises that permit a telecommunications carrier to use District-owned assets such as buildings and poles on a nonexclusive basis in return for the provision of certain services to digitally-disadvantaged residents, the District government can meet the Internet access needs of these residents without additional cost or risk to the District.

(b) The purposes of this chapter are to:

(1) Obtain value for the District through the awarding of rights to use poles, buildings, and other assets of the District for telecommunications purposes; and

(2) Provide for the furnishing of benefits to digitally-disadvantaged residents of the District in exchange for a franchise to use poles, buildings, and other assets of the District for Internet-related telecommunications purposes.

(Mar. 2, 2007, D.C. Law 16-210, § 2, 53 DCR 9122.)

For temporary (90 day) addition, see § 2 of Digital Inclusion Emergency Act of 2006 (D.C. Act 16-467, July 25, 2006, 53 DCR 6754).