Democratic North Dakota Public Service Commission candidates Tyler...
Democratic North Dakota Public Service Commission candidates Tyler Axness and Todd Reisenauer said Tuesday that their Broadband North Dakota policy initiative would “advance North Dakota’s telecommunications infrastructure by incentivizing technology upgrades and providing universal access for every household and business…
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in the state.” The initiative “will close the communication gap that exists in remote areas of western North Dakota,” Reisenauer said in a statement. “Doing so will enable a vast network of sensors and monitors which can be used to notify state leaders of an accident in real-time as well as dispatch first responders and alert environmental cleanup teams.” The Broadband North Dakota Initiative would require residential broadband connections to get a minimum top speed of 6 Mbps regardless of location in the state and would encourage gigabit broadband availability to businesses in the state, the candidates said. The initiative would also incentivize communications infrastructure development through tax credits and low interest loans through the Bank of North Dakota, as well as create a safety hazard sensor network in the state’s western oil patch region that would connect with state officials (http://bit.ly/1u0ZnDL). PSC Chairman Brian Kalk and Commissioner Julie Fedorchak, both Republicans and candidates for re-election, didn’t immediately comment.