According to the Kenyon Leader…

Senator Matt Schmit joined residents of Goodhue County and representatives from New Ulm-based NU-Telecom as they celebrated breaking ground on a “fiber to the farm” broadband deployment in rural Goodhue County on Monday, June 27.

“It’s nice to see our broadband efforts make a real difference so close to home in Goodhue County,” Sen. Schmit said. “Broadband connectivity – in this case, ‘fiber to the farm’ – is the great equalizer for Greater Minnesota, enabling expansion of home-based business, distance learning, telemedicine, and precision agriculture. This represents critical infrastructure investment in the 21st century.”

NU-Telecom was one of 15 applicants to receive funding in 2015 for broadband projects through Minnesota’s Border-to-Border Broadband matching grant program – an effort championed by Sen. Schmit. The Goodhue “fiber to the farm” deployment was funded by a $115,934 state grant and $128,139 provider match, and it aims to build out broadband infrastructure in Goodhue Township. The project will focus primarily on connecting homes and businesses for residents who work from home — including small business owners, farmers, and telecommuters.

The article also outlines border to border program results…

The first two years of Minnesota’s Border-to-Border Broadband Fund will have connected over 10,000 homes, 1,500 businesses, and 100 community anchor institutions — such as libraries, schools, and hospitals — with high-speed Internet connectivity. In 2016, the legislature appropriated an additional $35 million in matching state grant funding for the effort, which targets investment to Minnesota’s hardest-to-serve areas.