Monday, June 15, 2009

Klobuchar to introduce 'dig once' bill

Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune

Associated Press

Last update: June 15, 2009

MINNEAPOLIS - Sen. Amy Klobuchar says she doesn't want drivers to be inconvenienced by road construction any more than they have to be. So she's introducing a "dig once" bill.

Klobuchar's bill would require that underground broadband conduits be installed at the same time as any federally funded transportation project.

The conduits house fiber-optic cables that carry high-speed, high-capacity communications.

Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, says the Federal Highway Administration estimates that 90 percent of the cost of deploying broadband is due to digging up and repairing the road.

Her bill initially will be heard by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Klobuchar is a member of that committee.

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