KTTC Rochester, Austin, Mason City News, Weather and SportsKlobuchar to introduce 'dig once' bill
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Associated Press - June 15, 2009 7:34 AM ET
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Sen. Amy Klobuchar says she doesn't want drivers to be inconvenienced by road construction any more than they have to be. So she's introducing a "dig once" bill.
Klobuchar's bill would require that underground broadband conduits be installed at the same time as any federally funded transportation project.
The conduits house fiber-optic cables that carry high-speed, high-capacity communications.
Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, says the Federal Highway Administration estimates that 90% of the cost of deploying broadband is due to digging up and repairing the road.
Her bill initially will be heard by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Klobuchar is a member of that committee.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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