The MN House has a write up on HF2279, I also mentioned it yesterday…

If you were to think about which areas of the state do not have access to high-speed internet, you might think of rural areas, where laying fiberoptic lines to homes in sparsely populated areas is logistically and economically difficult.

And you would be right.

But Rep. Samantha Vang (DFL-Brooklyn Center) noted many urban areas can also be internet deserts due to lack of infrastructure or affordability reasons.

She sponsors HF2279, which would expand the duties of the Office of Broadband Development, which was established in 2014 to provide statewide grants to new and existing internet providers to invest in building broadband infrastructure into unserved and underserved areas of the state.

“High-speed internet access is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity for homeowners and businesses,” she said.

The House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee amended the bill Wednesday and laid it over for possible inclusion in a committee bill.

The office would be charged with developing a statewide digital equity plan and implementing programs to meet the state’s digital equity goals specified in the bill by 2028, including:

• 95% of households must have access to a personal computer or comparable device;
• 95% of households must have a home broadband subscription and be enrolled in an internet service plan; and
• 70% of eligible households must receive available internet service discounts.