From the MN Office of Broadband Development…

Border-to-Border Application Frequently Asked Questions

Border-to-Border Broadband Application FAQs have been added to the Broadband website.

A reminder that June 23 is the Pre-Application Outreach deadline (only two weeks away).  If you plan to submit a grant application, this outreach must be done by June 23.

Required Pre-Application Outreach to Other Providers

Minnesota law 116J.395, subd. 5(9) requires that an application include evidence that no later than six weeks before submission of the application the applicant contacted, in writing, all entities providing broadband service in the proposed project area to ask for each broadband service provider’s plan to upgrade broadband service in the project area to speeds that meet or exceed the state’s broadband speed goals in section 237.012, subd. 1, within the time frame specified in the proposed grant activities. The application is also to include the broadband providers written responses. This means that the required notification to other providers must be completed by June 23, 2022 for an application to be submitted by the last day of the filing window of August 4, 2022. This requirement is in statute and cannot be waived; an application that does not contain the necessary information will not be considered for funding.