Last week I posted a quick note on the most recent Minnesota ARRA-funded projects – inclduing Lac qui Parle. Here’s a quick reminder of their project…
This approximately $9.65 million award to Farmers Mutual Telephone Company will bring Fiber-to-the-Premise (FTTP) technology to Minnesota’s Lac qui Parle County. This network will make Lac qui Parle, now an area with limited technology choices, one of the leading technology counties in the state. More than 3,700 people stand to benefit, as do roughly 165 businesses and 12 community institutions. Farmers Mutual estimates the construction will directly support 110 jobs upfront, and will also drive economic development and create jobs for decades to come
Dave Peters, at MPR, just wrote a nice history of how Lac qui Parle got where they are sitting now. As he points out, it’s not a story that starts when the ARRA funding was announced. Like so many other strong broadband projects (well any project!), it starts with a local champion (Pam Lehmann, director of the LqP EDA), a plan and being prepared for good luck.
Pam has been at the EDA since 2007. They got funding from the Blandin Foundation and worked with Bill Coleman on broadband plans. Just recently they have moved forward the Commuter Computer. In fact the Commuter Computer is getting its official launch on August 25. It will be fun to see how the project progresses and what LqP will do with FTTH!
