Section 35SSS. (a) There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate fund known as the Broadband Innovation Fund to be administered by the secretary of housing and economic development. There shall be credited to the fund: (i) revenue from appropriations or other money authorized by the general court and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; (ii) interest earned on such revenues; and (iii) funds from public and private sources including gifts, grants and donations. Any unexpended balance in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund and shall remain available for expenditure in subsequent fiscal years. No expenditure made from the fund shall cause the fund to become deficient at any point. Any fiscal year-end balance in the fund that is subject to appropriation shall not be subject to section 5C of chapter 29.

Terms Used In Massachusetts General Laws ch. 10 sec. 35SSS

  • Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.

(b) The secretary shall make expenditures from the fund for the purposes of:

(i) closing the digital divide by facilitating equitable broadband service adoption in unserved and underserved communities;

(ii) expanding digital literacy for residents experiencing economic hardship including, but not limited to, persons eligible for the temporary assistance for needy families program, the federal supplemental nutrition assistance program, the federal communications commission’s emergency broadband benefit program, the federal communications commission’s lifeline program, and those whose household includes a child who is eligible for free or reduced price lunch; provided, however, that priority shall be given to programming for existing regional partners, public housing authorities and public libraries; and

(iii) empowering communities to use digital tools through the provision of devices, connectivity and training to low-income populations.

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