Reimagine Rural is a podcast from the Brookings Institute that …

visits rural towns across the United States that are experiencing positive change and explores how public investment in rural people and places can lead to increased prosperity. Hosted by Tony Pipa, a scholar in the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution and a product of rural America, each episode will feature local voices telling the story of progress in their community and consider the intersection with policy and public resources.

I listened to their show on rural broadband. They focused on Macon County Alabama. But aside from the accent, I could have been listening to stories from the Minnesota rural frontlines. Not because each rural town is the same but because many of the broadband barriers are. The one barrier we have overcome, especially during the pandemic, is selling the idea of need. People know they need it. They are willing to pay (a reasonable amount) for it. Here’s a quick take on some of the other barriers:

• Funding. Federal funding is record-breaking right now, but communities need more. That means pursuing state, local, foundation or other funding.
• Staff time. Getting funding takes grant writers and broadband expertise. Some communities or even large counties with few people, often do not have dedicated staff, never mind staff with those skills. Managing broadband projects require yet another set of skills.
• Broadband partners. Trust is a big issue. You want a provider who can do the job and you hope providers who aren’t going to do it keep away.
• Policies. Sounds like Minnesota isn’t the only place where state and federal grant may conflict. And there are a host of rules around permitting and rights of ways!