Aaron Brown, an always intriguing voice from the Range, has written a thoughtful article on broadband on the Iron Range. He talks about what I have heard elsewhere referred to as the “swiss cheese” or “donut” network topology we see in rural areas. In either analogy the holes represent the served towns and the dough or cheese represent the unserved areas. It’s easier to fill the holes because there is higher population density, there are more businesses and the further you get from the node, the more expensive it tends to be to provide broadband access.

Brown’s post is called – For Range broadband, entrepreneurs may hold the key. He starts with a great story on a young entrepreneur in Texas who is serving his community with microwave radio towers. Celebrating the notion that entrepreneurs can and may come up with creative solutions. But also entrepreneurs hold the key to economic development in many communities – and they do not need the same infrastructure of the major employers of years ago – they need broadband…

The Range keeps funding power plants that won’t be built and slick new railroads for mining companies capable of paying their own way. Thirty years from now these ideas will seem like a cataclysmic joke. Private small business development is the central ingredient in economic diversification and growth on the Iron Range. Much of the economic growth will be in fields dependent on fast, reliable internet connections. Iron Range Resources has only scraped the tip of the iceberg on this and the towns and state leaders aren’t moving fast enough.

This is a great opportunity for public leadership, but absent that it’s still a great opportunity for private entrepreneurs. I lack the technical knowledge, but if you’re even remotely interested in finding a way to light up northern Minnesota’s internet grid, contact me and I’ll try to help.