The bill amends the "Broadband Deployment and Investment Act" to emphasize the essential role of broadband infrastructure for the social, physical, and economic well-being of Rhode Islanders. It introduces new findings that highlight the importance of broadband in various sectors, including food delivery, housing, healthcare, education, environmental monitoring, public safety, energy monitoring, financial services, business operations, and government services. The bill mandates the continuous collection, analysis, and public availability of broadband data to ensure services are reliable, secure, affordable, accessible, and robust.

The bill requires the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation to create and maintain a statewide broadband map that details service availability, maximum advertised download and upload speeds, types of transmission technology used by Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and the number of broadband connections and consumer subscriptions. The map must be regularly updated to reflect changes in broadband service availability, technology, and consumer adoption.

ISPs are required to report service outages affecting 100 or more customers or lasting four or more hours within 48 hours, and the corporation must publish a summary of outage data annually. Within one year of the bill's effective date, the corporation must develop and submit a detailed plan to the governor and the general assembly regarding the creation of a broadband regulatory authority, which will oversee broadband planning, deployment, service quality, consumer protections, and equitable access.

To fund the data collection and mapping activities, the corporation will collect fees from ISPs operating in Rhode Island, proportional to the revenue generated from providing broadband services. The bill includes penalties for ISPs that fail to submit accurate or timely data or fees, which may include fines and restrictions on participation in state grant programs. The corporation is also empowered to promulgate rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of these provisions. The act will take effect upon passage.