40:9D-1 Definitions relative to provision of broadband telecommunications service.

1. As used in this act:

"Broadband telecommunications infrastructure" means information equipment and facilities, information systems, and information technology used for the purpose of providing broadband telecommunications service.

"Broadband telecommunications service" means any telecommunications service using broadband telecommunications infrastructure for the purpose of offering high speed, switched, broadband wireline or wireless telecommunications capability that enables users to originate and receive high-quality voice, data, graphics or video telecommunications through the Internet and using any technology.

"Governing body" means (1) in the case of the county, the board of chosen freeholders or, if the county is organized pursuant to the provisions of the "Optional County Charter Law," P.L.1972, c.154 (C.40:41A-1 et seq.), the board of chosen freeholders and the county executive, the county supervisor or the county manager, as appropriate, (2) in the case of a joint meeting of counties, the management committee appointed to exercise the powers of the joint meeting or local governing body to which the authority to exercise those powers shall have been delegated under section 14 of P.L.2007, c.63 (C.40A:65-14), or (3) in the case of a municipality, the commission, council, board or body, by whatever name it may be known, having charge of the finances of the municipality.

"Internet" means the international computer network of both federal and non-federal interoperable packet switched data networks.

"Joint meeting of counties" or "joint meeting" means a joint meeting formed by two or more counties under a joint contract entered into pursuant to the provisions of P.L.2007, c.63 (C.40A:65-1 et al.).

"Local Finance Board" means the Local Finance Board, in the Division of Local Government Services, in the Department of Community Affairs, as constituted pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1974, c.35 (C.52:27D-18.1).

"Local unit" means any county, any joint meeting of counties, any municipality, any special district or any public body corporate and politic created or established under any law of this State by or on behalf of any one or more counties or individual municipalities, as appropriate, or any agency or other instrumentality thereof, including any local authority, board, commission, department or agency of any of the foregoing having custody of funds, but shall not include a school district or regional school district.

"Related competitive business segment" means a structurally separate business unit established by the governing body of a local unit that offers to install, construct, maintain, repair, renew, relocate, or remove broadband telecommunications infrastructure, or offers to provide or provides broadband telecommunications service via a wireless community network.

"Telecommunications" means the transmission, between or among points specified by the user, of information of the user's choosing, without change in the form or content of the information as sent and received.

"Telecommunications service" means the offering of telecommunications directly to the public, or to such classes of users as to be effectively available directly to the public, regardless of the facilities used, and regardless of whether a fee is charged for the use of such service.

"Wireless community network" means a local shared network consisting of a series of interlinked computers that allow persons with wireless equipped devices within the area served by the network to gain entry to the wider Internet through wireless Internet service connections provided by broadband telecommunications infrastructure at designated access points.

L.2007,c.191,s.1.