[ NNSquad ] Wisconsin Omnibus Budget Bill Kills Wisconsin Networking

[David Devereaux-Weber <ddevereauxweber@gmail.com>]

Lauren,

Here is a budget bill inserted at 8 PM on a Friday which guts the UW
ability to do our own networking.  It would kill WiscNet and stop us
from using Internet2.  It would force us to give back our BTOP grant
money!  It will devastate networking for more than 400 institutions
around the State of Wisconsin, including University of Wisconsin
schools, other colleges and universities, K12 schools, libraries,
cities and counties.

Here is the pertinent language:

23. Telecommunication Services: Prohibit the Board of Regents, the UW
System, any UW institution, or the UW Extension, directly or
indirectly, from doing any of the following: (a) receiving funds from
any award from the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA) under the U.S. Department of Commerce for the
Building Community Capacity through Broadband (BCCB) project; (b)
disbursing, spending, loaning, granting, or in any other way
distributing or committing to distribute any funds received with
respect to, budgeted to, or allocated for the BCCB project; and (c)
participating in the planning, organization, funding, implementation
or operation of the BCCB project. In addition, requires the Board of
Regents to reduce the amount expended on telecommunications services
during the 2011-12 biennium by the total value of any funds, goods, or
services that have been or will be distributed by the or on behalf of
the Board of Regents, the UW System, any UW institution, or the UW
Extension on or after May 1, 2011, to any participant, contractor, or
supplier related to the BCCB project.

24. Modify current law to specify that the Board of Regents shall not
offer, resell, or provide telecommunications services, directly or
indirectly, that are available from a private telecommunications
carrier to the general public or to any other public or private
entity. Define telecommunications services as including data and voice
over Internet protocol services, broadband access and transport,
information technology services, Internet access services, and unlit
fiber.

25. Prohibit the Board of Regents, the UW System, any UW institution,
or the UW Extension from becoming or remaining a member, shareholder,
or partner in or with any company, corporation, non-profit
association, joint venture, cooperative, partnership, consortium, or
any other individual or entity that offers, resells, or provides
telecommunications services or information technology services to
members of the general public, or to any private entity, or to any
public entity other than the Board, the UW System, any UW institution,
or the UW Extension.

26. Specify that WiscNet could no longer be a department or office
within the UW-Madison Division of Information Technology beginning on
July 1, 2012, and delete $1,400,000 PR from the UW System related to
WiscNet in 2012-13. Require the Legislative Audit Bureau to conduct a
program audit and a financial audit of the Board of Regents’ use of
telecommunication services and relationship with WiscNet.

Dave Devereaux-Weber
ddevereauxweber@gmail.com

608-576-2599

Attachment: 110603UW_omnibus.pdf
Description: Adobe PDF document