Here’s the official announcement from the Office of Governor Walz on the recent broadband awards…

Governor Tim Walz today announced $52 million in grants to expand broadband access to an estimated 7,700 homes and businesses throughout Minnesota.

“Investing in broadband infrastructure benefits businesses and communities across the state,” said Governor Walz. “By connecting thousands of Minnesotans to businesses, education, and health care through broadband, we’re making Minnesota the best place to work, live, and do business.”

Earlier this year, Governor Walz announced over $50 million to expand broadband access to an estimated 8,900 homes and businesses throughout Minnesota. In May 2023, Governor Walz signed legislation providing $100 million to the state’s broadband grant funding program for the biennium.

“Broadband is an essential resource that gives Minnesota an economic competitive edge and provides more choices on where to work and live,” said DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek. “It bolsters communities’ efforts to not only promote business attraction and expansion, but also empowers existing businesses with the many benefits that high-speed service can provide.” 

The grant awards announced today will help broadband providers expand high-speed broadband service in 24 counties across Minnesota. The grants come from two DEED programs:

• $25 million from DEED’s flagship Border-to-Border Broadband Program, through which broadband provider grantees are reimbursed for up to half the eligible cost of deploying broadband infrastructure, with funding for a single project capped at $10 million.
• $27 million from the Low Population Density Program, which offers grants to providers building broadband service to areas of Minnesota with particularly low population densities and high broadband deployment costs. The grants can be worth up to $10 million and cover up to 75% of the total cost of a project.
  To date, DEED has awarded over $400 million in Border-to-Border or Low Population Density grants, providing broadband access to nearly 120,000 homes and businesses. Communities and internet service providers contributed over $48 million in matching funds for this grant round and over $400 million for all grant rounds to date.

DEED will continue administering nearly $652 million in federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program funding from the Biden-Harris Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to expand broadband to the most unserved and underserved Minnesotans.

“Minnesota’s impressive broadband infrastructure progress and ongoing efforts are largely due to strong partnerships. As we celebrate this 10-year milestone, I want to thank our state leaders for appropriating the funds needed to continue this essential work and applaud our county and community leaders who recognized broadband’s value and provided the matching funds required to qualify for these state grants,” said Office of Broadband Development Executive Director Bree Maki. “I also want to commend our state’s broadband providers – from national names to small community co-ops and family-run businesses – who stepped forward to take on projects that are often challenging or located in the state’s most remote regions.”

And here are the details on all of the grant awarded projects…

County: Fillmore
Representative Gregory M. Davids, Senator Jeremy Miller
Ace Telephone Association Rural Canton
Grant: $2,567,200
Local Match: $3,850,800
Total Budget: $6,418,000
The Ace Telephone Association project will work to bring broadband services to southeastern Minnesota’s Filmore County, and rural areas around the community of Canton through Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) technology with data rates of up to 1 Gbps (1,000 Mbps) to each subscriber on the network. This project will bring service to 275 locations, 199 unserved and 76 served, consisting of 212 households, 24 businesses, and 39 farms.

County: Stearns
Representative Lisa Demuth, Senator Jeff Howe
Arvig Stearns County Wakefield & Luxemburg Area
Grant: $708,790
Local Match: $866,299
Total Budget: $1,575,089
The Arvig Stearns County Wakefield & Luxemburg Area project will serve locations in Stearns County around the Wakefield and Luxemburg area, bringing fiber-to-the-home up to 10 Gbps download speeds and 1 Gbps upload, and to 10 Gbps for businesses. This project will bring reliable, fast fiber internet to this area for the first time, opening opportunities for 113 locations, including 46 unserved and 67 underserved locations. Stearns County is contributing $661,537 towards this project.

County: Morrison
Representative Isaac Schultz, Senator Nathan Wesenberg
Benton Cooperative Telephone Company Buckman Township
Grant: $1,248,430
Local Match: $2,318,518
Total Budget: $3,566,948
The Benton Cooperative Telephone Company project will provide high-speed Broadband services to Buckman Township in Morrison County. Benton Cooperative Telephone Company currently provides high-speed Broadband to 5,850 customers of which 5,414 are served by fiber allowing them to have speeds of a minimum of 100/100 and a maximum of 1Gig/1Gig. This project will serve a total of 241 locations, including 190 unserved and 51 underserved locations.

County: Le Sueur
Representative Brian H. Pfarr, Senator Rich Draheim
Bevcomm Inc Tyrone Township Fiber Expansion Project
Grant: $1,101,801
Local Match: $367,267
Total Budget: $1,469,068
This Low Density Bevcomm Inc. Tyrone Township project will build underground fiber-to-the-premise technology that will enable data rates of up to 1Gbps (1,000Mbps) symmetrically to each subscriber on the network with unlimited data in Tyrone Township in Le Sueur County. This project will serve 148 unserved rural locations including 104 homes, 36 businesses, and 9 farms. Funding partner, Tyrone Township will be contributing $164,000 to this project.

County: Waseca
Representative Brian Daniels, Representative John Petersburg, Representative Peggy Bennett, Senator John R. Jasinski, Senator John R. Jasinski, Senator Gene Dornink
Bevcomm Inc Waseca County Fiber Expansion Project – Ph 2
Grant: $1,186,050
Local Match: $395,350
Total Budget: $1,581,400
This Low Density Bevcomm Inc Waseca County project will deploy underground fiber infrastructure across Alton, New Richland, and Saint Mary townships in rural Waseca County. This project will provide up to symmetrical Gigabit speeds with unlimited data to 163 homes, businesses, and farms, including 151 unserved and 12 underserved locations. Waseca County will be a funding partner for this project with a match amount of $165,000.

County: Faribault, Freeborn
Representative Bjorn Olson, Representative Peggy Bennett, Senator Rich Draheim, Senator Gene Dornink
Blue Earth Valley Telephone Company Faribault County Fiber Expansion Project – Final Phase
Grant: $1,779,163
Local Match: $5,337,488
Total Budget: $7,116,651
The Faribault County Fiber Expansion Project – Final Phase project will build an underground fiber network to serve the remaining unserved and underserved locations in Faribault county’s rural Wells and Blue Earth, offering speeds of up to a Gigabit symmetrically with unlimited data. This final phase, last mile project will impact a total of 543 addresses, of which 423 are unserved and 120 are underserved, and includes 205 homes, 59 businesses, and 279 farms. Faribault County EDA has pledged $5,000 toward this project.

County: Carlton
Representative Jeff Dotseth, Senator Jason Rarick
Consolidated Telephone Company CTC Round 10 Wrenshall Community Broadband Project
Grant: $2,127,530
Local Match: $2,127,530
Total Budget: $4,255,060
The Consolidated Telephone Company Round 10 Wrenshall Community Broadband project will provide fiber-to-the premise in 770 locations, of which 481 are unserved and 289 underserved. This project will support efforts of residents to work from home, keep up or continue their education, and for businesses to further their community’s vitality.

County: Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs
Representative Isaac Schultz, Representative Bryan Lawrence, Representative Brian Johnson, Senator Nathan Wesenberg, Senator Andrew Mathews, Senator Mark Koran
East Central Energy Mille Lacs Central
Grant: $3,267,902
Local Match: $5,111,333
Total Budget: $8,379,235
The East Central Energy Mille Lacs Central project will expand on ECE’s electric and broadband operations in East Central Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin, bringing state-of-the-art Fiber to the Premise (FTTP) technology to residents of Mille Lacs, Kanabec, and Isanti Counties. This project will serve a total of 659 locations, including 509 unserved and 150 underserved locations. Funding partners are; Isanti Couty $10,000, Kanabec County $900, Mille Lacs County $4,200, and South Fork Township $800, for a total partner contribution of $15,900.

County: Mille Lacs
Representative Ron Kresha, Senator Nathan Wesenberg
East Central Energy Mille Lacs North
Grant: $3,604,567
Local Match: $5,637,915
Total Budget: $9,242,482
The East Central Energy (ECE) Mille Lacs North project will expand on ECE’s electric and broadband operations in East Central Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin. This project will offer 100/100 Mbps, 250/250 Mbps, and 1 Gbps/1 Gbps service options to a total of 803 locations, 677 unserved and 126 underserved, consisting of 680 households, 101 businesses, and 22 farms. Funding partner are Mille Lacs County with a contribution of $15,800 and Page Township with a contribution of $8,000.

County: Martin
Representative Bjorn Olson, Senator Rich Draheim
Federated Rural Electric Association Martin County Low Density
Grant: $8,008,419
Local Match: $2,669,473
Total Budget: $10,677,892
This Low Density Federated Rural Electric Association in Martin County will see Fiber to the Premise (FTTP) Network to be built in rural Martin County. The project will enhance the quality of life and foster community growth for businesses, farmers, and residents at 457 locations, including 431 unserved and 26 underserved addresses. Funding partners include contributions from Martin County, Lake Belt Township, Rolling Green Township, for a total partner contribution of $800,842.

County: Clearwater, Mahnomen
Representative Matt Bliss, Senator Steve Green
Garden Valley Telephone Company 2024 Rural Mahnomen County
Grant: $4,626,012
Local Match: $1,542,008
Total Budget: $6,168,020
This Low Density Garden Valley Telephone Company in Mahnomen County project is a combination middle mile and last mile Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) which will serve locations within the borders of the White Earth Reservation in Mahnomen County. This project recognizes broadband has become essential to economic prosperity in the rural communities and would allow employees to work from home, provide children with access to homework and essential internet related research and improve access to telemedicine at 287 locations, of which 181 are unserved and 106 underserved. Partner funding total of $250, from local community members.

County: Olmsted
Representative Steven E. Jacob, Representative Duane Quam, Senator Steve Drazkowski,Senator Carla Nelson
Kasson & Mantorville Telephone Company Rural North Byron
Grant: $515,564
Local Match: $630,134
Total Budget: $1,145,699
The Kasson & Mantorville Telephone Company project will extend Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) capabilities to locations in rural Olmsted County, leveraging existing middle mile fiber and broadband backhaul. This project will enable delivery of up to 1 GB upstream and downstream for internet access with the ability to add additional GBs as needed, serving 83 locations, including 13 unserved locations and 70 underserved locations.

County: Nobles
Representative Marj Fogelman, Senator Bill Weber
Lismore Cooperative Telephone Co City of Bigelow FTTP
Grant: $208,598
Local Match: $486,730
Total Budget: $695,328
The Lismore Cooperative Telephone Co. project will see the establishment and operation of a Fiber to the Premise (FTTP) network, aimed at bridging the digital divide in the rural City of Bigelow, in Nobles County. The proposed project area encompasses approximately 4.16 miles of last mile buried fiber and fiber drop cabling, serving 113 locations, 19 of which are unserved and 94 underserved. Funding partners are Nobles County $35,000, and City of Bigelow $15,000.

County: St. Louis
Representative Liz Olson, Senator Jen McEwen
Mediacom LLC Lakewood Normanna
Grant: $145,000
Local Match: $526,325
Total Budget: $671,325
The Mediacom LLC Lakewood Normanna project will provide a Fiber to the Home (FTTH) broadband solution to unserved and underserved homes, businesses, and community anchors in Normanna Township in St. Louis County. This project will provide speeds of 2,000 Mbps download and 1,000 Mbps upload to 60 underserved addresses. Funding Partners and their matches are; St. Louis County with $400,000 and Normanna Township with $5,000.

County: St. Louis
Representative Liz Olson, Senator Jen McEwen
Mediacom LLC Lakewood South
Grant: $232,800
Local Match: $543,200
Total Budget: $775,999
The Mediacom LLC Lakewood South project will provide a Fiber to the Home (FTTH) broadband solution to unserved and underserved homes, businesses, and community anchors the southern portion of Lakewood Township in St. Louis County. This project will provide speeds of 2,000 Mbps download and 1,000 Mbps upload to 196 underserved addresses.

County: Kandiyohi
Representative Dave Baker, Senator Andrew R. Lang
Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association Gennessee Township
Grant: $662,430
Local Match: $809,637
Total Budget: $1,472,067
The Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association Gennessee Township project will provide fiber-to-the premise broadband access to rural sites in Gennessee Township in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota. This project will improve unserved/underserved levels of service up to 1 gigabit per second download and upload speeds resulting in more efficient and effective e-learning, telemedicine options and enhanced precision agriculture tools to 167 locations, including 120 unserved and 47 underserved addresses. Kandiyohi County has pledged $327,692 and Gennessee Township has pledged $71,200 towards this project.

County: Stearns
Representative Lisa Demuth, Senator Jeff Howe
Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association Paynesville Township
Grant: $542,077
Local Match: $662,538
Total Budget: $1,204,615
The Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association Paynesville Township project will provide fiber-to-the premise broadband access to rural sites in Paynesville Township in Stearns County, Minnesota. This project will improve unserved/underserved levels of service up to 1 gigabit per second download and upload speeds resulting in more efficient and effective e-learning, telemedicine options and enhanced precision agriculture tools to 108 locations, including 102 unserved and 6 underserved addresses. Stearns County and Paynesville Township have pledged $357,845 towards this project.

County: Kandiyohi
Representative Dave Baker, Senator Andrew R. Lang
Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association 58 – Kandiyohi Township
Grant: $744,965
Local Match: $910,513
Total Budget: $1,655,478
The Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association Kandiyohi Township project will provide fiber-to-the premise broadband access to rural sites in Kandiyohi Township in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota. This project will improve unserved/underserved levels of service up to 1 gigabit per second download and upload speeds resulting in more efficient and effective e-learning, telemedicine options and enhanced precision agriculture tools to 188 locations, including 136 unserved and 52 underserved addresses. Kandiyohi County has pledged $224,000 and Kandiyohi Township has pledged $71,600 towards this project.

County: Wright
Representative Dawn Gillman, Senator Glenn Gruenhagen
Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association Cokato Township
Grant: $945,133
Local Match: $1,155,163
Total Budget: $2,100,296
The Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association Cokato Township project will provide fiber-to-the-premise broadband access to rural sites in Cokato Township in Wright County, excluding the area within the city limits of the town of Cokato Minnesota. This project will improve unserved/underserved levels of service up to 1 gigabit per second download and upload speeds resulting in more efficient and effective e-learning, telemedicine options and enhanced precision agriculture tools to 300 locations, including 189 unserved and 111 underserved addresses.

County: Washington, Chisago
Representative Josiah Hill, Representative Anne Neu Brindley, Senator Karin Housley, Senator Mark Koran
Midco Midco Scandia
Grant: $689,700
Local Match: $689,700
Total Budget: $1,379,400
The Midco Scandia project will build fiber to the premises (FTTP) in portions of Washington and Chisago County in the communities of Scandia and Franconia Township. This project will extend reliable broadband service ranging up to 5 Gbps symmetrical or under 100/20 Mbps offering to 161 locations, including 145 unserved and 16 underserved locations.

County: Fillmore, Olmsted, Winona
Representative Gene Pelowski Jr., Representative Gregory M. Davids, Representative Steven E. Jacob, Senator Jeremy Miller, Senator Steve Drazkowski
MiEnergy Cooperative South West Fremont
Grant: $3,164,721
Local Match: $4,747,086
Total Budget: $7,911,807
The MiEnergy Cooperative project will see built Fiber to the Premise (FTTP) in the rural areas Southwest of Fremont, Minnesota located primarily in Winona and Filmore Counties. This project will provide services to 396 addresses, including 342 unserved and 54 underserved, and bridge the digital divide by offering residents access to essential services such as telemedicine, online education, and remote work opportunities. Funding partner Mabel Cooperative Telephone Company is contributing $2,373,543.

County: Aitkin
Representative Ron Kresha, Senator Nathan Wesenberg
Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative MLEC Fiber – Cedar Lake
Grant: $1,808,768
Local Match: $2,266,272
Total Budget: $4,075,040
The MLEC Fiber – Cedar Lake project will see continued collaboration between Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative (MLEC) and Consolidated Telecommunications Company (CTC) to expand fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) to a significantly unserved area in Aitkin County. The project will expand off the existing MLEC Fiber network to bring vital communications to help with distance learning, remote working, and telemedicine needs in Aitkin County at 421 locations, including 317 unserved and 104 underserved residential and season homes, small farms, and home businesses. Aitkin County has pledged $25,000 to this project.

County: Otter Tail
Representative Jeff Backer, Senator Jordan Rasmusson
Otter Tail Telcom West Fergus Falls
Grant: $3,700,198
Local Match: $1,233,399
Total Budget: $4,933,598
This Low Density Otter Tail Telcom West Fergus Falls project will construct a fiber to the home/fiber to the premise (FTTH/FTTP) network to residents and businesses in rural western Otter Tail County. Improving broadband services will enable agriculture producers, farmers, ranchers, telecommuters, business owners and independent professionals to work from home via videoconferencing; cultivate an opportunity for new businesses to relocate to Otter Tail County’s rural area; and increase job and population growth, providing a significant economic impact for the county. This project will serve 286 unserved locations. Funding partners include; Otter Tail County-$379,200, Aastad Township-$36,360, Buse Township-$17,793, Carlisle Township-$57,248, Orwell Township-$58,021, Oscar Township-$27,077, and Western Township-$41,002.

County: St. Louis
Representative Roger J. Skraba, Representative David Lislegard, Senator Grant Hauschild, Senator Robert Farnsworth
Paul Bunyan Rural Telephone Cooperative NW St. Louis County GigaZone Expansion
Grant: $3,924,157
Local Match: $2,099,108
Total Budget: $6,023,265
This Low Density Paul Bunyan Rural Telephone Cooperative NW St. Louis County will begin construction on the Northwest St. Louis County GigaZone Project, which will serve rural portions of northwest St. Louis County. This project will serve a total of 420 locations, including 355 unserved and 65 underserved homes, businesses, farms, and community anchor institutions. Funding partners include; St. Louis County Broadband Infrastructure- $400,000, IRRRB Broadband Infrastructure-$400,000, Alango Township-$41,200, Field Township-$17,800, Sturgeon Township-$40,000.

County: Stearns
Representative Paul H. Anderson, Senator Torrey Westrom
Runestone Telecom Association Crow Lake
Grant: $1,538,614
Local Match: $512,875
Total Budget: $2,051,489
This Low Density Runestone Telecom Association Crow Lake project will be a Last Mile project within Crow Lake Township in rural western Stearns County, improving the available broadband service speeds from under 25 Mbps to 1,000 Mbps, with room for future bandwidth needs for schools, farms, businesses, anchor institutions, and residents. This project will serve 153 locations, including 114 unserved and 39 served locations. Crow Lake Township is a funding partner with a contribution of $18,000.

County: Murray
Representative Chris Swedzinski, Senator Gary Dahms
Woodstock Telephone Company Skandia FTTH Low Density
Grant: $2,914,733
Local Match: $971,578
Total Budget: $3,886,311
This Low Density Woodstock Telephone Company Skandia FTTH project will cover a rural area east of Skandia in Murray County, and is for a Fiber-To-The-Premises Network that would utilize existing Woodstock-owned middle-mile fiber and offer speeds up to 1G upload and 1G download. This project will serve a residents and businesses at 190 unserved locations. Funding partner, Murray County is contributing $485,789. 26 Totals $51,963,323 $48,468,239 $100,431,561

*Grant awards rounded to nearest dollar