Nebraska's 2023 legislature opens with talk of unity, hints of battles

The Nebraska Legislature began its 2023 session with talk of unity but hints of battles yet to come. State Sen. Suzanne Geist (R-Lincoln) defeated State Sens. Tom Brandt (R-Crete) and Mike Moser (R-Columbus) to chair the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee. Sen Brandt called for less reliance on existing telecommunications companies to expand broadband. On Jan 5, he introduced a bill to authorize leasing of dark fiber and eliminate certain powers of the Public Service Commission. Chairwoman Geist, who is also running for mayor of Lincoln, said the state has great opportunities to expand broadband, but needs to make sure it’s also maintained. “We do have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that's going to present great numbers of money to the state. However, we have to answer the question with the industries that will be involved with this: How are we going to maintain this broad network that the money is going to come in?” Sen Geist said.