Sec. 5507. RURAL INTERSTATE CORRIDOR COMMUNICATIONS STUDY

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## SEC. 5507 RURAL INTERSTATE CORRIDOR COMMUNICATIONS STUDY ###

(a)Study The Secretary, in cooperation with the Secretary of Commerce, State departments of transportation, and other appropriate State, regional, and local officials, shall conduct a study on the feasibility of installing fiber optic cabling and wireless communication infrastructure along multistate Interstate System route corridors for improved communications services to rural communities along such corridors. ###

(b)Contents of Study In conducting the study, the Secretary shall identify— ####

(1)impediments to installation of the infrastructure described in subsection

(a)along multistate Interstate System route corridors and to connecting such infrastructure to the rural communities along such corridors; ####

(2)the effective geographic range of such infrastructure; ####

(3)potential opportunities for the private sector to fund, wholly or partially, the installation of such infrastructure; ####

(4)potential benefits fiber optic cabling and wireless communication infrastructure may provide to rural communities along such corridors, including the effects of the installation of such infrastructure on economic development, deployment of intelligent transportation systems technologies and applications, homeland security precaution and response, and education and health systems in those communities; ####

(5)rural broadband access points for such infrastructure; ####

(6)areas of environmental conflict with such installation; ####

(7)real estate ownership issues relating to such installation; ####

(8)preliminary design for placement of fiber optic cable and wireless towers; ####

(9)monetary value of the rights-of-way necessary for such installation; ####

(10)applicability and transferability of the benefits of such installation to other rural corridors; and ####

(11)safety and other operational issues associated with the installation and maintenance of fiber optic cabling and wire infrastructure within Interstate System rights-of-way and other publicly owned rights-of-way. ###

(c)Corridor Locations The study required under subsection

(a)shall be conducted for corridors along— ####

(1)Interstate Route 90 through rural Wisconsin, southern Minnesota, northern Iowa, and South Dakota; ####

(2)Interstate Route 20 through Alabama, Mississippi, and northern Louisiana; ####

(3)Interstate Route 91 through Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts; and ####

(4)any other rural corridor the Secretary considers appropriate. ###

(d)Report to Congress Not later than September 30, 2007, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the results of the study, including any recommendations of the Secretary. ###

(e)Federal Share The Federal share of the cost of the study shall be 100 percent. ###

(f)Funding Of the amounts made available under section 5101(a)(5) of this Act, $1,000,000 shall be available for fiscal year 2006, and $2,000,000 shall be available for fiscal year 2007 to carry out this section. * * * * * * *