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U2/09/95 [REVISOR ) RR/DE 95-1426 <br />1 reasonable. state and municipal oversight <br />2 (e) The legislature reco nines. that the services offered by <br />. 3 the communications industry and the number of persons providing <br />4 those services are rapidly growing and changin A need exists <br />5 to develop a comprehensive state communications olicy <br />6 (f) It has long been the intent of the le islature to <br />7 ensure that emerain communications services are fully <br />8 accessible to every state resident, erson, and ublic <br />9 institution. <br />10 ~) The cable television industry, tele hone industry, <br />11 computer .industry, and related industries are now able to ~ _ ~__ -~~ <br />12 provide new services in addition to traditional POCS and POTS <br />13 Thus, within the communications industry, there is a wide ran e <br />14 of persons seeking to deliver video, voice, and data services <br />15 bidirectionally through the use of public property and ublic <br />16 rights-of-way. <br />17 (_h) Emerging communications services have created an <br />18 unaddressed competitive environment in Minnesota public pro erty <br />. 19 and public rights-of-way Existin state statutes do not <br />20 adequately address these emer in communications services <br />21 (i) Local authorities are well equi ed to analyze and <br />22 implement the needs and interests of the local citizen and <br />23 consumer. Local governmental use of communication services will <br />24 support business expansion, create 'obs, s ur economic growth, <br />25 and improve the overall quality of life Partici ation by local <br />26 authorities will. protect and return taxpayers' investments in <br />27 public property and public ri hts-of-way <br />28 (j) State overnment and local authorities have s ent <br />29 considerable sums of public money in implementing existing <br />30 communications law. These interests require legislative <br />31 .protection in regard to emergin communications services <br />32 (k) Local. authorities are responsible for develo ing and <br />33 maintaining public property and public rights-of way Public <br />34 ro erty and public rights-of-way are valuable assets for which <br />35 it in appropriate for local authorities to receive reasonable <br />36 compensation for their use by persons for profit <br />