Section 24-37.5-903 - Colorado broadband office - creation - responsibilities - gifts, grants, or donations(1) The Colorado broadband office is hereby created in the office. The Colorado broadband office is a type 1 entity and exercises its powers and performs its duties and functions under the office.(2)(a) The chief information officer shall appoint the director of the broadband office. The director may employ staff as necessary to carry out the powers and duties of the broadband office, subject to the availability of appropriations to the office for use by the broadband office.(b) The broadband office shall provide technical assistance to applicants seeking grant awards from the grant program or other state or federal grant opportunities offered for deploying broadband service.(c) In carrying out its powers and duties, the broadband office may collaborate with other state agencies, local governments, broadband experts, and other interested parties.(3) The broadband office shall:(a) Encourage, foster, develop, and strive to improve the availability of affordable, quality broadband within the state;(b) Serve as the central broadband policy coordination body for the state;(c) Coordinate with other state agencies, local governments, the federal government, Indian tribes and nations, other relevant broadband partners, and consumers throughout the state to develop strategies and plans for promoting the deployment of broadband infrastructure and greater broadband access;(d) Review existing state broadband initiatives, policies, and deployment by public or private entities in order to prioritize investment;(e) Develop and implement a statewide plan to encourage cost-effective broadband access and increased broadband usage, particularly in rural unserved areas and other unserved areas of the state. The broadband office shall submit the statewide plan, and any updated versions of the statewide plan, to the chief information officer, the governor, and the joint technology committee and shall post the statewide plan on its public website. In developing a statewide plan and any other strategies for broadband deployment, the broadband office shall consider: (I) Partnerships between communities; Indian tribes and nations; nonprofit organizations; local governments; electric utilities as defined in section 40-2-202 (1), cooperative electric associations as defined in section 40-9.5-102, municipally owned utilities, and nonprofit generation and transmission electric corporations or associations; rural telecommunications providers as defined in section 40-15-102 (24.5); and public and private entities;(II) Funding opportunities that allow for the coordination of public funding sources, including local governments, state government, and the federal government, and private funding sources for the purpose of deploying broadband into rural unserved areas and other unserved areas of the state;(III) Barriers to the deployment, adoption, and utilization of broadband, including a consideration of the affordability of broadband; and(IV) Statewide broadband goals and whether statutory definitions for broadband in unserved areas need to be updated in response to advances made in broadband technology.(f) Collect broadband data to create and update maps that measure the progress of broadband deployment in the state;(g) Encourage public-private partnerships to increase deployment of broadband throughout the state; and(h) In furtherance of the purposes set forth in this part 9, seek or apply for, accept, and expend:(I) Gifts, grants, or donations from public or private sources; and(II) Money from the federal government for broadband deployment. The broadband office may seek and apply for all federal funds for which the broadband office is eligible to receive.(4)(a) Subject to the requirement set forth in subsection (4)(b)(II) of this section, the broadband office may receive consumer complaints regarding broadband service.(b)(I) The chief information officer may seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations from public and private sources for the purpose of implementing this subsection (4). The chief information officer shall transmit any gifts, grants, or donations received pursuant to this subsection (4) to the state treasurer who shall credit the money to the digital inclusion grant program fund.(II) The broadband office shall not implement this subsection (4) until sufficient funding is received from gifts, grants, or donations to implement this subsection (4).(5) In addition to the powers and functions set forth in subsections (3) and (4) of this section, the broadband office shall implement the digital inclusion grant program.Amended by 2023 Ch. 303,§ 37, eff. 8/7/2023.Added by 2021 Ch. 371, § 7, eff. 6/28/2021.2023 Ch. 303, was passed without a safety clause. See Colo. Const. art. V, § 1(3).