4973-22 Commitment to Designation of South Bend as a "Broadband Ready City"

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BILL NO. 22-42 RESOLUTION NO.4973-22 A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND,INDIANA, AFFIRMING THE SOUTH BEND COMMON COUNCIL'S SUPPORT OF EXECUTIVE ORDER 03-2022 ENTITLED"COMMITMENT TO DESIGNATION OF SOUTH BEND AS A`BROADBAND READY CITY"; THE COUNCIL'S COMMITMENT TO WORKING COLLABORATIVELY WITH THE CITY ADMINISTRATION TOWARDS THE DESIGNATION OF SOUTH BEND AS A"BROADBAND READY CITY"; AND THE ADOPTION OF PROCEDURES UNDER IND. CODE 5-28-28.5-7 Ofiansi, the internet has evolved from a system of communication to a necessity for commercial activity and daily life; and broadband today is an essential ingredient in economic development and social progress for building resilient cities; and GX there has existed a"digital divide" in South Bend which includes a gap between those with and without affordable broadband internet service and/or reliable high-speed internet; and 0/ the City of South Bend has made significant progress to narrow that gap and was named a 2022 "Digital Inclusion Trailblazer" by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), the first time South Bend has made the list for its leadership in digital equity since the honor was launched in 2016; and this distinction demonstrates that South Bend has met all six criteria which include having full time local governmental staff, a digital inclusion plan, an open-access coalition, survey research, funded digital inclusion programming, and efforts to increase affordability of home broadband service; and 011.4 on August 30, 2022, by virtue of the authority vested in the Mayor as Chief Executive and Administrative Officer of the City of South Bend, Mayor James Mueller declared Executive Order 03- 2022 and his administration's commitment to seeking the designation of South Bend as a "Broadband Ready City"pursuant to Ind. Code 5-28-28.5, a copy of which is attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference; and 0/1.4 Ind. Code 5-28-28.5-7 establishes the procedure whereby a county, city or town can be certified as a broadband ready community; and 6XM this Executive Order acknowledges the mandatory requirements for certification under state law and commits the City of South Bend to meeting those requirements; and 0/1.4 the South Bend Common Council strongly endorses Executive Order 03-2022, and further, by this Resolution, adopts the procedures that the State of Indiana requires for a city to be designated as a "Broadband Ready City;" which are set out in Executive Order 03-2022; and G,ly‘ , for South Bend to prevail as a 21' Century City, it must remain competitive for available state and federal funding and work together with external partners to build, maintain, and expand the necessary broadband infrastructure investments required for government, residents, nonprofits, and businesses to thrive in this global economy; and 61‘.,the Common Council believes wired and wireless infrastructure are critical investments for the City of South Bend because they are ultimately investments not only for the current residents of South Bend, but also for future residents relocating here seeking expanded opportunities. 91Ce, Wkvimet Ghlc,aaiat *Die Cifvnmon Catifkli1040 &iy?Oioatb d tfhdlanaa aaMoms: Section I. The South Bend Common Council hereby agrees with, and strongly endorses, the commitments made by the City Administration in Executive Order 03-2022. Section II. This Common Council with the Council's Standing Committee on Information & Technology is further committed to bridging the digital divide within South Bend and stands with the Administration alongside civic, university, and industry partners in this commitment. Section III. The South Bend Common Council hereby adopts and establishes the definitions set out in I.C. 5-28-28.5-2 and IC 5-28-28.5-3 contained in Executive Order 03-2022 at Section 2, and the requirements set out in IC 5-28-28.5-7 for reviewing applications and issuing permits for projects which are contained in Executive Order 03-2022 at Sections 5 and 6.