Fillmore County Journal reports…

Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced Harmony Telephone Company as a recipient of a Border-to-Border Grant totaling $1.1 million.

The grant program is a partnership between the State of Minnesota and Fillmore County.

Harmony Telephone Company will use the $1.1 million grant and $1.69 million local match to service 34 unserved households, 22 underserved businesses and 56 unserved farms north of Preston in rural areas of Fillmore County. It will improve speeds to 1 Gbps download and 1 Gbps upload on a fiber network, exceeding the state’s 2022 and 2026 speed goals.

And a little more info on Harmony…

Harmony Telephone Company is a privately-held company in Harmony, Minn. It was purchased in 2006 by Mabel Cooperative Telephone Company and Spring Grove Communications. In 2018, MiEnergy Cooperative bought into the company to become an additional owner.  It provides broadband and telephone service to Harmony and the surrounding rural area, as well as, cable TV service in Harmony. Ownership by cooperatives means providing quality service remains a top priority.