According to Nebraska .TV…

U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Al Franken (D-Minn.) announced that, early this morning, the United States Senate approved a bipartisan amendment they introduced to promote investment in broadband infrastructure for rural areas. …

“Access to reliable Internet is critical to growing our economy. People living in rural parts of Minnesota are just as entitled to high quality Internet as those living in our cities and towns. Passing my bipartisan amendment will prioritize the expansion of broadband connectivity in rural areas, something that I will continue to work toward until every Minnesotan has broadband access,” said Franken.

The amendment was offered by Senators Fischer and Franken to the Senate budget and was approved unanimously by voice vote.

It’s a good sign – but according to Bloomberg, it sounds as if it’s mostly just that – a sign…

The votes are mostly symbolic because they come in the form of amendments to the budget, which isn’t a bill and can’t be signed into law. It’s an internal agreement among lawmakers establishing the boundaries of their tax-and-spending debate for the coming fiscal year. Congress would have to pass separate legislation making any of the policy changes endorsed in the measure.

Still, the amendment-vote tallies can provide a barometer of support among lawmakers for a specific proposal, which can either help to generate — or to kill — political momentum behind the idea.