According to the Post Bulletin…
Gov. Mark Dayton said he has been convinced it is important to fund the initiative this year.
Broadband supporters want lawmakers to allocate $100 million toward helping expanding high-speed internet into rural parts of the state. Dayton did not include funding for the program in his budget and had originally raised concerns about the plan having a lack of specifics. But he told reporters he supports including some level of funding for broadband this year.
He seems to advocate a slower start to a potentially longer running program…
Dayton did not say what level of funding he would support for broadband, but it would be less than the $100 million supporters want. Instead, he said he supports providing enough money to get the grant program started. If it proves to an effective strategy for increasing access to high-speed internet, then advocates can point to those results and come back next year for additional dollars.
“They need to start modestly and then prove the effectiveness of what they are doing,” he said.
The House passed a budget that would mean $25 million for the broadband development fund; the Senate has not touched it in weeks – leaving it out in the cold for now. Although there has been lobbying to support a fund and now that the Governor is on board perhaps they’ll take it up again.
Blandin on Broadband 