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Minnesota lawmaker calls for aggressive rural broadband goals

Paul Marquart

A state representative says there is a huge gap between metro and rural Minnesotans having broadband access.

Paul Marquart represents District 4B in west central Minnesota and tells Brownfield 94 percent of metro residents have access to at least the minimum broadband speeds required by state law, versus 61 percent in rural Minnesota.

“When you look at the disparity in the Twin Cities, Hennepin County (and) Ramsey County; 99 percent of the folks there have access to high-speed broadband.  (In contrast) 27 counties in rural Minnesota, less than 50 percent of those residents have that access.”

For one business owner in central Minnesota, Marquart says online service basically disappears during the school year.

“The school is using up so much of the width of the broadband.  This is a real issue and you have schools that are going to more and more students with iPads.  If you’re going to try and create the world’s best workforce in rural Minnesota, it’s difficult when you’re at a big disadvantage.”

He says Governor Dayton and the legislature have started to step forward to equalize broadband for both urban and rural residents, but was disappointed that with a $200 million budget surplus in 2015, only $10.6 million went towards broadband grants.

“That just isn’t going to do it.  That is going to be too slow.  It’s going to keep rural Minnesota behind the metro area in terms of economic development (and) in terms of education.”

Marquart says in this day and age of a global economy, trying to compete without high-speed internet is like having one arm tied behind your back.

Farmfest will be focusing on rural broadband issues during the first day of the event Tuesday, August fourth. The Governor’s Rural Broadband Taskforce will be meeting and Marquart says he hopes the gap between metro and rural areas will be discussed, and more aggressive goals will be set to provide significant investments into rural broadband.

 

 

 

 

 

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