After more than a year of planning and consistent approval by the Willmar City Council, two councilors attempted to delay the project after speaking with a representative from an internet provider. The Willmar City Council in a split 5-2 vote on Monday approved a compromised community outreach and education proposal with Hometown Fiber for the Connect Willmar Initiative, which will construct an open-access broadband network throughout the city.
The approval came after a more than 35-minute discussion and attempts by Councilors Rick Fagerlie and Tom Butterfield to delay the project after they were contacted by a representative from Spectrum, one of the internet providers operating in Willmar.
City staff requested that the council approve up to $85,900 for Hometown Fiber to conduct the outreach and education campaign about the network, but councilors were concerned about approving the full amount before the operations agreement between Hometown Fiber and the city was ready for approval.
Blandin on Broadband
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