State lawmakers gave unanimous first round approval to a bill Tuesday that would help Nebraska obtain federal funding for increased broadband availability.
The bill, LB996, would allow Nebraska to create a statewide crowdsourcing program to collect broadband availability data to supplement federal data that is already collected.
Bill introducer Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth says the current data collection form employed by the Federal Communications Commission grossly overstates the availability of broadband in Nebraska. He adds that the FCC has undertaken a new process for obtaining more accurate data and is asking states for help in that effort.
District 47 Senator Steve Erdman voiced his support of the bill during Tuesdays floor debate.
“I noticed in a lot of my counties that theres a significant percentage of people who dont have broadband,” said Sen. Erdman. “Take example Banner County: 11.6%. That is not much. That is a situation we need to deal with.”
Senator Brandt said that the data collected will now be used to determine how and where federal broadband funding is allocated. He said the bill is written to ensure that the state of Nebraska can maximize the benefits of this program.
The bill would prioritize resources and outreach in areas of the state that crowdsourcing, public feedback and other evidence suggests are unserved or underserved by high-speed internet.
