R Street releases their latest Broadband Scorecard. It looks at the role and decision of government to support better broadband…

This scorecard examines laws that govern broadband infrastructure deployment in all 50 states and compiles these data into categories. In some categories, states were given points based on whether they had a law governing a specific aspect of broadband deployment. In categories that included costs or timelines, states were given points based on whether the cost or timeline provided in their law met a certain threshold. For example, a state may get one point for imposing a fee cap on permit applications, and a second point if the cap is $100 or less.

Specifically they look at:

• Access to public rights of way
• Franchise agreements
• Construction permits
• Miscellaneous (such as zoning)

Here is how they scored Minnesota:

MINNESOTA RAW SCORE: 21 FINAL SCORE: 86 No changes in 2020.
Minnesota scored similarly to Michigan, but for different reasons. With restrictions on in-kind contributions, a dig-once law and a ban on moratoria, Minnesota received a perfect score in the miscellaneous category. However, there is no uniform statewide franchising nor a limitation on the fees that a franchising authority can charge a provider. Improvements can also be made to the length of the shot clocks, but the fact that shot clocks exist at all is a positive for the state.