In a recent article, the Fergus Falls Journal quotes two local politicians (State Rep. Bud Nornes and Mayor Hal Leland) on their approval for the Minnesota Broadband Development Fund bill…

The Minnesota House on Thursday approved a budget plan that would spend $322 million of the state’s surplus. Included in the plan is $25 million going toward upgrading broadband access throughout the state.
The bill would help local Internet providers build high-speed broadband infrastructure. The proposal up for debate at the state Legislature started out at $100 million, but was cut down because it didn’t fit into the budget, according to State Rep. Bud Nornes.
“I would have loved to be able to vote on that as a standalone bill,” Nornes said. “It’s primarily targeted at our part of the state. I think as it goes through the rest of this process, I’m confident the Senate will have at least that much in their bill.”
The state money would only be part of the cost toward upgrading broadband, according to Nornes. Local providers would still need to make investments on their own, however; the state funds would work like matching grants, Nornes said.
“They all have plans to improve their service area,” he said of local providers. “This would just enable them to get that done faster.”

And…

Fergus Falls Mayor Hal Leland agrees, saying broadband is “absolutely critical” for any economic development or business in the area.
“It’s something that just has to take place if we’re going to have a state that overall is viable economically,” Leland said.

Like many rural areas, the town is well-served; the areas outside town are not…

But while the city is well served, the rural residents are not. At least 40 percent of the state has no availability to broadband Internet, Leland said. He supports the initiative at the legislative level to bring broadband to greater Minnesota, as long as they address the problem the right way — just enhancing what’s there won’t cut it, he said.
“We’re not eager to see other services that already exist be enhanced,” Leland said.