Benton County residents will get high-speed fiber broadband internet after the Board of Commissioners approved an agreement with Benton Communications.
The county awarded the company $1.5 million to 483 rural addresses in unserved and underserved areas north of Highway 23. Packages will be offered in speeds ranging from 100Mbps upload/download up to one gigabyte upload/download.
The money comes from Benton Communications, the State of Minnesota Border to Border grants, and Benton County contributing $1.1 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Benton Communications expects to begin work on laying the 148 miles of fiber in the fall and complete the project by June 2025.
Residents interested in broadband service should contact Benton Communications General Manager Cheryl Scapanski at 320-393-1112.
However, I think that the announcement of service may be premature. The agenda from the last Benton County Commissioners meeting (Feb 21 2023) indicates that the county discussed the opportunity to invest and support Benton County’s Border to Border proposal but they need to apply before knowing that it will happen. But fingers crossed for Benton County!
Blandin on Broadband 