Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad said he was disappointed...
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad said he was disappointed by the defeat Friday of Iowa House File 2472 (http://bit.ly/1flQXo6), which would have provided incentives to expand broadband in the state’s underserved areas. “Increased access and adoption of broadband would help Iowa…
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businesses grow and bring more jobs to the state, but Iowa House Democrats were more interested in election year politics than they were in passing good public policy,” Branstad said in a statement. The measure could be reconsidered before the legislature adjourns as early as Tuesday. The Connect Every Iowan Act would have exempted broadband equipment and infrastructure installed or constructed in unserved or underserved areas from property taxes until Dec. 31, 2018. It would have also allowed private providers to buy unused Iowa Communications Network bandwidth at wholesale rates in unserved or underserved areas. It would have allowed the private sector to build off of the ICN to serve retail customers, such as homes, businesses and local governments, Branstad’s office said. Democratic leaders were not immediately available for comment.