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Lawmaker seeks local 'dig once' policy to boost broadband competition in Ada County
Summary
Representative John Van der Rauchner asked the committee to introduce RS 32‑051, a Dig Once proposal for Ada County that would require deeper conduit placement and limit micro‑trenching to promote competition and protect infrastructure; the committee voted to introduce the measure.
Representative John Van der Rauchner, R‑District 22 and chair of the Broadband Advisory Board, asked the House Transportation Committee to introduce RS 32‑051, a Dig Once policy targeted at Ada County that would require coordinating conduit placement during road digs and prohibit shallow micro‑trenching installations along certain county roads.
"The Dig Once policy is that once they're digging up, everybody can put their conduits in and we can get a lot more competition with broadband as it gets installed," Van der Rauchner told the committee. He said the change would place conduit deeper in the ground to protect infrastructure and increase opportunities for multiple providers to attach fiber.
Representative Clow asked whether the bill's references to highway districts could create complications in areas served by more than one district. Van der Rauchner acknowledged the difficulty and said the proposal is limited to counties that already have a single countywide highway district to avoid the complexities that come when a road passes through multiple districts.
Representative Monks moved to introduce RS 32‑051; the committee approved introduction by voice vote and no opposition was recorded in the transcript. The committee did not take final action on the bill; introduction moves RS 32‑051 to a future public hearing where staff can provide more detail on implementation and affected jurisdictions.
Why it matters: supporters say Dig Once reduces future road cuts and can lower broadband deployment costs by allowing multiple providers to place conduit when roads are already open. Opponents or skeptical members may press staff about administrative complexity in multi‑district areas and how enforcement would be handled.
