Equal Access to Broadband Act Reintroduced Along With Bill To Help Fund PEG Stations

The reintroduced bill would allow cities to franchise broadband to ensure equal access and equitable broadband deployment, while a funding bill provides a direct appropriation to help support local programming.

Building on last session’s momentum to update Minnesota’s cable act, lawmakers have reintroduced the Equal Access to Broadband Act in both the House and Senate.

HF 974, sponsored by Rep. Mike Freiberg (DFL-Golden Valley), and SF 2045, sponsored by Sen. Ann Rest (DFL-New Hope), aim to modernize local franchising laws. The bills would allow local franchising authorities to franchise broadband, helping to ensure more equitable broadband deployment across the state.

By granting cities broadband franchising authority, the legislation would:

• Require broadband providers to meet buildout requirements in underserved areas.
• Ensure cities receive reasonable compensation for the use of public rights-of-way.
• Support community media efforts, similar to the authority cities already have under the Minnesota Cable Act.
• Improve city control over public rights-of-way and help fund access television.

HF 974 is awaiting action in the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee and SF 2045 is awaiting action in the Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development Committee.

Funding bill for PEG stations introduced

In addition to the Equal Access to Broadband Act, HF 1740, authored by Rep. Danny Nadeau (R-Rogers), has been introduced in the House. The bill would provide funding from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund to support public, educational, and governmental programming (PEG) in cities.

Under HF 1740, funding would be allocated to a key League partner, the Minnesota Association of Community Telecommunications Administrators to support PEG programming, and community and civic engagement efforts.

HF 1740 awaits action in the House Legacy Finance Committee.

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