Created: 11/06/2009 4:41 PM KSTC45.com | Print Story

Report: Minn. Needs Significant Internet Upgrades

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - A new report says most of Minnesota needs significant Internet improvements to reach a goal of statewide high-speed broadband access by 2015.

The Ultra High-Speed Broadband Task Force is calling for minimum Internet speeds of 10 megabits per second, a standard 15 times faster than the current federal definition of broadband.

Task force chairman Rick King says 83 percent of the state currently doesn't meet the proposed standard, hampering everything from banking to telemedicine using two-way video.

The task force releases its recommendations on Friday at the Capitol.

King says most of the money to expand and upgrade Internet access could come from private companies and the federal government. He says the task force wants to establish a new council to monitor broadband development.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)