Bipartisanship and Broadband in State Legislatures

Published: Dec. 11, 2012, 7 p.m.

b'"If you\'ve got good people of good will on both sides who really want to get something done, you can have really good debates and then you compromise." This philosophy of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, if nothing else, should be the governing rule everywhere for state legislative action on broadband issues.\\xa0\\n Iowa Democratic State Representative Mary Gaskill and Republican State Senator Mark Chelgren join us to discuss initiatives both legislators are pursuing to help bring better broadband to constituents. In addition, they give listeners valuable lessons for working effectively with elected representatives on both sides of the aisle.\\xa0\\n Communities planning broadband projects are advised to include tactics for building strong working relationships with elected officials locally and at the statehouse. These relationships can be key to resolving some of the various challenges along the way to broadband deployment.'