Budget Provision Could Stifle University Research, Limit Broadband Access - Erin Toner, WUWM

Republicans in the Legislature have softened a budget provision impacting high-speed Internet service for rural areas. The UW Extension has been using a federal grant to upgrade broadband service in remote locations, but a proposal slipped into the budget a few weeks ago would have forced UW to return the money. Telecommunications companies lobbied for the change, insisting they are facing unfair competition from a government-supported entity. As WUWM’s Erin Toner reports, GOP leaders have announced a compromise that delays changes for two years.