Gov. Walz’ broadband extension will cost $6,753 per household

Back in April, I wrote:

One area where there is a good deal of bipartisan agreement in Minnesota is the need to expand broadband internet. The growth of remote work offers the opportunity to spread economic activity more evenly across the state, alleviating house price pressures and boosting local economies. Expanding broadband coverage would assist with that.

…The last couple of years have seen a mania for “infrastructure” spending. They have also seen a mania for calling anything and everything “infrastructure,” whether it is or isn’t.

I would have few qualms about calling broadband “infrastructure.”

Now, the Brainerd Dispatch reports:

Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday, Oct. 9, announced $52 million in grants aimed at expanding broadband access to approximately 7,700 homes and businesses across Minnesota.

A quick bit of math shows you that $52,000,000 / 7,700 = $6,753. That’s right, this broadband expansion is going to cost nearly $7,000 for every household connected. Several people have pointed out that Starlink costs just $400 per home: that’s some overhead.

Is this a contender for our Golden Turkey award? On the one hand, getting more homes access to broadband is a good thing, so this isn’t a total waste of money like the state’s new flag and seal. On the other, every cent spent over and above the amount necessary to connect these homes with something like Starlink is a waste of taxpayer’s hard earned money. Either way, if you were wondering where that $18 billion surplus went, here is another part of the answer.

I’ll leave you with the immortal words of Milton Friedman:  “Nobody spends somebody else’s money as wisely as he spends his own.”