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Cities and local governments urge 'Equal Access to Broadband' franchising bill; industry warns of costs and federal conflicts
Summary
Senate File 2045 would modernize franchise rules to include broadband and preserve public benefits such as local public‑educational‑governmental channels; cities supported the bill, cable and broadband providers raised legal, fiscal and deployment concerns; bill was laid over for further consideration.
Sen. Rest introduced Senate File 2045, the "Equal Access to Broadband Act," to modernize Minnesota’s franchising laws so local units could require terms of broadband providers similar to cable franchising, preserve public benefits such as local public‑educational‑governmental (PEG) programming, and recover management costs associated with rights‑of‑way.
City officials and local government representatives urged the committee to adopt franchising because they view public…
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