KVSCfm reports…

Rural Benton County will soon experience high speed internet services.

The Minnesota Office of Broadband Development announced a $3 million “Border to Border” broadband grant to Benton Communications on July 7.

The grant is to extend fiber service to areas of Benton County south of Highway 23.

This grant comes five months after another “Border to Border” grant of $1.5 million to bring broadband service to unserved and underserved areas of Benton County to the north of Highway 23.

Benton County says “once both projects are completed, virtually every area of Benton County will have access to high speed internet service.”

Work is already well underway on the North Benton County project areas.

Around an estimated 1,300 addresses in the north and south will be impacted.

The County urges residents to contact Benton Communications to determine if fiber service will be installed in their area.

Completion is expected by the end of 2026.