A recent Editorial in the Minneapolis Star Tribune outlines their support of broadband funding as a one-time investment in Minnesota…

It’s almost as if the 2015 legislative session didn’t happen. Despite the Legislature’s spending decisions, the bottom line in Thursday’s forecast for the state’s 2016-17 biennium nearly matches the one announced in February: The state again expects a budget balance on June 30, 2017, of nearly $1.9 billion. That’s $1 billion more than was expected when the Legislature recessed in May. …

That possibility augurs caution among both those who want more spending and those pushing for permanent tax relief. They would do well to seek one-time measures that advance their goals without burdening future state budgets. One-time investments in infrastructure would fill the bill, especially when infrastructure is defined broadly to include roads, transit, public buildings and broadband capacity. A one-time tax rebate akin to the “Jesse checks” of 2000, targeted at low- and middle-income families, is also worth considering.