Midco’s Scandia fiber project nears completion (Washingonton County)

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The Country Messenger reports…

After years of planning, grant applications and phased construction, Scandia’s long-awaited high-speed internet expansion is entering its final stretch.

Midco, the internet provider in the expansion, has begun construction this month and is projected to complete the project by the end of July. Once complete, the expansion will bring fiber optic internet access to roughly 95% of households in the City of Scandia.

Seeing the project nearing completion is encouraging to Scandia’s Internet Action Committee, which has been working for years to improve internet access for Scandia residents. According to the committee’s chair, Bob Wilmers, the city first partnered with Midco in 2019 when approximately half of the city’s households had access to reliable internet coverage. Since that time, Scandia and Midco have worked together to find funding through local investments and outside grants, including the Minnesota Border to Border Broadband Grant Program.

“In the last seven years, Midco and the city have applied for multiple grants from the State of Minnesota, Washington County, and the Federal Government to provide financial assistance for the expansion of high-speed Internet service in the rest of Scandia,” Wilmers said. “When this project is completed, we’ll have reached about 95% of the households in Scandia for high-speed Internet, doubling the number we started with in 2019.”

The total cost of the expansion is nearly $7 million, according to Wilmers, with the city investing approximately $1 million, which makes up roughly 15% of the overall cost. The remaining funding has been provided through grants and Midco.

Paul Bunyan Communications starts on major fiber expansion in Central Aitkin County

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From Paul Bunyan Communications…

Paul Bunyan Communications has begun construction on a major broadband expansion project in central Aitkin County that will bring its all-fiber optic network, the GigaZone®, to more than 2,400 homes and businesses.
The project area includes the cities of McGregor, Palisade, and Tamarack, as well as portions of Clark, Haugen, Jevne, Libby, Logan, McGregor, Shamrock, and Workman Townships.
Construction is now underway and will continue throughout the summer months. Once completed, residents and businesses in these areas will have access to fast, reliable all-fiber optic Internet and WiFi designed to support everything from streaming and remote work to advanced business operations. Services are expected to become available by winter.
“This is an exciting milestone for this project and for the communities it includes,” said Chad Bullock, CEO and General Manager of Paul Bunyan Communications. “Breaking ground means we’re one step closer to delivering the kind of high-speed, reliable Internet that has become essential for daily life.”
The GigaZone® all-fiber optic network offers speeds up to 10 Gig, providing a significant upgrade over traditional Internet services. In addition to Internet and WiFi, customers will have access to voice services including unlimited local and long-distance calling. Business customers can also take advantage of Managed IT Business Services such as VOIP, Disaster Backup and Recovery, and Network Management.
“This construction represents a major investment in the future of central Aitkin County,” said Leo Anderson, Chief Technology Officer of Paul Bunyan Communications. “Our all-fiber optic network is built for long-term performance, delivering the speed and reliability needed for work, education, healthcare, and business growth.”
Residents and businesses are encouraged to sign up for services before construction crews complete work in their area to ensure a connection. There is no membership fee to join the cooperative; membership begins when subscribing to GigaZone® Internet or local phone service.
To check availability or sign up for service, visit www.paulbunyan.net, call, or stop by the Grand Rapids Customer Service & Technology Center.

Paul Bunyan Communication expands broadband in Itasca and St. Louis Counties

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From Paul Bunyan Communications…

Paul Bunyan Communications has started construction on expanding its all-fiber optic network, the GigaZone®, to over 600 more locations in Itasca and St. Louis County across five townships.
This project includes areas south and west of the city of Cook including parts of the following townships: Alango, Carpenter, Field, Sturgeon, and an unorganized township east of Carpenter.
The construction phase of the project is now underway and is expected to take up to three months. Once the fiber optic network is operational, residents and businesses will have access to fast, reliable all-fiber optic Internet and WiFi designed to support everything from streaming and remote work to advanced business operations. Services are expected to become available this fall.
“This is an exciting milestone for this project and for the communities it includes,” said Chad Bullock, CEO and General Manager of Paul Bunyan Communications. “Breaking ground means we’re one step closer to delivering the kind of high-speed, reliable Internet that has become essential for daily life.”
The GigaZone® all-fiber optic network offers speeds up to 10 Gig, providing a significant upgrade over traditional Internet services. In addition to Internet and WiFi, customers will have access to voice services including unlimited local and long-distance calling. Business customers can also take advantage of Managed IT Business Services such as VOIP, Disaster Backup and Recovery, and Network Management.
“This construction represents a major investment in the future of these townships,” said Leo Anderson, Chief Technology Officer of Paul Bunyan Communications. “Our all-fiber optic network is built for long-term performance, delivering the speed and reliability needed for work, education, healthcare, and business growth.”
Residents and businesses are encouraged to sign up for services before construction crews complete work in their area to ensure a connection. There is no membership fee to join the cooperative; membership begins when subscribing to GigaZone® Internet or local phone service.
To check availability or sign up for service, visit www.paulbunyan.net, call, or stop by the Grand Rapids Customer Service & Technology Center.
This project is made possible through the State of Minnesota, Department of Employment & Economic Development, Low-Density Population Broadband Infrastructure Development Grant Program. This project is estimated to cost $7,810,355, with the State of Minnesota’s Low-Population Density Program grant contributing $3,924,157, Paul Bunyan Communications investing $2,203,928, Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation (IRRR) investing $1,000,000, St. Louis County investing $583,250, Alango Township $41,200, Field Township $17,800, and Sturgeon Township $40,000.

Mediacom adds more than 400 miles of fiber to services almost 4000 locations

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Broadband Companies reports…

Mediacom Communications said Tuesday it has finished 12 fiber broadband projects across Minnesota ahead of schedule, adding more than 400 miles of last‑mile fiber and bringing service to roughly 3,900 homes and businesses. The company, also known as Mediacom, described the work as a two‑year effort carried out in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), with a combined public‑private investment of more than $24 million.

Company officials said about 90% of the new fiber miles were laid in some of Minnesota’s hardest‑to‑serve areas, including the Iron Range in the state’s north.

Mediacom reported it invested more than $13 million of private capital and used $11 million in DEED grant funding; the carrier also said it leveraged those projects to extend service to an additional 1,600 locations using private dollars.

Libraries, schools and others ask FCC to reject proposed E-Rate bidding portal

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Benton Institute for Broadband & Society reports…

The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition led more than 80 organizations (including the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society) representing schools, libraries, service providers, and education leaders in sending a letter to the Federal Communications Commission urging the agency not to proceed with its proposed competitive bidding portal for the E-Rate program. The groups are concerned that the establishment of a Bidding Portal and its associated complex requirements and procedures, as proposed in the Draft Order, is not only unnecessary but also undermines the good work being done to streamline the E-Rate program. The groups requested that the FCC not proceed with its proposed implementation of the Bidding Portal. If the FCC elects to proceed with the Bidding Portal, the groups urge it to delay implementation until at least Funding Year 2029, hold a public comment proceeding to allow input into the portal’s development, create beta testing with applicants and providers to ensure the portal functions appropriately, and hold training for all applicants and vendors on the portal and new requirements under this order.

MN House Bill passes: , A bill for an act relating to telecommunications (HF4052)

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The Minnesota House reports…

HF4052 (Kresha) Various provisions governing telephone company regulation, facilities and property, pricing plans, service classification, and reporting requirements.

More details…

HF. No. 4052, A bill for an act relating to telecommunications; modifying and clarifying various provisions governing telephone company regulation, facilities and property, pricing plans, service classification, and reporting requirements; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections 237.035; 237.036; 237.069; 237.07, subdivision 1; 237.11; 237.164; 237.626, subdivisions 1, 3; 237.66, by adding subdivisions; 237.70, subdivision 7; 237.762, subdivision 5; repealing Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections 237.065; 237.066; 237.067; 237.071; 237.072; 237.075, subdivisions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11; 237.14; 237.15; 237.16, subdivision 9; 237.22; 237.231; 237.59, subdivisions 1, 1a, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10; 237.66, subdivisions 1, 1a, 1c, 1d, 2, 2a, 3; 237.75; 237.766; 237.768; 237.772; 237.775.

      The bill was read for the third time and placed upon its final passage.

The question was taken on the passage of the bill and the roll was called.  There were 134 yeas and 0 nays as follows:

The bill was passed and its title agreed to.

Notes from Broadband Development Training Series: Navigating PLUS (Permitting, Land Use, and State Systems) SHPO

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Today the Office of Broadband Development held a session on Broadband Development Training Series: Navigating PLUS (Permitting, Land Use, and State Systems). Below are the slides and notes on questions. The information is detailed and the OBD will be posting the archive on their website when available.

Questions:

  • Archeologists are hired to write a report. They should submit the report to SHPO when you send to the clients.
  • Q: Do you expect any permitting streamlining efforts by others to impact MN SHPO processes or requirements?
    A: No. Other entities may need to work with DEED.
    A: BEAD hired Megan to help and that will be huge.
  • This webinar isn’t about BEAD.

Resources shared during the presentation:

Minnesota is Tops for Hospital telehealth adoption by state

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Becker Health IT reports…

Here is the percentage of hospitals that offer telehealth in each state, according to an April analysis by Definitive Healthcare using its proprietary hospital data:

1. Minnesota: 80.8%
2. Michigan: 80.3%
3. Wisconsin: 80.2%
4. South Dakota: 79.2%
5. North Carolina: 78.7%
6. Iowa: 78%
7. Vermont: 76.5%
8. Pennsylvania: 76.4%
9. Oregon: 76.1%
10. Indiana: 73.5%
11. New York: 73.1%
12. Illinois: 72.8%
13. Ohio: 71.9%
14. District of Columbia: 71.4%
15. West Virginia: 71.1%
16. Virginia: 69.7%
17. New Jersey: 69%
18. Massachusetts: 68.7%
19. Missouri: 68.7%
20. Maryland: 67.6%
21. Connecticut: 67.3%
22. Delaware: 66.7%
23. Utah: 64.3%
24. Montana: 64.2%
25. Kentucky: 63.8%
26. Nebraska: 62.7%
27. Washington: 57.5%
28. Arizona: 57.4%
29. North Dakota: 57.1%
30. South Carolina: 55.8%
31. Rhode Island: 55.6%
32. California: 55.1%
33. Oklahoma: 55%
34. Maine: 55%
35. Tennessee: 52%
36. Alaska: 51.7%
37. New Hampshire: 51.4%
38. Texas: 51.4%
39. Idaho: 50%
40. Colorado: 48.8%
41. Mississippi: 48%
42. Florida: 47.8%
43. Georgia: 47.7%
44. Wyoming: 47.2%
45. Arkansas: 47.1%
46. Alabama: 46.5%
47. Nevada: 45.1%
48. Louisiana: 43%
49. New Mexico: 42.6%
50. Kansas: 40%
51. Hawaii: 32.3%

 

OBD Broadband Update April 23, 2026: Conference, Task Force, Line Extension

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From the Office of Broadband Development…

Broadband Matters: Office of Broadband Development Updates

  • Register today! April 29, Connecting One: Minnesota 2026 Broadband Summit
  • Broadband Task Force, April meeting plans
  • Line Extension Connection Program, Round 5 updates
  • Virtual Broadband Development Training Series, final session today, April 23

Register today! April 29, Connecting One: Minnesota 2026 Broadband Summit

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Office of Broadband Development is hosting the Connecting One: Minnesota 2026 Broadband Summit on Wednesday, April 29, 2026. This in-person event will bring together national leaders, internet service providers, federal, state, tribal, and local government partners, and broadband advocates from across Minnesota. Connecting people to resources, information, and each other is critical to Minnesota’s economic stability and digital opportunity. Afternoon breakout sessions will cover key topics on BEAD implementation, as well as sessions on permitting, mapping, and digital skills.

The summit will be held at the Heritage Center of Brooklyn Center (6155 Earle Brown Drive, Brooklyn Center, MN 55434).
We are committed to providing equal access to this conference for all participants. If you need alternative formats or other reasonable accommodations, please contact mndeedevents@state.mn.us by the close of business on Friday, April 17, 2026.

Broadband Task Force, April meeting plans

The Broadband Task Force will be meeting on Wednesday, April 29 from 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. CT during the Connecting One: Minnesota 2026 Broadband Summit. This meeting will be held in-person and is open to anyone from the public to attend, however, tickets are required to enter. Registration information is available above and on the event webpage.

More information on this and past meetings can be found on the Broadband Task Force webpage.

Line Extension Connection Program, Round 5 updates

The Round 5 Provider Bidding Application and Line Extension Program Guide, with guidance for the fast-tracked round, have been posted to the Line Extension Connection Program webpage along with an expected timeline (dates subject to change):

  • Bidding Window Opened: April 22, 2026
  • Bids Due: May 22, 2026 by 1:30 p.m. CT 

Registration remains open for residents and businesses for future rounds of the Line Extension Connection Program and OBD expects to announce a sixth round of the program with standard timelines using state funds later in 2026.

More information and registration are available on the Line Extension Connection Program webpage. For assistance completing the application or to request a paper form to complete, please call 651-259-7610 or email DEED.broadband@state.mn.us.

Virtual Broadband Development Training Series, final session today, April 23

OBD has been working alongside other state agencies on streamlining environmental reviews and permitting efforts for broadband infrastructure projects across Minnesota. Originally held in 2024, this April, OBD and state agency partners will offer four new webinar sessions through a revised Broadband Development Training Series: Navigating PLUS (Permitting, Land Use, and State Systems).

The final session will feature an overview from the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) on processes and updates, including how to submit archaeological survey reports as part of review.

This session will be recorded and shared on the OBD Webinars and Recorded Events webpage.

EVENT April 29: OBD’s Connecting One Minnesota-Broadband Meeting

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I have already posted about this event, OBD’s Connecting One Minnesota-Broadband Meeting / Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. But it seemed worth a post to talk about the event. I’m excited to hear from “National Broadband Perspective and Insights from Leading Associations” in the morning. It will be interesting to see how other states are dealing with BEAD these days.

Then the MN Broadband Task Force is meeting over lunch. Attendees are invited to join and if you haven’t attended a Task Force meeting in the past, I encourage you to show up. It’s instructive to hear what they talk about, and it would be great for the Task Force members to hear from the public!

Also, I’m on one on of the afternoon panels talking with some great folks on Community Engagement & Outreach: Building Broadband Momentum in Minnesota. Please come and help me remember creative solutions local communities have used in the past.

St Francis City Council approves first reading of an ordinance on small cell technology (Anoka County)

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Hometown Source reports…

St Francis City Council unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance on small cell technology at their April 20 meeting.

Here are more details from the St Francis City Council website…

Ordinance Amendment – City Code Chapter 7 – First Reading

Ordinance 357 amending City Code Chapter 7, Section 5, Sub. 3, 7, 9, 10, 14, and 20 adding Small Cell Wireless Facility

Emily Thabes enters race for Minnesota House District 2B – mentions broadband

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The Pilot Independent reports…

Emily Thabes, a Clearwater County resident since March 2020 and executive director of the Beltrami County Historical Society, announced that she is running for the Minnesota House of Representatives in District 2B. She will challenge Republican incumbent Matt Bliss in November.

The article mentions Clearwater County’s current broadband status…

Itasca County ranks among the highest in the state for property tax burden and among the lowest for median household income. Mahnomen County, home to the White Earth Nation, has a 37 percent poverty rate and the 47th-worst broadband coverage of any Minnesota county.

Greater Minnesota is short 42,581 childcare slots. The December 2025 federal funding freeze cut access for an additional 23,000 Minnesota children statewide, in a region where northeast Minnesota already holds the highest job vacancy rate in the state.

And Thabes response to the concerns…

She says tribal and non-tribal communities across the district face the same healthcare, housing, broadband, and workforce shortages, and that the solutions to those problems require working across jurisdictional lines, not around them. Her platform treats the district’s economies, resorts, agriculture, tribal enterprise and outdoor recreation as a system built on the same shared land and water.

Should the data center conversation also include broadband expansion?

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An Op-Ed from Next City wonders why municipalities aren’t looking at broadband expansion as a talking point for data centers…

As data centers pop up across the country, communities are asking hard questions about their true value: megawatts of electricity used, gallons of water absorbed, tax abatements for developers, and the true number of jobs created.

The current debate positions data centers as a tradeoff between growth and strain, pitting economic development versus environmental and infrastructure impact.

These are important questions. They deserve scrutiny. But they are not the whole picture. …

For communities — especially in rural areas — who may still be working to install broadband networks, the data center debate is an opportunity for a structured and thoughtful broadband infrastructure transformation.

While discussions on water and power define where a data center will locate, it is the connectivity that will define what impact it will have on a community.

I have wondered why this hasn’t come up earlier in this current chapter of data centers. Around 2014, Eagan made very purposeful strides to connect broadband to data centers as an economic development strategy. And I remember (in 2011), when Duluth was trying to become a Google Fiber Community that the cold as an asset to data centers and the recent addition of the Involta data center was a plus. Clearly, this is a decade before the arrival hyperscale data center in Minnesota and hyperscale is a game changer. But this article got me looking at what happened years ago. I cannot say whether data centers are a good or bad idea for you community, but the advice I saw 10 years ago looks similar to the first step given in this article…

To create a robust plan for local connectivity, all stakeholders must be involved. That includes broadband providers that lay the fiber and build the infrastructure that connect our businesses, schools, and hospitals to the modern economy. These companies are core stakeholders, not background infrastructure.

However, these providers are often noticeably absent from such conversation. At a recent Columbus City Council hearing about data center development, for example, not a single internet provider or broadband expert was among the presentations. The room was filled, the news was filming, strong opinions were shared – and yet, broadband was not represented.

Not having all stakeholders at the table means that decisions about data centers are being made with incomplete information as to the whole picture of the costs and benefits of development.

The American Broadband Deployment Act could change broadband permitting and siting

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Wireless Estimator reports ona bill that was going through the Congress yesterday (spoiler: Punchbowl news reported that this bill was pulled from the House floor). While the immediacy may be gone, I think it’s still helpful to know what is being discussed…

A bill working its way through Congress could be one of the most significant boosts the tower and telecom siting and contracting industry has seen in years — and it may be one step closer to becoming law by tonight.

H.R. 2289, the American Broadband Deployment Act, introduced by Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), is a sweeping federal bill designed to streamline nationwide permitting for broadband and telecommunications infrastructure.
What began as a one-page proposal to exempt specified broadband projects from federal environmental and historic review requirements expanded dramatically through committee amendments into a roughly 100-page omnibus bill incorporating more than 20 separate permitting and preemption provisions affecting wireless siting, wireline broadband deployment, cable franchising, and federal review processes.
It would limit the ability of local governments to delay, restrict, or add costs to tower and network deployments — cutting through the kind of bureaucratic red tape that has slowed projects and drained contractor resources for years.

The bill has passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee and significantly restructures how local governments may regulate the placement, construction, and modification of communications facilities in public rights-of-way and on locally controlled property.

Industry support for the bill is broad and deep.

The industry is interested in bill; local governments are not as interested…

Not everyone is on board, however. A powerful coalition of local government organizations is fighting back hard. The National League of Cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National Association of Counties, and the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors jointly oppose the bill, calling it an unprecedented and dangerous usurpation of local governments’ authority to manage public rights-of-way and land use.
The local organizations wrote that the bill “creates a framework that prioritizes communication companies’ shareholder value at the expense of the safety and financial interests of the communities and the taxpayers they serve.” Critics further argue that the bill would undermine public safety, force local taxpayers to subsidize private corporations, and disrupt the very broadband deployment progress it aims to accelerate.

New MN Bill: to establish a steering committee that would provide recommendations on current human services IT HF4675

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Last week, the House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee, heard about HF4675 to establish a steering committee that would provide recommendations on current human services IT systems and the development of new ones…

Counties have long lamented outdated “Oregon Trail”-era IT systems used to enroll Minnesotans in Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Women Infants and Children, and other public assistance programs. Soon, President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” will introduce increased complexity to these systems and legislators have said the status quo can’t accommodate that.

In addition to remedies proposed by Gov. Tim Walz and other legislators throughout the session, Rep. Danny Nadeau (R-Rogers) has a proposal to kickstart upgrades and modernizations.

He sponsors HF4675 to establish a steering committee that would provide recommendations on current human services IT systems and the development of new ones. The bill would also appropriate an undetermined amount of money in Fiscal Year 2027 to update county IT systems.

The committee laid the bill over.

Counties currently use two systems to process claims: MAXIS, launched in 1989, and METS, established in 2014.

Testifiers said both systems have issues.