AT&T closed its acquisition of Lumen’s mass market fiber business in a $5.75 billion all-cash deal Monday.
The deal has expanded AT&T’s fiber offerings in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado Nebraska and Iowa, landing AT&T with one million additional fiber subscribers and four million additional fiber locations, according to a press release.
AI data centers have been a big topic for many rural communities in Minnesota, such as Farmington, Hermantown, North Mankato and more. I was interested when I came across a podcast on AI data center in black neighborhoods from The Miseducation of Technology. The issues sound similar to those I’ve heard in rural Minnesota. The recommendations are also similar. But sometimes it’s easier to see the issues and recommendations more clearly when we’re not talking about our park or our water bills.
Here’s a description from and link to the podcast itself…
In this episode of The Miseducation of Technology, Attorney Danielle A. Davis breaks down what’s really behind Microsoft’s new “community-first” promise on AI data centers—and why that announcement didn’t come out of nowhere.
The conversation starts where most tech policy discussions don’t: with culture.
In 2025, R&B singer SZA publicly questioned the environmental cost of AI—calling out energy use, pollution, and why Black cities like Memphis keep ending up on the receiving end. What sounded like a celebrity tweet was actually a warning rooted in lived experience.
Because while AI is often sold as “cloud-based” and abstract, for many Black communities it is physical, loud, and permanent—arriving in the form of massive data centers that consume enormous amounts of power and water, strain local grids, and reshape land use with little community input.
So why did Microsoft suddenly promise to:
• Cover electricity costs
• Reduce and replenish water use
• Stop asking for tax breaks
• Invest in local training and education
And more importantly—what does that actually solve… and what does it leave untouched?
The 2025 MN Broadband Task Force Annual Report is out!
The Office of Broadband Development and MN Broadband Task Force unveiled the 2025 MN Broadband Task Force Annual Report at the Task Force. It includes a concise description of progress toward the statutory speed goals Minnesota has made measurable strides: as of 2025, 93.84% of homes and businesses have access to broadband at 25/3 Mbps, and 92.11% can reach speeds of 100/20 Mbps. Yet, more than 121,000 households remain without basic service, and nearly 155,000 are underserved at higher speeds. It also includes recommendations for policymakers.
MN Broadband Task Force Jan 2026: Unveiling the Annual Task Force report
The Broadband Task Force unveiled the Annual Report and presented it to Senator Putnam, Chair of the Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development. They also heard about Minnesota broadband environmental permitting overview.
2026 MN County Profiles – how is your county doing?
A reminder that the MN Broadband County Profiles were posted in late December. Check it out to learn more about your community or see how your county compares to others for access to 100 Mbps down and 20 up, the 2026 MN State speed goal. (You can also learn what you can do with the MN County Broadband Profile.)
State News
Vendor/Technology News
Office of Broadband Development Updates and News:
Local Broadband News
Anoka County
A reminder that lack of broadband is still an issue in rural Minnesota (Anoka County)
Balkan
Broadband expansion completed in Balkan (St Louis County)
Bovey
Paul Bunyan Communications completes broadband expansion in City of Bovey (Itasca County)
Hennepin County and Hopkins
NDIA announce 2025 Digital Inclusion Trailblazers including Hennepin County and City of Hopkins
North Star and Pequaywan
North Star and Pequaywan Townships are excited for BEAD funding for broadband (St Louis County)
Pine County
Broadband makes Pine County’s Top 20 2025 list
Pine River
Pine River policymaker says state funding for broadband in near future is unlikely
St Louis County
Rural St Louis County is getting better broadband through BEAD and Mediacom
More on the Broadband in rural St. Louis County
Willmar
Willmar Council votes to accept $7.6M bid to begin broadband deployment
Willmar MN gets nice nod in list of Municipal Networks that Launched in 2025 – for getting so close
Willmar Council to consider awarding bids for Willmar Connect on Jan 20
Willmar City Council delays announcement of Willmar Connect broadband plan
Willmar City Council to decide on broadband plan amidst some criticism
Zimmerman
Zimmerman celebrates “bandwidth revolution is a form of civic power”
Upcoming Events, Opportunities and Resources
SpaceX, submitted an authorization request to the FCC to operate their orbital data center system on Friday, kicking off the race to bring data centers to support AI in space.
The request asks for approval to launch and operate up to a one million satellite constellation that will utilize a sun-synchronous orbit to obtain near constant solar power.
That’s a lot more than they currently manage…
SpaceX currently operates around 9,400 functioning satellites through its starlink broadband system, making this request a more than 100-fold increase in operational scale. The application letter doesn’t provide specific details on the satellites themselves, but does say it hopes to operate between 500 kilometers (km) and 2000 km above earth’s surface with orbital shells of 50 km suggesting there would be “sufficient room to deconflict against other systems with comparable ambitions”
The University of Minnesota Extension has an article on AI, mobile data and boundaries…
Today, with paved roads, remote work, and a highly mobile population, she [DeeDee LeMier} explains the limited data available to rural communities often obscures the real story of how they are functioning. But new mobile data tools are beginning to change this — offering a clearer picture of how people move, work, and connect across regions.
This shift is playing out in rural Minnesota where LeMier, an Extension community development educator, has been working with Placer.ai, a location analytics platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze anonymous mobile device data.
She talked about Wadena County as an example…
In Wadena County, community leaders asked Extension to help blur the lines between counties for an annual planning effort. The request reflected a growing recognition that people’s lives — and local economies — don’t stop at jurisdictional borders.
Ben Winchester, a rural sociologist with Extension, frames the issue as “living in the middle of everywhere,” explaining that since 2018 a majority of Minnesotans now leave their home county to work every day. “People move for regional assets surrounding quality of life rather than solely job opportunities. That is, they find a home in the middle of their desired social and economic life,” he says, challenging long-standing economic development strategies focused solely on industrial attraction.
Using Placer.ai, Extension analyzed three key dimensions of community life: resident activity, visitor patterns, and commuting behavior. The results offered insight that traditional surveys often miss. “For many small communities, especially those in rural areas, there is no detailed information available without spending huge amounts of money to do in-person surveys,” says LeMier. “By having real-time data, we can share local information with county leadership that would otherwise not be available.”
Wadena community leaders found the results immediately useful. “The most valuable insight was seeing how people actually move through, into, and out of the community — where they are coming from, how long they stay, and which destinations are most connected to Wadena,” says Hope Williams, executive director of the Economic Alliance, Wadena County’s economic development agency. “This provided a more accurate picture of regional relationships and economic activity than traditional data sources alone.”
Mobile data, for example, revealed that Wadena is a net importer of workers, meaning a larger number of employees work in the county than those who cross county lines for outside work. Nearly one-third of workers came from regional zip codes, most commonly from the Fargo, North Dakota, metropolitan area.
Williams says one of the most surprising findings was the extent to which Wadena functions as a hub for the surrounding area. “The data showed stronger and more frequent connections with neighboring communities than expected,” she says, “reinforcing the idea that Wadena plays a regional role in services, employment, and daily travel.”
Brookings Institute talks about research that looks at workers’ ability to adapt if job loss does occur…
In short, the new analysis asks: If AI does cause job displacement, who is best positioned to adapt, and who will struggle most? In asking those questions, this analysis intends to help policymakers focused on AI’s labor market impacts better target their attention and resources.
I thought this might be of interest to policymakers, anyone with workforce development and anyone with a job…
Overall, this analysis offers a more nuanced picture of AI’s possible impacts on workers than AI exposure measures can on their own.
Specifically, the analysis focuses on understanding the degree to which workers in different highly exposed occupations could manage a job transition after involuntary displacement. In doing so, it makes clear the existence of both large zones of strong resilience to job loss across the workforce as well as concentrated pockets of heightened vulnerability if displacement were to occur.
Given this, the report likely has practical use for workforce and employment development practitioners because understanding where workers are most and least resilient to AI-driven labor market change may help inform the optimal use of public funding for workforce adjustment programs.
The research is interesting and can be highlighted in the graphics below…
Visit the article for access to the interactive maps of communities with the largest share of jobs in high vulnerability occupations.
There is a new, free tool called BroadbandClusters that you can use to get information about your community (county, city, zip code) if your county is part of a MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area). If you are you can access the following information:
You can get data from the following counties (as well as cities and zip codes within these counties):
And here are screenshots of the info:
For the 1 in 10 people in the United States who don’t own a computer, accessing government services has become increasingly difficult. As services move increasingly online, residents without a computer and reliable internet service are locked out of essential systems. Tasks that were once handled in person now assume access to digital tools that many individuals simply do not have.
Federal policy is accelerating this shift. The 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA) and recent guidance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) direct agencies to establish a “digital-first public experience.” Agencies are required to digitize services and forms, expand the use of electronic signatures, and maximize self-service transactions.
At the same time, the federal government is also transitioning exclusively to electronic payments, ending the issuance of paper checks. The IRS states that electronic direct deposit is the fastest and safest way for individuals to receive a tax refund, and that the agency is phasing out paper checks for taxpayers. This shift makes digital access to an online bank account a necessity to receive and view payments.
The article goes on to give examples of times when an email address or access to a computer is required. Examples include Veterans and Essential Services Move Online and Education and Public Access Challenges.
From the Office of Broadband Development…
Broadband Matters: Office of Broadband Development Updates
- Broadband Task Force, January meeting recap
- Line Extension Connection Program updates
- Broadband updates and in the news
- BEAD in Minnesota
Broadband Task Force, January meeting recap
The Broadband Task Force had the first meeting of 2026 on Thursday January 22, at 10 a.m. The Task Force had a legislative discussion and broadband check-in with Senator Putnam (Chair Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development) and presented on the 2025 annual report, including recommendations on meeting broadband goals in Minnesota. Deven Bowdry, (Government Relations Director, Department of Employment and Economic Development) presented a legislative preview, and OBD’s Bree Maki (Executive Director) and Megan Messerole (Broadband Environmental and Land Use Coordinator) gave overviews on broadband updates and Minnesota broadband environmental permitting.
More information on this and past meetings can be found on the Broadband Task Force webpage.
OBD is currently in the process of rolling out awards and getting confirmation of award acceptance from providers for Round 4 of the Line Extension Connection Program. Once this process is complete, OBD will publish final awards, which is expected to be late January or early February.
Registration remains open for future rounds if and as funding is available for residents and businesses on the Line Extension Connection Program webpage. OBD expects to run a fifth round of Line Extension with state project funds in spring 2026.
Questions on Line Extension can be sent to deed.broadband@state.mn.us or (651)-259-7610.
Broadband updates and in the news
OBD’s 2025 annual report has been submitted and made available online on OBD’s Minnesota Reports and Resources webpage. Additionally:
- OBD’s Executive Director Bree Maki was part of a panel and follow-up story in Broadband Breakfast’s, State Broadband Officers Still Face Delays in BEAD Approval, Implementation
- Pew analysis, What’s Next for Broadband Expansion?
- Telecompetitor interview, with Shirley Bloomfield on AI and rural broadband
BEAD in Minnesota
On December 19, 2025, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approved Minnesota’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Final Proposal, advancing the state’s plan to expand high‑speed internet with federal funding.
Following extensive engagement, restructuring, and over 18 rounds of curing, Minnesota has been initially approved for:
- $378.9 million in BEAD subgrants across 94 projects. These projects are supported by nearly $190 million in matching funds, representing a total anticipated investment of more than $568.8 million
- Funds will connect connect 74,739 locations
OBD is awaiting final approval from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and will then begin the contracting process with subgrantees, prioritizing award agreements and readiness activities.
OBD continues to update the OBD BEAD webpage as additional updates and resources are made available, including:
- Addition of an NTIA BABA Compliance Guide
- Updated NTIA Letter of Credit Waiver, see Section 2.2b for changes that apply to the performance bond only
NTIA is hosting the a Discussion on Federal Requirements for BEAD Subgrantees on Thursday, January 29, 2026 at 1 p.m. CST. This webinar will discuss the requirements of being a federal subgrantee; while subgrantees contract directly with the Eligible Entity, this webinar will be an opportunity for SBOs and provisionally awarded subgrantees to be reminded of the baseline requirements. Register here.
The status of BEAD nationally can be followed on NTIA’s BEAD Progress Dashboard.
From the Minnesota Telecom Alliance…
MTA 2026 Annual Convention and Trade Show
March 9-11, 2026 | Mystic Lake Casino Hotel | Prior Lake, MN
⇨ Register for the Convention and Trade ShowBe a Part of What Comes Next in Telecommunications — Here’s How
The MTA Convention brings together leaders from across the telecommunications industry for meaningful conversations and practical insights. Hear from expert speakers on topics ranging from rural broadband growth and strategic process improvement to leveraging AI to enhance the customer experience. This engaging event delivers practical takeaways and valuable networking in one place—designed to inform, inspire, and connect.
Be part of the conversations driving the industry forward.
Reasons You Won’t Want to Miss This
- Top-tier education: The MTA Convention delivers some of the most valuable educational sessions in the telecommunications industry.
- Trade Show with over 115 booths represented — meet and connect with vendors and companies all over the state of Minnesota, and even into the neighboring states.
- Expand your network: Connect with industry peers and meet new colleagues from across the state and beyond.
Blois Olson to Headline MTA Convention Issues Luncheon
The Minnesota Telecom Alliance is pleased to announce that Blois Olson will serve as the featured speaker for this year’s Issues Luncheon at the MTA Annual Convention.Blois Olson is one of Minnesota’s most respected and recognizable voices in public affairs. As the founder of Fluence Media and the author of the widely followed Morning Take briefing, Blois helps thousands of business and community leaders stay informed about the fast‑moving issues shaping our state. His deep knowledge of communications strategy, policy trends, and statewide political dynamics has made him a trusted resource for organizations navigating change.
This year, Blois will offer MTA members timely insights into Minnesota’s evolving political landscape, including the shifting priorities at the Legislature, the factors influencing policymaking today, and what these trends mean for industries working to connect Minnesotans across the state. His clear, accessible, and forward-looking analysis will help attendees better understand the environment in which we operate — and what may be on the horizon.We look forward to welcoming Blois Olson and hearing his perspective on the key issues shaping Minnesota and the future of telecommunications.
Join us at the Issues Luncheon for this informative and engaging session!
An announcement from the FCC…
Today, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the Commission will vote next month on proposals to reform the agency’s federal Lifeline program, which accounts for nearly $1 billion in spending every year. These proposals are designed to enhance program integrity, prevent fraud, and ensure that federal dollars go only to eligible low-income Americans. The federal Lifeline program provides a discount on phone and Internet services for qualifying low-income Americans, but in recent years rampant abuse of the system has been uncovered, necessitating a closer look at the Commission’s rules.
A new Inspector General Advisory, released just yesterday, shows that Lifeline providers received nearly $5 million in federal dollars to provide phone or Internet service to hundreds of thousands of dead people. The Advisory, which looked at the three opt-out states, shows that 81% of this fraud took place in California while the state had been allowed to run its own process to verify subscriber eligibility. FCC Chairman Carr recently revoked California’s ‘opt-out’ status.
Chairman Carr issued the following statement:
“The FCC has an obligation to be a good steward of federal dollars. And that is why the agency will be taking a comprehensive look at the FCC’s nearly $1 billion dollar a year Lifeline program, which subsidizes phone and Internet services for low-income Americans. It should go without saying that only beneficiaries that are both living and here legally should qualify for benefits under this program. But the data to date shows that this is not the case.
“A recent Inspector General Advisory shows that Lifeline providers received nearly $5 million in federal dollars to provide phone or Internet service to more than 116,000 dead people in the three opt-out states. Over 80% of those scams took place in California alone. That type of waste, fraud, and abuse is completely unacceptable.
“Similarly, FCC regulations do not adequately ensure that these federal dollars flow only to people that are here lawfully. There has been a recent rise in non-citizens fraudulently obtaining social security numbers. And the current verification process does not do a good enough job at preventing duplicative subscriptions and similar abuse.
“So the FCC will be voting on a plan to address all of these issues. Your hard-earned dollars should only be going to those households that Congress intended to benefit.”
Additional Background Information:
Congress and the FCC established the federal Lifeline program to help ensure that low-income Americans are able to receive affordable communications service. Participating companies may claim Lifeline support for voice and broadband services for eligible subscribers, paid for out of the federal Universal Service Fund.
Over the years, the Commission has taken critical steps to protect program integrity.
In 2012, the Commission established the National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD) to prevent and detect duplicative Lifeline support provided to individuals and households.
In 2016, the Commission established the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier, to improve the accuracy of eligibility verifications of Lifeline applicants. A Lifeline applicant currently must provide on their application form their full name; residential address; whether they live at the residential address on a temporary or permanent basis; billing address; date of birth; and either the last four digits of their Social Security number (SSN) or Tribal identification number. This is a requirement designed to operate in a manner that limits the program to U.S. citizens and qualified persons that have lawfully valid SSNs. However, there has been an increase in the number of SSNs illegally obtained or assigned in recent years, with more than 2 million non-citizens illegally assigned SSNs in 2024 alone. The FCC is following this issue closely to ensure all states are following the appropriate procedures.
In November 2025, the FCC revoked California’s ‘opt-out’ status and now requires federal Lifeline applicants in California to comply with the federal verification process that applies in nearly every other state. The recent Inspector General Advisory bolsters this decision as it shows California enrolled many deceased individuals into the Lifeline program using its own eligibility standards.
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) is an important safeguard that protects federal funding by limiting support for federal programs to qualified persons. The FCC will be seeking comment on a tentative conclusion that Lifeline program support is a “federal public benefit” and is therefore available only to U.S. citizens and persons with appropriate qualified status under the PRWORA.
Additionally, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which will be voted on by the full Commission during the February 18th Open Meeting, proposes program reforms to ensure the program helps the people it is intended to benefit. Consistent with the goal of ensuring taxpayer-funded benefits are provided only to eligible recipients, if adopted, the FCC would seek comment on several steps to safeguard the Lifeline program including:
- Ensuring that Lifeline support is used to benefit only legal, living, and eligible Americans consistent with section 254 of the Act, through enhanced requirements to ensure that program participants are truly eligible for Lifeline discounts;
- Improving program integrity and efficiency, including reforms applicable to the states that have been permitted to opt out of using the NLAD;
- Promoting more principled service provider conduct and ensuring that service providers that participate in the Lifeline program comply with all rules; and
- Streamlining Lifeline program rules and mimimizing stakeholder confusion.
The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society reports…
In a letter to state broadband offices, Elon Musk’s SpaceX suggested that it may be “untenable” for low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite internet providers, such as Starlink, to participate in the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program unless they receive exemptions from certain contract requirements. Those exemptions, which are specified in a “contract rider” attached to the letter, would limit Starlink’s performance obligations, payment schedules, non-compliance penalties, reporting expectations, and labor and insurance standards.
SpaceX’s request highlights issues with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) reliance on LEO providers. BEAD was designed primarily to deploy terrestrial networks, which are physically located in communities, built with traditional construction methods, and are relatively easy to monitor and inspect. But, on June 6, 2025, NTIA restructured BEAD in ways that greatly increased participation by LEO providers, exacerbating the challenge of applying BEAD’s terrestrial-focused rules to LEO’s extraterrestrial networks.
SpaceX’s solution appears to be to simply exempt LEO providers from many of BEAD’s requirements. Specifically, SpaceX proposes that:
- LEO providers should be evaluated exclusively by network performance. However, performance tests can only be considered if the LEO provider determines that the subscriber’s equipment is properly installed, and, notably, the LEO provider is not obligated to ensure proper installation. LEO providers should not be required to document that their network has “reserved capacity” exclusively for BEAD users.
- LEO providers should not be reimbursed based on subscriber acquisition but rather should receive 50 percent payment upon certification of service availability and the remaining 50 percent quarterly over 10 years.
- In the event of default or non-compliance, LEO providers should only be subject to the clawback of grant funds and debarment, nothing more.
- LEO providers should not be required to provide financial reporting or documentation of grant expenses.
- LEO providers should not be subject to BEAD’s labor or insurance requirements.
- Starlink’s Low-Cost Service Option will cost $80 or less and be available to Lifeline-eligible households.
The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society reports…
This week, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), and the nonprofit Fairplay released model legislation for a People-First Model Chatbot Bill. The People-First Chatbot Bill intends to give lawmakers a straightforward approach to address the harms caused by artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot products developed and deployed by tech companies with little oversight or transparency. Rather than outlawing chatbots, the model bill provides a workable, clear framework to encourage the development of safer technology.
Why are they doing this?
Recent lawsuits show that chatbots can cause devastating harm to people of all ages, including both children and adults. This model bill endeavors to make them safer for everyone.
The bill looks at several aspects of Chatbot…
The People-First Chatbot Bill is organized into a number of sections, each tackling a different facet of chatbot use, privacy protections, transparency requirements, and bill implementation:
Data Privacy and Security
Transparency for Users
Safety by Design: Assessments and Transparency Requirements
From Paul Bunyan Communications…
Paul Bunyan Communications has completed expanding its all-fiber optic network, the GigaZone®, to the city of Bovey that included over 350 homes and businesses. Those who have signed up for service are being contacted to set up service installation.
“We’re proud to complete our all-fiber optic gigabit broadband expansion to the City of Bovey. High-quality connectivity is no longer a luxury, it’s essential. With this project now complete, residents and businesses in Bovey can access the advanced broadband services they need to thrive,” said Chad Bullock, CEO/General Manager of Paul Bunyan Communications.
“This expansion marks a major step forward for the Bovey community,” said Leo Anderson, Chief Technology Officer at Paul Bunyan Communications. “With our all-fiber optic network now delivering speeds up to 10 Gig, everything from remote work and online learning to telehealth and streaming becomes seamless. This level of connectivity is truly transformative.”
Anyone interested in getting connected to the all-fiber optic broadband network in these areas can still sign up for service. The cooperative will return to bring the network up to locations with no construction fee when feasible.
There is no membership fee to join Paul Bunyan Communications, membership is included by subscribing to either local phone service or GigaZone® Internet service.
To check to see if a specific location is within an expansion area and learn more about the expansion construction process, visit www.gigazone.com
There are moments in Minnesota when the cold does more than freeze lakes and stiffen breath. It interrupts the machinery of daily life. It closes schools, empties buses, quiets playgrounds, and turns the ordinary act of leaving home into a calculation of risk. Friday, January 23, 2026 is one of those days.
Added in the difference in broadband based on location…
For many families, school is not just a place of learning. It is childcare. It is reliable meals. It is heat. It is structure. When buildings close, those supports scatter into private homes that are not equally equipped to absorb the shock.
Hourly workers lose income. Parents working essential jobs face impossible choices. Families without reliable internet struggle to make e-learning function as intended. Rural households with long driveways and limited broadband face isolation compounded by cold. For elders who depend on school transportation staff, school nurses, or community routines connected to schools, the day becomes longer and lonelier.
The cold does not distribute its burden evenly. It presses hardest on those with the fewest buffers.