Kyle Ackerman, owner of Xtratyme Technologies, had a letter in the Minneapolis Star Tribune about his disinterest in government intervention to finance broadband in rural areas…

I own a central Minnesota broadband company and have been a leading pioneer in my industry for more than 15 years. I have several issues with these discussions.

Most of Minnesota is not underserved. For example, in Sibley County, people profess to not have viable broadband options. There are at least six different private-sector businesses currently offering good broadband services to this area. ConnectMN.org can confirm this. My company will be No. 7.

Internet access (for most areas) does not need to be funded by the government. The government has no place in this discussion other than to encourage the private sector to invest in areas that need more choices. Yes, it can be a catalyst — but it does not need to be a capital investor. The private sector can and should do the funding for broadband deployments.

Broadband deployment is a perfect example of capitalism at its best. Small companies like mine can quickly provide access with little or no government restriction. We can do this anywhere in the United States, and we have provided access to many underserved areas already with relative ease.

Here is the list of providers he mentions from Connect Minnesota…

AT&T Mobility LLC

Broadband Provider 61470

Services: PLATFORM TYPE: Mobile Wireless — DBA: AT&T Mobility LLC — MAXIMUM DOWNLOAD SPEED: 10 Mbps – 24.99 Mbps MAXIMUM UPLOAD SPEED: 3 Mbps – 5.99 Mbps

Blueprint America, Inc.

Broadband Provider 61471

Services: PLATFORM TYPE: Fixed Wireless — DBA: Xtratyme Technologies, Inc. — MAXIMUM DOWNLOAD SPEED: 10 Mbps – 24.99 Mbps MAXIMUM UPLOAD SPEED: 10 Mbps – 24.99 Mbps

Broadband Corp

Broadband Provider 61472

Services: PLATFORM TYPE: Fixed Wireless — DBA: Broadband Corp — MAXIMUM DOWNLOAD SPEED: 10 Mbps – 24.99 Mbps MAXIMUM UPLOAD SPEED: 768 Kbps – 1.49 Mbps

Cellco Partnership and its Affiliated Entities

Broadband Provider 61473

Services: PLATFORM TYPE: Mobile Wireless — DBA: Verizon Wireless — MAXIMUM DOWNLOAD SPEED: 10 Mbps – 24.99 Mbps MAXIMUM UPLOAD SPEED: 3 Mbps – 5.99 Mbps

CenturyTel, Inc.

Broadband Provider 61474

Services: PLATFORM TYPE: DSL — DBA: CenturyLink — MAXIMUM DOWNLOAD SPEED: 10 Mbps – 24.99 Mbps MAXIMUM UPLOAD SPEED: 1.5 Mbps – 2.99 Mbps

Frontier Communications of Minnesota, Inc.

Broadband Provider 61475

Services: PLATFORM TYPE: DSL — DBA: Frontier Communications of Minnesota, Inc. — MAXIMUM DOWNLOAD SPEED: 25 Mbps – 49.99 Mbps MAXIMUM UPLOAD SPEED: 3 Mbps – 5.99 Mbps

I’m including their map of Sibley County too – the orange areas are underserved; the pink areas are served with speeds of 10 Mbps down and 6 Mbps up (or faster).