I know it’s Iowa, but broadband expansion near Minnesota is likely to help the neighboring MN counties too, indirectly if not directly. The Post Bulletin reports…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Harmony Telephone Co. will receive $9.7 million to help expand rural broadband coverage.

“The need for rural broadband has never been more apparent than it is now – as our nation manages the coronavirus national emergency,” said USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue. “Access to telehealth services, remote learning for school children, and remote business operations all require access to broadband.”

Harmony Telephone Co. will use a $4.8 million ReConnect grant and a $4.8 million ReConnect loan to install a fiber network that will connect 1,579 people, 96 farms and 31 businesses to high-speed broadband internet in Howard and Chickasaw counties in Iowa.

Harmony Telephone Co. COO Jill Huffman said providing broadband access in rural areas is challenging due to the expense of infrastructure.

“This award will provide opportunities to help households, farms and businesses thrive. Rural residents will have the broadband speed necessary for working and learning from home that their counterparts in urban areas have had,” Huffman explained.