LINCOLN- Lawmakers gave a thumbs-up Tuesday to Gov. Pete Ricketts' plan to spend $40 million on expanding high-speed rural internet services. LB388 advanced on a 44-0 vote after an amendment that would have allowed cities and towns to enter the broadband services market was rejected. Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha had introduced the amendment, saying that broadband should be considered a critical need that broadband companies have not stepped up to serve the entire state. Proponents of the amendment said that these companies continue to be allowed to not serve the entire state because of federal and state money collected from cellphones and landlines. Large parts of the state lack broadband service which only hurts the state's economic development.

80,000 Nebraskans lack internet that delivers adequate service placing the state 48th in terms of access, price and speed.

LB388 would put $20 million per year into grans for projects that will help increase access to broadband. Projects in areas with less than 25/3 speeds that have no projects planned or projects that will take over 24 months to complete will be prioritized. The bill would also direct the federal Rescue Act into the program which enacted $7 billion nationwide for the effort.

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