The Grand Forks Herald recently ran an editorial from Senator Klobuchar, in which she supports investment in broadband and dig once policies to reduce costs to deploy broadband…

It’s also crucial we improve access to the information highway. Today, you don’t need to live near the interstate or a major city to find a good job, launch a new business or take college classes. But without reliable high-speed Internet, your options can be limited.

I’ve held meetings in East Grand Forks and across the state to talk about the obstacles to expanding broadband. This is a serious issue for many Minnesotans and North Dakotans, with the cost of laying the broadband infrastructure in rural areas a deterrent for many communities.

There are many common-sense ways we can increase broadband access. The first is with funding. The federal government recently awarded more than $85 million to Minnesota for rural broadband deployment. This will help connect more than 170,000 Minnesota homes and businesses to high-speed Internet.

Second, I’m leading a bipartisan bill to reduce the costs of building broadband infrastructure. My legislation would require states and federal agencies to coordinate highway construction with broadband installation—in other words, implementing a “dig once” policy so when we build our roads, we’re also laying the groundwork for broadband.