Baltzer said the state should do more to
encourage partnerships between internet
service providers and the state’s public power
districts, which operate Nebraska’s electric
transmission lines.
Nebraska Public Service Commission Chairwoman
Mary Ridder said the problem boils down to a lack
of money.
Ridder, who lives on a ranch outside Callaway
in central Nebraska, said it’s important for all
areas of the state to have high-speed internet
access, even though rural areas may have to
be subsidized.
“It’s important for people’s businesses, their
careers and their education,” Ridder said. “It’s
important for the farms that contribute to our
state economy. The healthier that agriculture
and rural areas are, the healthier the whole state
will be.”