From the Office of Broadband Development…

BEAD Challenge, resources + updates

Minnesota’s BEAD Challenge process is in the Rebuttal phase on until September 20th. Rebuttals can be submitted for 30 days through the BEAD Challenge Portal following notification of a valid Challenge or for those Challenges posted to the Open Rebuttals list, but the deadline specified.

Register for the next BEAD Challenge weekly office hours, Thursday September 12th at 2pm here. Office hours will include updates on the Challenge process and a time for Q+A from eligible challenges and community members. The September 19th office hours will be cancelled, and a new session, rescheduled for Thursday September 26th is open for registration here.

Digital Opportunity Update: NDIA’s Seven Star Communities

The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) is inviting applicants for its new Seven Star Communities program. Seven Star Communities highlights Native Nations for excellence in supporting digital inclusion and provides opportunities for Native Nations to learn more about this issue from one another. NDIA is accepting applications through September 30. For more information, please visit NDIA’s Seven Star Communities website.

Governor’s Task Force on Broadband to meet Tuesday, September 24th

The Task Force will meet in Brandon, MN at 10 a.m. Central Time on Tuesday September 24th. The meeting will have virtual as well as in-person options and is open to the public. All are welcome to attend. The meeting will be held at the Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association (800 Central Ave N, Brandon, MN 56315), and will cover updates from Task Force subgroups, the Office of Broadband Development, and hear from guest presenters from PCs for People and Healthemed.

More information on this and past meetings can be found on the Broadband Task Force webpage.

OBD, out of office!

In the past month, staff from OBD had the opportunity to visit sites, attend groundbreaking ceremonies from Broadband Grant programs, and present at Digital Equity events. This has included:

• Site visits to Meeker Cooperative projects in Harrison Township, French Lake Township, and Lake Elizabeth and Lake Lillian Townships; and Woodstock at Lake Sarah, pictured right.
• Groundbreaking ceremonies in Cloquet for a CTC project on August 19th, and Preston for MiBroadband on August 27th
• Nuvera fiber grant project launches in both Brown County on August 27th and Hutchinson on September 9th, pictured below.

 

Hannah Buckland, Digital Equity Program Lead, presented updates on Digital Equity Act programs at a meeting of the Minitex Policy Advisory Council on September 6. Minitex– an important partner in digital equity housed at UMN and serving Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota – connects libraries and individuals with information, ideas, and experiences to enrich lives and strengthen communities.