The Iowa House is currently working on two bills to help provide additional broadband internet access.

House District 47 Representative Phil Thompson floor managed a bill that would help create local resources to work on the issue of broadband access, similar to the Home Base Iowa program with veterans.

“We have a single point of contact and some real local leaders that invest in it. Jefferson could easily be a community that could be awarded that status. That also deals with the Dig One policy that kind of makes it more efficient when we break ground on certain right-of-way projects with the (Iowa) DOT (Department of Transportation) to allow for public utilities, municipalities, and anybody to lay conduits to kind of future-proof our fibers.”

Thompson notes the governor’s broadband bill is going through the House Appropriations Committee, where she is asking for $450 million to improve broadband access across the state over the next three years, with $150 million proposed for the next fiscal year. Additionally, Thompson served on a subcommittee that handled an incentive program for providers. He says there is a tier system, with the most critical being tier 1 in the bill.

“Are those areas where they are not connected (to the internet) at all. In those areas, we’re offering up to 75-percent match rate to telecom providers and internet providers to take their fiber out to those areas. So we’re really aggressively offering state dollars to get those people connected. Then as you get higher speeds and more connectivity that match rate goes down.”

Thompson adds this bill would help the northeastern portion of his district, because they are relying solely on cell service for internet access.