Over the weekend, Senator Klobuchar headed up north to celebrate the ARRA-funded broadband project being led by Arrowhead Electric Cooperative. Fox 21 News reports…

It’s a region of Minnesota lacking something many take for granted; high speed internet. But now, a massive project is under way to finally help Cook County get connected.”I always argue that we should be focused on three things: transportation, energy and broadband,” declared Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar.

…

Currently much of Cook County uses dial–up, satellite, or DSL internet connections- all which are unreliable. “There’s no way we’re gonna compete on the national or international stage if we don’t have internet,” said Sen. Klobuchar.

It will also help bring jobs to region. Jobs, that without internet, may have gone elsewhere. “We can agree that these jobs should be in Lutsen. They should be in Grand Marais. They should be in Schroeder. They shouldn’t be in Mumbai, India or Shanghai, China,” said Sen. Klobuchar.

The Arrowhead Electric Coop recently posted some project updates on their web site, including a video, a construction status map and answers to frequently asked questions…

Materials and Equipment for the construction of our fiber optic network have started arriving in Lutsen. Construction has begun along the Caribou Trail. Underground crews are working in the Tait, Clara, Christine and Cariobu Lake areas. Once completed the underground work will move towards Deer Yard Lake and the Jonvick Creek subdivisions. Crews building between the road and the home on private properties will begin work in 1-2 weeks. Once completed with the Caribou Trail, construction crews will begin working westerly to the Lake & Cook County line.