Baseball, hotdogs, apple pie and broadband. OK that might not be how the song went when I was kid but I hold out hope that it might be the list of common ground safe issues to support for all legislators next year.

I followed Representative Thissen around Minnesota last month as he spoke to different rural communities about broadband. I went to Senator Kiffmeyer’s broadband session in Sherburne County. And now I just read a letter to the Editor from Representative Kresha who declares his continued interest in broadband and hope for broadband as a common ground next year at the Legislature next year.

As I travel in my district and across the state, broadband access, middle-class tax relief and fixing our roads and bridges are among the top issues people want us to address in the upcoming 2016 session. …

Led by a strong coalition of Greater Minnesota GOP legislators, rural broadband access will continue to be a priority.

I remain hopeful! It would be nice to see broadband become an opportunity to bring people together – an added connection.