Issue Position: RURAL BROADBAND

Issue Position

Data from the 2016 Nebraska Rural Poll "Broadband and Mobile Internet Services in Non-metropolitan Nebraska" with 1,746 respondents found rural Nebraskans very "dissatisfied" and "somewhat dissatisfied" percentages for (overall home internet services were 26%), (customer services were 25%) , (speed" were 34%), (reliability were 33%), and (price were 52%). Many school assignments and lessons require a reliable internet connection. Commercial business, and farm program business is increasingly being done on the internet. Younger Nebraskans are less likely or unwilling to move to farms, ranches, and rural areas that do not have high quality internet capacities and service. Nebraska's public power utilities currently have dark cable already laid that is underutilized but available to provide service to rural users in underserved areas of our state. Tom supports legislation to allow Nebraska public power districts (PPD) to partner with private entities to build, upgrade, enhance, and support the infrastructure necessary to ensure meaningful high speed internet access is provided for a reasonable cost in rural areas throughout Nebraska

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