HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 90

(By Delegates Storch, Deem and Folk Ambler, Anderson, Arvon, Atkinson, Baldwin, Barrett, Bates, Blair, Boggs, Brewer, Butler, Byrd, Capito, Caputo, Cooper, Cowles, Criss, Dean, Deem, Diserio, Eldridge, Ellington, Espinosa, A. Evans,  E. Evans, Fast, Ferro, Fleischauer, Fluharty, Folk, N. Foster, G. Foster, Frich, Gearheart, Hamilton, Hamrick, Hanshaw, Harshbarger, Hartman, Hicks, Higginbotham, Hill, Hollen, Hornbuckle, Householder, Howell, Iaquinta, Isner, Kelly, Kessinger, Lane, Lewis, Longstreth, Love, Lovejoy, Lynch,  Marcum, Martin, Maynard, Miley, C. Miller, R.Miller, Moye, Nelson,  O’Neal, Overington, Paynter, Pethtel, Phillips, Pushkin, Pyles, Queen, Robinson, Rodighiero, Rohorbach, C. Romine, R. Romine, Rowan, Rowe, Shott, Sobonya, Sponaugle, Statler, Storch, Summers, Sypolt, Thompson, Upson, Wagner, Walters, Ward, Westfall, White, Williams, Wilson,  Zatezalo)

[Introduced March 21, 2017]

Requesting the Joint Committee on Government and Finance authorize a study on the feasibility of light fidelity (“Li-Fi”), a bidirectional, high-speed and fully networked wireless communication technology similar to Wi-Fi, as a possible solution to West Virginia’s broadband access limitation.

Whereas, The Legislature is committed to serving the public by encouraging and promoting infrastructure, commerce and industry; and

Whereas, This optical wireless communication technology uses light from light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as a medium to deliver networked, mobile, high-speed communication in a similar manner to Wi-Fi; and

Whereas, The Li-Fi market is projected to have a compound annual growth rate of 82% from 2013 to 2018 and to be worth over $6 billion per year by 2018; and

Whereas, Li-Fi has the advantage of being useful in electromagnetic sensitive areas such as in aircraft cabins, hospitals and nuclear power plants without causing electromagnetic interference. Both Wi-Fi and Li-Fi transmit data over the electromagnetic spectrum, but whereas Wi-Fi utilizes radio waves, Li-Fi uses visible light; and

Whereas, The US Federal Communications Commission has warned of a potential spectrum crisis because Wi-Fi is close to full capacity.  However, Li-Fi has almost no limitations on capacity. The visible light spectrum is 10,000 times larger than the entire radio frequency spectrum. Researchers have reached data rates of over 224 Gbit/s, which is much faster than typical fast broadband in 2013; and

Whereas, Li-Fi is expected to be ten times cheaper than Wi-Fi; and

Whereas, It is predicted that future home and building automation will be highly dependent on the Li-Fi technology for being secure and fast as the light cannot penetrate through walls hence the signal cannot be hacked from a remote location; and

Whereas, Li-Fi is expected to have many applications including but not limited to security, underwater applications, hospitals and vehicles; and

Whereas, West Virginia has a well-known limitation with regard to providing low cost and reliable broadband due to its geography and rural nature; and

Whereas, Li-Fi may provide an alternative to the citizens of this state; therefore, be it

Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance is hereby requested to study whether Li-Fi has the feasibility to provide a reasonable alternative to traditional broadband based upon broadband’s well-established limitations in this state, also determining whether this technology would be cost-prohibitive to the average consumer in this state; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance report to the regular session of the Legislature, 2018, on its findings, conclusions and recommendations, together with drafts of any legislation necessary to effectuate its recommendations; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the expenses necessary to conduct this study and to prepare and draft necessary legislation be paid from legislative appropriations to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance.