The Duluth News Tribune posts an letter to the editor from Amber Lewis, a consultant for Northspan…

Digital equity might not be the first thing that comes to mind when we think about glaring disparities; but in an increasingly digitized world, it demands more of our focus. …

There’s also the urban-rural divide. A 2022 estimate from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) found the state had approximately 240,000 households that lacked wireline access to 100/20 broadband service. Approximately 224,000 of those were rural.

Over the years, millions of dollars have been channeled toward building out broadband infrastructure — in Minnesota alone. Alongside DEED’s Border-to-Border Broadband Program, a lot of work has gone on behind the scenes to help unserved and underserved homes get access to reliable, affordable internet.

It’s been an especially thorny challenge in hard-to-reach areas like rural pockets of the Arrowhead and Iron Range. Many of these places don’t qualify for grants because, on paper, they have internet service. Regional committees have formed and worked together with consultants like GEO Partners and NEO Connect to perform feasibility studies and connectivity tests. The data revealed gaps in connectivity, and this evidence helped hard-to-reach homes qualify for funding to get faster, more reliable service.

Another grassroots effort formed in response to the Office of Broadband Development’s call in March 2023 for local areas to organize digital connection committees. Over the last year, the committees gathered data and provided input to inform a statewide Digital Opportunity Plan. On March 28, DEED announced federal approval of the plan, which is now eligible for federal grants. The plan will guide further efforts to reduce gaps in access, device ownership, and digital skills.

We’ve come a long way since the Northeastern Minnesota Regional Broadband Summit in September 2021, but service remains inconsistent in many areas, holding back our competitiveness on the national and global levels.