Bill > SF2045

This bill modifies several Minnesota statutes related to broadband infrastructure and services, with key provisions including updating definitions of broadband and broadband infrastructure, establishing new rules for local government franchising and right-of-way management for broadband providers, and clarifying the authority of local government units to regulate and charge fees for telecommunications and broadband service providers. The bill expands local governments' ability to require providers to obtain franchises or municipal authorizations before installing infrastructure, allows local authorities to charge up to an 8% fee on gross revenues (5% standard plus 3% for local programming support), and specifies that providers must notify local governments before placing infrastructure in public rights-of-way. The legislation also refines definitions of underserved and unserved areas, excludes certain types of service providers (like wireless and satellite services) from some regulations, and ensures that local government units can recover their right-of-way management costs through carefully structured fees that must be competitively neutral and based on actual incurred costs.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=Senate&f=SF2045&ssn=0&y=2025