Some good news for fans of rural broadband coming from BringMeTheNews…

A surplus of more than $1 billion in Minnesota’s state budget over the next two years should be put towards improving rural broadband access and a childcare tax credit, Gov. Mark Dayton has said. ..

And speaking at a press conference Thursday, Gov. Dayton said he wants to see some of this surplus used to pay for a childcare tax credit, better broadband access for Greater Minnesota, and early childhood scholarships, according to WCCO.

The Broadband Task Force has been talking about recommending for $200 million. And there has been rural support for the investment. The Task Force has also quoted $900 million to $3 billion as a back of envelope guestimate for deploying ubiquitous broadband in Minnesota.

I guess we have to ask – with $1 billion in surplus should broadband proponents be asking for more?