A broadband bill continues to make its way through various Iowa House committees.

House District 20 Representative Ray Sorensen says his bill to help communities gain access to broadband connectivity has been passed by a couple of committees, including information technology and appropriations. He talks about the two goals this bill would accomplish.

“It’s speed of deployment to get to those that are in those desserts that have less than a 25-megabytes per second (mbps)/3mbps connection, or to people that have zero connection. And then also just (internet) speeds in general. How do we get our infrastructure up to that 100(mbps) down(load)/100(mbps) up(load) speed, so we can be like a player as like a Silicon Prairie?”

Sorensen notes the bill has incentives to get internet companies to provide access to the internet, as well as using possible federal government funding for one-time expenses.

“Where it doesn’t make sense for a telecom to get to the couple that lives six miles down a gravel road with no one else in sight. How do we help get them internet? Maybe leverage some of this one-time money to use that to get there.”

Sorensen hopes to pass the bill to the Senate before the second deadline lawmakers use to narrow down the scope of legislation during the second funnel week.