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(DEED) created in 2013 formally <br />established a partnership between the state <br />and local communities to deploy high-speed <br />Internet in unserved and underserved areas. <br />The Office supports broadband expansion <br />through broadband mapping and managing <br />the state's broadband grant program. <br />Additional state action occurred during the <br />2016 legislative session when the legislature <br />reestablished state speed and adoption goals <br />under Minn. Stat. § 237.012. In addition to <br />the state's focus on extending broadband to <br />unserved areas, Minnesota must also be on <br />the cutting edge for next -generation <br />broadband investments. <br />Response: To promote economic <br />development and achieve state broadband <br />goals, the Legislature, Governor's office, <br />and state agencies should: <br />a) Identify and implement actions for the <br />state to reach and maintain a position <br />in the top five states for broadband <br />speed that is universally accessible to <br />residents and businesses; <br />b) Make significant investments to the <br />Border -to -Border Broadband Grant <br />Program and continue to encourage <br />public/private sector collaboration; <br />e) Support measures to authorize and <br />encourage cities and other local units <br />of government to play a direct role in <br />providing broadband services; <br />d) Remove barriers to the exercise of <br />local authority to provide such <br />services, including repeal of Minn. <br />Stat. § 237.19, that requires a <br />supermajority voter approval for the <br />provision of local phone service by a <br />local unit of government; <br />e) Offer incentives to private sector <br />service providers to respond to local <br />or regional needs and to collaborate <br />with cities and other public entities to <br />deploy broadband infrastructure <br />capable of delivering sufficient <br />bandwidth and capacity to meet <br />immediate and future local needs; <br />f) Adopt policies which seek to position <br />Minnesota as a state of choice for <br />testing next -generation broadband <br />technologies; <br />Affirm that cities have the authority to <br />partner with private entities to finance <br />broadband infrastructure using city <br />bonding authority; <br />h) Remove barriers, restrict anti- <br />competitive practices, and prevent <br />predatory action that prevent or <br />impede cities, municipal utilities, <br />schools, libraries, and other public <br />sector entities from collaborating and <br />deploying broadband infrastructure <br />and services at the local and regional <br />level; <br />i) Continuously update and verify <br />comprehensive statewide street -level <br />mapping of broadband services to <br />identify underserved areas and <br />connectivity issues; and <br />Recognize the crucial role of local <br />government in the work of the <br />Governor's Broadband Task Force <br />and fund the Office of Broadband <br />Development to help achieve <br />significantly higher broadband speeds <br />and to ensure that robust and <br />affordable Internet connectivity is <br />widely available. <br />On the federal level, the League urges <br />Congress to adopt laws restoring the <br />ability of municipalities to extend beyond <br />their borders to serve unserved and <br />underserved areas. <br />g) <br />j) <br />LE-17. Competitive Cable <br />Franchising Authority <br />Issue: Despite claims made by some actors <br />in the cable industry, studies and evidence to <br />date do not support that state franchising is <br />the solution for competition, lower <br />League of Minnesota Cities <br />2018 City Policies Page 62 <br />