The Iowa Legislature has passed a bill that will help rural Iowans receive better access to broadband by pairing taxpayer and private funding to help make it affordable. State Senator Julian Garrett tells KNIA News the legislation amends the broadband facility expansion grant program, and this undertaking is much like those done in the past to help modernize rural areas.

“It’s been kind of compared to the rural electrification process years ago when electricity was brought to rural homes, and this kind of resembles that in a sense. When the homes are some distance apart it becomes more expensive to lay the cable or what you need to do, so the state is setting up this program to help fund that.”

The bill will now await the signature of Governor Reynolds, and Senator Garrett said he is confident she will sign it.