Turns out I wasn’t the only one driving a long distance for the Le Sueur County Fair over the weekend, Walker Orenstein from MinnPost was there too and he used the opportunity to take a deep dive into the broadband situation in Le Sueur County.

Le Sueur has been working on getting better broadband for many years. They have had some successes and some roadblocks. Walker outlines the current barriers. It demonstrates the importance of good maps and engaged communities.

There is opportunity…

As the federal government prepares to hand out an unprecedented flood of cash in Minnesota for improving access to broadband – including a whopping $652 million from the 2021 infrastructure bill – decisions on how to direct money to connect rural areas might be influenced by small conversations like these.

There are challenges…

The fair is one way to spread information to people in Le Sueur County, like what internet providers serve certain areas. It’s also a way for county officials to gather intel, especially as they prepare to contest the service claims of a controversial telecom company in hopes of getting a share of broadband money.

And now is a good time to look for challenges in your community…

As those programs get up and running – state officials are still devising a plan with the federal government for using the $652 million – it’s too soon to say which providers and what parts of the state could get money.

But maps of existing coverage published by the FCC are a critical starting point, and have sparked jockeying among telecom and broadband advocates for a slice of the pie. A look at those maps shows wide coverage by LTD Broadband in southern Minnesota, at download and upload speeds of 250 megabits per second (mbps).

That is fast enough to exceed state and federal standards, which considers 100/20 mbps service – which also can match or beat typical speeds in big urban areas – to be adequate.

Critics, however, argue the FCC maps aren’t accurate. And they hope to erase at least parts of LTD’s territory from the map. One survey of 120 LTD customers in Le Sueur County found average speeds of 9/1 mbps, according to a letter sent to state regulators by county officials.

(I have been following the situation with LTD Broadband and the MN PUC. Concerns for losing the opportunity to get better broadband in places like Le Sueur fuels the organizations that have filed the original issue with the MN PUC.)

Another issue is the definition of broadband…

The money from the infrastructure bill is a bit more complicated. It appears that federal regulators overseeing that particular pot of cash don’t count technology used by LTD Broadband. That means the LTD coverage area would still be considered “unserved,” opening the door for grants that would subsidize other providers.

LTD mainly offers what’s known as “fixed wireless,” which distributes a signal from a transmitter placed on a tall structure like a water tower. The feds prefer fiber cable to the home for the infrastructure program. Minnesota officials also believe fiber is faster and more reliable. The performance of fiber compared to fixed wireless has long been a source of debate in the industry.

Hauer [LTD Broadband SEO] told MinnPost he doesn’t think their existing services would block anyone from the cash earmarked for broadband in the infrastructure bill. And he hopes to actually compete for grants from the infrastructure money through building fiber.

What can the communities do? Find a local champion, such as Barbara Dröher Kline, and get people engaged…

For a county-wide challenge, Dröher Kline said she hopes to gather more specific information than from the county’s survey. And she needs enough people to make a case.

That means finding residents who have service from LTD Broadband and running speed tests. It also means working with people to sign up for internet and ask the company for speeds advertised to the FCC to see if the company can deliver them.

The fair booth had detailed maps showing what parts of the county have coverage from any broadband provider. Raffle winners got coffee mugs advertising the county’s broadband initiative. Free coffee was available to all. “But I interrogate them about who their broadband provider is,” Dröher Kline said.