Owatonna’s People’s Press recent ran an letter to the editor from Rep Daniels. (Rep. Brian Daniels, R-Faribault, is the state representative for District 24B, which includes Medford, Ellendale and much of rural Steele County.) He noted legislation related to broadband…

Technology is evolving every day and it is important that we, as a state, stay ahead of the curve. In order for Minnesota to remain competitive so employers to want to build, expand, and invest in our state, we need to ensure our technological infrastructure is strong. This session, legislation was passed limiting the amount a municipality can charge to “rent” space on public infrastructure for small-cell technology. Small-cell technology uses nodes that are attached to streetlights, utility poles, and other public structures in areas where there is high demand for cellular data. With more people using mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets, for work and leisure, small-cell technology will help offset the capacity limits of cell towers. This technology has been expanding out of Minneapolis and St. Paul and into the suburbs, and hopefully, into Greater Minnesota as demand continues to increase. Currently, cellular communication companies are working to debut 5G technology, which is 100x faster than the current 4G service and will be compatible with this small-cell technology. This session, we also provided $20 million in grant funding to bring increased broadband internet access to residents throughout Greater Minnesota. Increased access to faster broadband and the introduction of small-cell technology will only mean good things for the future of Minnesota.