Task Force to Debate Whether A Gigabit Per Second is Too Fast for Minnesota

In April 2008, the Minnesota legislature passed a bill to create an Ultra High-Speed Broadband Task Force. The bill was signed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty and, last month, he named 20 of the 26 task force members. One of the key priorities of the bill is to identify a level of broadband service and connection speeds that will be reasonably needed by the year 2015 in order for Minnesota to compete in the global marketplace of the future. Chairing the task force will be Rick King, chief operating officer of Thomson Reuters, which has major operations in Eagan, Minn. "Ultra high-speed broadband gives us a competitive edge to build on our technology leadership position and attract great companies and high-paying jobs to our state," King said.