Minnesota would benefit from sizable broadband fund

[Commentary] Dozens of Greater Minnesota residents who have come to the State Capitol this session to plead for help in improving broadband access.

They aren’t seeking mere convenience, an exotic lifestyle, or a deep discount at taxpayers’ expense. Rather, they’re asking that their communities be given a chance to survive economically in the 21st century. That’s how essential high-speed Internet has become.

The market hasn’t stood still in the intervening years. The share of state households with Internet service at or exceeding those speeds grew by 18 percentage points from April 2011 to October 2013, according to a report of the Governor’s Task Force on Broadband. But that leaves nearly 30 percent of Minnesotans, and more than half of Greater Minnesota residents, still lacking affordable access -- and, too often, any access at all -- to the Internet speeds required to conduct a video chat or participate in a webinar. Forget about taking an online high school or college class, consulting with a physician in another city about a changing medical condition or serving business clients around the world.

The Governor’s Task Force does not think the state’s statutory broadband goal can be reached by the end of 2015, or anytime soon, without state and local government giving the market a push. Gov Mark Dayton said recently that he concurs in that assessment. But his spending recommendations to the 2014 Legislature did not include his task force’s recommended remedy -- a $100 million fund, from which competitive grants would be awarded to public-private partnerships committed to bringing broadband to places without it.

If market forces alone were sufficient, Minnesota would not rank 23rd among the 50 states in broadband availability. The time is right to initiate a broadband incentive fund for another reason: Now, the state can afford it. An improving economy is generating forecasted revenues through June 30, 2015, that exceed scheduled expenditures by $1.2 billion. The pleas of Minnesota residents deserve heed. In fact, a meaningful response from state government is past due.