What is LB 827 and what impact may it have on my community?
On May 25, 2001, Governor Mike Johanns signed LB 827. The bill permits government entities to sell or lease dark fiber optic capacity and establishes a fund for providing grants to improve access to advanced telecommunications services. Dark fiber is any unused fiber optic cable through which no light is transmitted or any installed fiber optic cable not carrying a signal. The bill LB 827 provides a two-fold benefit for communities. First, it allows communities to maximize their access to fiber optic cable. Some government entities, such as certain utility entities, have overbuilt their fiber optic networks by installing more cable than they actually need. The bill prohibits government entities from using this cable to directly provide telecommunications services for a fee. Government entities, however, may sell or lease their excess capacity. Any lessee must be a telecommunications carrier or an Internet service provider, and the lease price must be at least the market rate, as determ
