From the Office of Broadband Development…
Broadband Matters: Office of Broadband Development Updates
- Restructured BEAD Round, grantor portal OPEN
- Broadband Task Force, August meeting plans
- Minnesota featured, Bridging the Digital Divide; Planning Innovate State and Local Approaches
- Line Extension Connection Program
Restructured BEAD Round, grantor portal OPEN
On July 8, 2025 NTIA approved Minnesota’s IP BEAD Correction Letter. This approval allowed OBD to move forward with the updated list of eligible locations (6/30/2025) and open the grantor portal on July 14 for prequalified applicants to submit applications for the Restructured BEAD Round, compliant with the updated changes to the NTIA’s June 6 Restructuring BEAD Policy Notice. The grantor portal will remain open through July 24, 1:30pm CST.
Register today for the additional office hours session, scheduled Tuesday July 22 at 11am. This session will not be recorded and will be a time to answer questions on the BEAD application.
Access to and resources on the grantor portal are available on the OBD BEAD webpage, including:
- Updated Restructured BEAD FAQs, posted 7/16/2025
- BEAD Restructured Application Guide, posted 7/11/2025
- Other Application Resources:
- Section 3: BEAD Network Tech Form Fillable Upload (Question 5)
- Section 3: BEAD Geospatial Data Upload Guide (Question 6)
- Section 6: BEAD Minnesota Letter of Credit TEMPLATE (Question 18)
- Section 11: BEAD Budget Schedule Proforma Pricing Workbook (xlsx) (Question 48)
- Section 11: BEAD Affidavit Template Upload (Question 49)
- BEAD Waiver Request Form Guide
- BEAD map with updated locations
- Call for Applications and Addendum 4 (7/8/2025)
- BEAD Portal User Guide and BEAD Pre-Qualification Guide
- The Minnesota BEAD Contractor Directory, a voluntary list consisting of the names and contact information of the contractors and subcontractors that have requested to be included in the directory. To be listed in the directory, complete and submit the Minnesota BEAD Contractor Directory Form.
Broadband Task Force, August meeting plans
The Broadband Task Force will be meeting on Wednesday, August 6 from 2:30-4pm in Redwood County at the Minnesota Farmfest. This meeting will be held in-person and is open to anyone from the public to attend, however, tickets are required to enter Farmfest. Members of the public with questions about attending should email deed.broadband@state.mn.us or call 651-259-7610 no later than Monday July 28.
More information on this and past meetings can be found on the Broadband Task Force webpage.
Minnesota featured, Bridging the Digital Divide; Planning Innovate State and Local Approaches
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development’s OBD, community partners, internet service providers, and broadband leaders across the state were featured in the newly published, Bridging the Digital Divide in the US Planning Innovative State and Local Approaches. The book presents a multi-level governance framework which explores how local leaders use policy opportunity and community resilience to address inequity in broadband infrastructure, and Chapter 4 presents “Minnesota – An Early Leader In Addressing Rural Broadband” by Y. Edward Guo, Elizabeth H. Redmond, and Mildred E. Warner.
The book has been made available as an Open Access PDF or e-book and is available for free download.
Line Extension Connection Program
The Minnesota Line Extension Connection Program aims to connect residents and businesses that lack access to wired broadband internet service with service providers and assist in the expense of extending broadband to those locations.
Owners of residential and business locations lacking a wired internet connection with access to actual speeds equal to or greater than 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload, can submit their address location for bid consideration by entering their information into the Line Extension Connection portal to initiate their interest in receiving broadband internet service. Applicants should complete every applicable question including providing additional comments that will help explain the critical need of broadband for the household/business, including any barriers. More information on how to submit an application via portal, phone, or mail is available on the OBD Line Extension Connection webpage.