Although Greater Minnesotans speak up about the need for high speed broadband and the issue frequently grabbed headlines in rural newspapers last year, at Don Davis's Capital Chatter blog, the veteran Forum Communications reporter writes in Broadband not a top 2017 topic:
A new report says $100 million in state money is needed every two years to help expand broadband high-speed internet throughout Minnesota, but rural lawmakers have said relatively little about it leading up to the 2017 Legislature.
We posted about the report in Need for speed: MN DEED releases Governor's Task Force on Broadband 2016 Annual Report.
Davis is a trusted reporter--and we're grateful that he's dug deep and turned up some people in rural Minnesota not talking about the need for broadband. That's fine investigative work, because rural broadband access is common table talk here in far west central Minnesota. We've gotten ours--and the consensus of our friends is that we're all hoping other people in Greater Minnesota also coming to enjoy the same service that we do.
During the fall campaigns, some Republicans even used this common sentiment to place-bait against the Evil Metro.
In District 10B candidates share positions, Chelsey Perkins' coverage for the Brainerd Dispatch of a candidate forum between Lueck and DFL challenger Erin Wagner, we read this passage:
. . . Funding for broadband internet expansion in rural areas, was also a success, he said, adding metro legislators don't understand those needs.
"Frankly, they just don't know what you're talking about when we're talking about no coverage or spotty coverage," Lueck said.
How that's changed since early October. Davis continues:
In a series of Forum News Service lawmaker interviews before the session, none brought up the issue. When asked, rural legislators said more state aid is needed, but there was a feeling that the issue is less of a priority than in past years.
Getting enough money to expand broadband will be tough, "given the fact that there are other issues that get more attention," Sen. Kent Eken, D-Twin Valley, said when asked.
The senator said that broadband is not a high priority for the general public when compared to improving roads and spending money on other issues.
"In some of our rural communities, you don't know what you are missing if you don't have it," he said.
Oh? In December, Ann Treacy wrote on the Blandin on Broadband blog in Rural Minnesota needs broadband to diversify: Heard on MPR:
Today I’m thankful for archived radio shows. Yesterday on MPR, Marianne Combs spoke about rural Minnesota and the economy. On the show she had Aaron Brown, author of “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range,” the website “Minnesota Brown: Modern Life in Northern Minnesota, ‘ and host of The Great Northern Radio Show on Northern Community Radio. Larry Cuffe Jr., mayor of Virginia and Ben Winchester, research fellow in the Extension Center for Community Vitality at the University of Minnesota.
It was great to hear from three experts with deep seeded roots in rural areas. The show is definitely worth a listen if you missed it too. I’m going to pare my notes down to what was explicitly said about broadband.
Several people noted that broadband is necessary for economic diversification. Not everyone wants to work for the Mining or to farm, broadband opens the door to other opportunities. Entrepreneurs need broadband to work with people around the world or across the street. And you can’t attract new businesses without broadband. . . .
But perhaps the lawmakers are on to something. Not funding additional broadband might ease some of Greater Minnesota's childcare crisis, if young people elect to move to communities with fast upload and download speeds, rather than settle in and raise families out here.
Photo: Even the cows understand this issue.
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