From the Office of Broadband development…

Broadband Matters: Office of Broadband Development Updates

• BEAD updates: First round, 11a, of subgrantee selection open
• Digital Opportunity update
• Resource reminder: Broadband Development Tuesday Training Series, Minnesota Department of Transportation
• Governor’s Task Force on Broadband, March meeting recap
• Broadband in the news

A warm congratulations to OBD’s Deputy Director, Diane Wells on her upcoming retirement! Diane has worked at the state for 39 years, and been in the Office of Broadband Development since its inception 10 years ago. Diane has led efforts to leverage state and federal funding and is a driving force behind the Border-to-Border Broadband grant program, ensuring that unserved and underserved communities gain reliable and equitable access to high-speed internet, and making the business case for broadband expansion across the hardest, most costly places to serve in Minnesota. Diane’s leadership and deep commitment to public service have shaped broadband policy and access across Minnesota and served a model for states nationally. 

BEAD updates: First round, 11a, of subgrantee selection open
The first round of subgrantee selection, 11a, opened on March 24, and stays open through April 21, 2025, at 4:30pm CST. Resources for this are posted on the OBD BEAD webpage.  The Minnesota BEAD Contractor Directory Form has been posted to the OBD BEAD webpage and is open for those interested in being listed. The first version of the directory will be posted next week and continue to be updated on a weekly basis moving forward. This directory is a voluntary list consisting of the names and contact information of the contractors and subcontractors that have requested to be included in the directory. The directory is not an exhaustive list of all the contractors and subcontractors based or working in the state of Minnesota, and OBD does not endorse or vet any of the companies or individuals listed. OBD reserves the right to discontinue the directory at any time. Additional and updated BEAD resources for Minnesota include:   

• Approved BEAD Applicants from the Pre-Qualification Process were posted 3/24/2025
• The recording from the March 25 BEAD Application Session for the first round of subgrantee selection, 11a, has been posted online. This session provided a walk through the application requirements and gave an overview of the application process through a demo of the application portal.  
• Weekly office hours on BEAD continue Tuesdays at 11am through April 15. Registration is open for the remaining April 1, April 8, and April 15 sessions.  
• Minnesota’s BEAD Project Management Plan, outlining the processes, procedures, and policies that will be followed by OBD in the management and execution of the BEAD, was added under the Additional Resouces dropdown. 
• Updated FAQs are available on the BEAD Pre-Qualification FAQ and BEAD Subgrantee Selection FAQ. Please continue to submit all questions for the FAQ via online web form, linked below.

Digital Opportunity update
On March 12, OBD staff visited Hopkins, MN to learn about the grassroots digital opportunity efforts the community is undertaking. With coordination from local business Connecting to Thrive, Hopkins city employees, school and library staff, non-profit leaders, and small business owners are strategizing new ways to connect people to the digital supports they need. A big thank you to Rebekah Crosby, Carolyn Leslie, and Beth Kivett for their invitation and leadership!
OBD staff appreciate learning through digital opportunity show-and-tell visits like this. To explore further, please contact deed.broadband.equity@state.mn.us or hannah.buckland@state.mn.us.
Resource reminder: Broadband Development Tuesday Training Series, Minnesota Department of TransportationLast April, OBD hosted the Broadband Development Tuesday Training Series: Navigating PLUS (Permitting, Land Use, and State Systems). As Minnesota reenters construction season, this series has valuable reminders and resources from agency experts providing an overview of their agency, and information on current processes, timelines, goals, and best practices working on broadband projects and with broadband grantees.The Minnesota Department of Transportation provided guidance specific to MnDOT’s permitting role for any work within MnDOT trunk highway rights-of-way.

• View the MnDOT presentation slides
• Visit the Contacts – Utility Agreements webpage to complete a form with any questions of follow-up on this process

Governor’s Task Force on Broadband, March meeting recapThe Governor’s Task Force on Broadband met virtually on March 20 and heard from the Department of Natural Resources’, Cheryl Kelley-Dobie, Joe Rokala, and Benjamin Schaefer, on a utility license update. The Task Force also heard updates from OBD on BEAD and Digital Opportunity, a legislative update, and discussed how subgroups could best work together for writing the 2025 annual report later in the year.More information on this and past meetings can be found on the Broadband Task Force’s webpage.Broadband in the newsBroadband grants in Winona were featured in a March 12 article from the Winona Post “Expanding internet access”. OBD’s Executive Director, Bree Maki, was featured in the article and reported on the 5 awards that have gone to Internet Service Providers in Winona County over the past 10 years, which have connected over 2,000 homes and businesses with broadband. More information is available on the Minnesota’s Broadband Grants Program online, as well as map of statewide broadband access.  Federal funding in Minnesota was also featured on March 13 on KSTP 5, “Federal funding to provide millions to expand broadband in Minnesota” on the $652 million in federal funds allocated to the state through NTIA’s BEAD program. Minnesota just completed the BEAD Pre-Qualification process on March 13, and will be entering the first of three expected rounds of subgrantee selection on March 24. More information on the BEAD program is available on Minnesota’s OBD BEAD webpage.