Monthly Archives: July 2025

Telecompetitor’s BEAD update in Minnesota

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Telecompetitor has compiled an update on BEAD for each state, including Minnesota…

The NTIA has allocated $652 million in BEAD funding to Minnesota.

Minnesota Employment and Economic Development

Benefit of the Bargain application period: July 14–July 24

Contact information: Register for office hours July 15 at 11 a.m.

Access the Restructured BEAD FAQs and BEAD updates.

Read all Telecompetitor coverage about Minnesota broadband.

I wanted to share also as a reminder that the Office of Broadband Development has an office hour at 11 am today (July 15), as noted above.

US Senate Committee on Appropriations approves Ag Bill with $96 million for rural broadband grants and loans

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The US Senate Committee on Appropriations reports…

The Senate Committee on Appropriations today approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, to invest in America’s rural communities, support our nation’s farmers and ranchers, keep our food supply secure, and maintain nutritional support for low-income American families.

The measure, which was advanced by a unanimous vote of 27-0, provides $27.1 billion in discretionary funding.

Including funding for broadband…

Rural Development: $3.7 billion to support rural development programs across the U.S., including $1.7 billion for affordable housing rental assistance for low-income families and seniors in rural communities as requested by the Administration; $1 billion in lending authority for Single-Family Housing direct loans and $25 billion in lending authority for the guaranteed Single-Family Housing loans; $1.3 billion for rural water and waste grants and loans; $1.8 billion in grants and loans for rural business and industry programs that promote small business growth in rural areas; $8 billion in lending authority for rural electric loans; and $96 million for rural broadband grants and loans.  The bill also eliminates funding for the Biden-era Rural Partners Network initiative and maintains “Buy American” provisions that maximize the federal governments use domestic products.

 

Will the recent One Big Beautiful Bill Act leave low-income households choosing between food or broadband?

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The American Prospect published an article from Sean Gonsalves, from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s Community Broadband Networks Initiative, demonstrating how cut in the recently passed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) may leave low-income household having to decide on food versus broadband…

Last year, GOP leaders blocked bipartisan efforts to fund an extension of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which offered 23 million eligible households a $30-per-month voucher to help pay for internet service. As if letting the ACP die wasn’t a big enough blow, OBBBA not only increases the paperwork burden required to qualify for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, it completely removes internet service costs as an eligible deduction.

In the context of SNAP, the “deduction” refers to how an eligible household’s net income is calculated, which is then used to determine how much households are entitled to receive in SNAP benefits. A lower net income translates into a higher allocation of benefits. Section 10005 of the law prohibits “household internet costs (e.g., monthly subscriber fees)” from being used in the net income calculation. That means that families with internet access will have higher net incomes, and therefore get lower benefits.

“Fundamentally, the SNAP benefit calculation is about calculating what the household has available for food. That’s why rent and utilities are factored in,” explained Katie Bergh, senior policy analyst with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ (CBPP) Food Assistance team.

Contrast this change to 2019, when the first Trump administration sought to establish federal “Standard Utility Allowances” across every state. At that time, internet service was considered to be an essential utility—and that was before the COVID lockdowns turned internet access for all into one of the most bipartisan goals in all of politics.

But under OBBBA, and contrary to common sense, internet access is no longer considered essential, at least not for SNAP beneficiaries, despite repeated campaign promises to “make America affordable again” and to bring prices down “starting on Day 1.”

The Timberjay looks at impact of federal broadband changes in NE MN

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The Timberjay takes a look at the impact of BEAD changes …

 As high-speed fiber-optic broadband systems continue rolling out along the south shore of Lake Vermilion and in Alango, Owens, Angora, Sandy, Pike, Wuori, Great Scott, and Bearville townships, one thing is abundantly clear: None of these projects would be happening without significant government funding behind them.
But whether we’ll keep seeing fiber splicing its way across the North Country is suddenly up for debate.
States are now scrambling to re-evaluate their broadband plans after a June policy shift from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which oversees the single largest federal commitment to rural broadband in U.S. history – the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program.
Federal support for broadband has been anything but consistent over the past 25 years, morphing along with the technology itself. It began with efforts to wire up schools and hospitals in the late 1990s and eventually evolved into programs like the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund and BEAD, which emphasized fiber as the preferred long-term solution. Fiber’s reputation as the gold standard for speed and reliability earned it top billing in most funding evaluations – until now.

And specifically changes in northeastern Minnesota…

For northeastern Minnesota, the implications are significant. Projects already in motion will continue because funding was secured before the rules changed. But what comes next is far less certain.
The NTIA’s new rules prioritize fast, cheap deployments, even if the technology doesn’t offer the same reliability or lifespan as fiber. In areas where fiber might cost more to install, it could lose out to point-to-point wireless or satellite – even if those options offer less consistent performance over time.
For rural residents still waiting for that first real taste of broadband, the question isn’t just when high-speed internet will reach them — it’s also what kind of internet they’ll get.
Paul Bunyan Communications declined to comment for the Timberjay, indicating the need for more clarification from the state before assessing the implications for future development.

What data is available about broadband access and adoption?

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Pew has assessed and tracked the broadband-related data that is available in the US. They start with framing the importance…

Incomplete information can make it difficult for lawmakers to understand the effects of policy, and for government entities to enforce grant recipients’ program requirements. Because federal data focuses on information like the number of households with subscriptions, it lacks feedback on network quality and reliability, or on how consumers experience a broadband connection. Incomplete data can also make it challenging for researchers to evaluate how specific broadband policy changes affect consumers, and for people involved in broadband deployment and adoption at the state level to monitor whether ongoing and new programs are meeting their goals. Lack of data on broadband’s societal impact—such as effects on the economy, education, and health care—has led states to conduct their own baseline measurements to meet BEAD program requirements, including BEAD’s aim to “grow economic opportunities … provide increases in access to health care services … and enrich education experiences” nationwide. Additionally, NTIA’s BEAD Five-Year Action Plan guidance requires states to evaluate how program implementation affects economic and workforce development, education, health, civic and social engagement, and access to essential services.

Then they assessed the information available…

Pew’s review of broadband literature published from 2008 to 2024 (based on data that, in some cases, dates to the 1990s) showed that researchers had identified the following shortcomings with broadband data:

  • Limitations in geographic and household data: Federal data on broadband access, adoption, and household characteristics is often reported by county, ZIP code, or census tract, rather than by household. And geographic and household characteristics—such as the regions used in data collection or the composition of households—are not standardized across data sources, making it difficult to combine datasets for evaluation. This lack of standardization has led to inaccuracies in measuring the impact of broadband and the gaps in coverage, which is particularly problematic for federally funded projects that rely on accurate mapping data for broadband investment; these projects could misappropriate funds because of the data’s shortcomings.

 

  • Reliability of federal data for evaluation purposes: Federal data relies heavily on information from internet service providers (ISPs), leading to concerns in the literature that data on broadband availability and network performance may be affected by bias and lack of transparency. Also, federal data tends not to include price, making it difficult to assess how much broadband service costs and how affordable it is for customers throughout the country.

  • Inconsistencies in definitions: Several federal sources do not specify which broadband technologies are available to consumers, making it difficult to correlate network performance and household use of the internet. Some sources have also been inconsistent in defining key components, ranging from what qualifies as a broadband connection to the meaning of the phrase “digital equity” to how to measure internet use and digital skills—and how consumers benefit from the connection.

  • Lack of consistent impact assessments: The available data makes it difficult to determine the availability of affordable broadband connections or how to define affordability, and there is no uniform method of tracking broadband adoption patterns over time. Researchers need more information to gauge the value and impact in multiple areas (economic development, health care, education, civic life) of having a broadband internet connection.

The include a table of data sets and tools…

Agency Data set Description
FCC Form 477 (2000-22)
  • Number of internet providers, household adoption, technology type, availability at the census tract and block level
National Broadband Map (2022-present)
  • Number of internet providers, technology type, highest available speeds
Urban Rate Survey (2014-present)
  • Technology type, speed tiers, and prices from sampled ISPs in urban census tracts
Broadband Consumer Labels

(2024-present)
  • Publicly available pricing and speed tiers
USAC USF Fund (1997-present)
  • Funding disbursements for E-Rate, Rural Healthcare, High Cost, and Lifeline programs
NTIA Public GIS Map
  • Funding type and award amount
Federal Broadband Funding (2020-present)
  • Displays all federal funding awarded across multiple agencies
Internet Use Survey (1994-present)
  • Survey data on internet adoption and use
National Broadband Map Datasets (2010-14)
  • Number of providers, technology type, and speeds
U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2013-present)
  • Household broadband internet subscription rates, households with a computer
Current Population Survey (1997-2012)
  • Household internet use
Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index
  • Average internet service costs for urban consumers
Bureau of Economic Analysis Key economic indicators
  • Used to demonstrate the interaction of broadband connectivity with key economic indicators, including gross domestic product, consumer spending, employment, prices and inflation, and industry
USDA Economic Research Service

 

Technology Use (Farm Computer Usage and Ownership) Survey
  • Routine evaluation of broadband deployment programs from USDA

 

  • Farm computer use and internet access

 

T-Mobile ends DEI programs as it seeks regulatory approval from the FCC

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Fierce Network reports…

Just like that, T-Mobile is ending its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs to get two big deals OK’d by regulators.

In a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr on Tuesday, T-Mobile said it will end its DEI programs as it seeks regulatory approval for its UScellular and MetroNet transactions.

“We have conducted a comprehensive review of T-Mobile’s policies, program, and activities, and pursuant to this review, T-Mobile is ending its DEI-related policies … not just in name, but in substance,” T-Mobile EVP and General Counsel Mark Nelson told the chairman in the letter made public Wednesday.

Wright County tells community about MN Broadband Line Extension grants

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Wright County reports…

Despite the expansion of access to high-speed internet throughout the country, there are still “dead spots” that are either unserved or underserved in the ability to have adequate download and upload speeds to have internet access or being able to stream video channels.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development has a Broadband Line Extension Connection Program designed for individuals to submit applications for grants. The purpose of program is to award grants for the extension of existing broadband infrastructure to unserved locations, such as a handful of homes in low-density population areas.

Residential properties or businesses in locations that lack a wired internet connection to speeds at or above 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload can submit their address for consideration in the application process.

To learn more about the program and to submit an application for inclusion in the program, click here.

To test your upload and download speeds, take a speed test here: https://www.speedtest.net/

Duluth News Tribune on state and federal broadband policy

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Duluth News Tribune reports…

You could do worse than Minnesota for internet speeds — although not much worse.

In an annual report released last week, our state ranked a disappointing seventh-slowest in the nation. Ouch. Average download speeds here of 164.68 Mbps fall far short of the U.S. average of 214. Delaware leads the way with an admirable clip of nearly 247 Mbps.

They mention policy in DC…

“We should be able to bring high-speed internet to every family in Minnesota — regardless of their zip code,” Minnesota’s U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, among those working to address broadband in our state, said in a statement the same day as the report was released.

Klobuchar was alerting the press not about the report but about the latest piece of legislation to address the problem: the Senate’s passage of the bipartisan Rural Broadband Protection Act. If signed into law, it would require the Federal Communications Commission to do a better job of vetting internet providers to ensure they can deliver reliable broadband to underserved and rural communities. In accordance with the act, stepped-up vetting would kick in when providers apply for federal funding. Klobuchar and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, are the drivers behind the act.

And MN policy…

Closer to home in St. Paul, Minnesota lawmakers this past legislative session addressed broadband on a number of fronts. They passed the Equal Access to Broadband Act , which allows cities to franchise broadband providers, making the deployment of broadband more equitable statewide, especially in rural and underserved areas. They poured $100 million into the state’s Border-to-Border Broadband Program and Lower Population Density Program , both of which help push high-speed internet deeper into rural Minnesota. And lawmakers addressed affordability by requiring internet service providers to offer plans specifically for low-income residents.

At a hearing in February 2024 of the Minnesota Senate’s Agriculture, Broadband, and Rural Development Committee, Sen. Grant Hauschild, DFL-Hermantown, lamented how “rural communities are constantly told to wait — wait for funding, wait your turn, you don’t have the density, or you don’t have the property tax base. Whatever it is, you don’t get what the urban centers get, and you don’t get what the suburbs get.”

There’s no question he, Klobuchar, and others elected to represent the Northland are working to change that. But the time it’s taking can’t be allowed match Minnesota’s turtle-like internet speeds.

 

Office of Broadband Development Office Hours July 8 2025: Updates on application requirements

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Similar to last week, about 50 people attended the Office of Broadband Development Office Hour today. The discussion is very nuts and bolts discussion of the BEAD funding and applications. Below is a video, notes and questions.

MN has invested $400 million in broadband; federal investment has been more complicated

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KTTC out of Rochester takes a look at the history of federal and state broadband funding in Minnesota…

Between billions of dollars of defaulted rural broadband expansion projects and highly-regulated legislation that bogs down developers, the federal government has not had the most success when it comes to connecting our rural communities with high-speed fiber internet.

To recap what’s currently happening with national broadband assistance: in 2019, the Federal Communications Commission ran the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) which awarded $20 billion in federal assistance to internet service providers (ISPs), roughly $3 billion of which was defaulted on that the government is still trying to get back.

In 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) created its own solution for connecting rural communities to the internet through the Broadband, Equity Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program which contained substantially more restrictions and requirements and even conflicted with existing RDOF policies. BEAD was also intended to be run through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) rather than the FCC.

In the aftermath of the billions that have gone into default from the failed RDOF initiative, the FCC has attempted to reclaim some of the misappropriated funds. All in all, roughly $6.4 billion of RDOF funds have actually been used, with the remaining $14 billion up in the air.

The article looks at BEAD…

Also in June, the Trump administration issued a Policy Notice through the NTIA that reforms parts of BEAD’s initial requirements and regulations, removing several sections that dictated multiple aspects of the expansion efforts.

And outlines the more straightforward Minnesota investment…

The federal government aside, since 2014, Minnesota has invested more than $805  $400 million [correction made hours after posting – sorry for the error] across 294 projects, or nearly 113,000 locations, according to a report from the Midwest Economic Policy Institute and are already seeing benefits for farmers and businesses.

What are the costs to families that lost access to Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) broadband subsidies?

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Benton Institute for Broadband & Society report…

The end of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) created costs and tensions for beneficiaries that went beyond their losing the $30-per-month service subsidy. In a series of in-depth interviews from the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society and conducted by SSRS, Inc., participants lamented the program’s end while also expressing frustration with increased monthly internet costs and a dearth of low-cost options in the market.

Their reactions fell into three categories:

  1. Frustration over lack of choice in service providers that limited their ability to find budget-friendly alternatives once their ACP subsidies ended. There is a sense that society is effectively telling people they must have service, yet does not give them adequate service options that are both affordable and of sufficient quality.
  2. Contending with lower quality of service that was the result of having to switch to a different plan. This has limited students’ ability to do homework and caused problems in carrying out telehealth visits for patients with limited mobility.
  3. Cutting back on other expenditures as part of a difficult balancing act to maintain connectivity. This includes forgoing visits to the doctor or picking up side jobs to keep internet service on at home. The balancing act is precarious and not always successful, as the ACP’s end has led to service disconnections for some.

Participants in the interviews were members of low-income households that had used the ACP benefit to help defray monthly service costs. They were well attuned to societal changes that have made at-home internet service essential. These changes were not just about the pandemic but also included changes in their children’s educational experiences and how people interact with health care providers. This made the ACP a real aid to manage a tight household budget in the midst of having to do more things online. When the ACP ended, the question for most people was not whether to keep service but how to keep it while juggling other household needs.

OPPORTUNITY: Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians hosts Tribal Broadband Boot Camp Aug. 18-21

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The Tribal Business News reports...

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians will host a four-day Tribal Broadband Boot Camp Aug. 18-21 at Bay Mills Community College Technology Center on the tribe’s Marquette campus.

The training program, organized by broadband advocacy group Waskawiwin, will bring together tribal technology staff, community leaders and advocates for hands-on instruction in network design, deployment and management. The event marks the first boot camp held in the Great Lakes region and is designed primarily for members of the 36 federally recognized tribes across Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Participants will receive support for travel costs, including rooms and meals. Sessions will be led by Waskawiwin co-founders Matthew Rantanen and Christopher Mitchell of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

“Our goal is to connect people working in Indian Country on Internet access to build skills and share knowledge on how to make sure everyone is well connected,” Mitchell told Tribal Business News. “This issue is not as complicated as it first feels and tribes have real options to achieve digital sovereignty.” …

Boot camps help tribal technologists maximize current funding levels to create optimal results, Rantanen said. Attendees learn to build and manage their own networks, reducing reliance on outside contractors and vendors while preserving tribal data sovereignty.

“There really has never been a more important moment in history where it’s apparent tribes need to manage their own digital sovereignty,” Rantanen said.

Registration closes July 31. Interested tribal staff and leaders can apply at tribalbroadbandbootcamp.org.

Martin County Broadband Partnership provides update to Martin County Board of Commissioners

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The Fairmont Sentinel reports…

Celia Simpson, a community and business development specialist with CEDA, gave an update on the Martin County Broadband Partnership program during the Martin County Board of Commissioner meeting on Tuesday.

Simpson shared that she has been working with the broadband advisory committee.

“Their job is to facilitate access to a 100 download, 20 upload megabytes of internet service to all households and businesses within Martin County,” Simpson said.

She spoke some of the different challenges in different areas of the county. Simpson also spoke about the Martin County Broadband profile, done by the Blandin Foundation, which does a county broadband profile map every year looking at what investments have been made on broadband in different counties.

“Out of 87 counties in Minnesota we’re ranked 70th which is not where you want to be. You want to be on the higher end, closer to one,” Simpson said.

She added that according to those findings, only 21 percent of the county has access to 1,000 plus megabytes.

Simpson pointed out that Martin County has allocated $1.5 million in funding toward the Martin County Broadband Partnership Program. She also spoke about some of the various grants the county has gotten in recent years, including from Federated REA.

“Their goal is to provide to the rest of the unserved or underserved in Martin County. They got $8 million from the Border-to-Border 10 program and are looking at the Ceylon area, up to Welcome and over to Truman. They broke ground on that last Tuesday,” Simpson said.

She said 457 households, businesses and farms are included and of the $1.4 million award from the county, $780,000 of that went toward this project.

Commissioner Joe Loughmiller said he was supportive of these kinds of projects, especially when it comes to promoting Martin County and rural development in Martin County.

“If someone is going to be a remote worker, and I’m a remote worker, they need this 100/20 level of service. If we want them to build out here and build our tax base, these are the kind of investments that make sense,” Loughmiller said.

US Senate passes Klobuchar’s broadband bill – asking FCC to use vetting process for providers getting funding

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KIMT3 reports…

The U.S. Senate has passed the bipartisan Rural Broadband Protection Act, a significant step toward enhancing broadband access in underserved rural areas.
The bill, co-led by Democratic U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, mandates the Federal Communications Commission to implement a thorough vetting process for providers seeking federal funding to ensure they can deliver reliable broadband services.
“We should be able to bring high-speed internet to every family in Minnesota—regardless of their zip code,” Klobuchar said. “This bipartisan legislation will help Americans connect to work, school, health care, and business opportunities by ensuring the companies that apply for federal funding to build out broadband infrastructure can get the job done.”
Capito emphasized the importance of the legislation for West Virginians, noting that it expands on her previous efforts to improve broadband connectivity. “The Senate passage of this legislation is another positive step in connecting every last home, school, and business in West Virginia,” Capito said.
Klobuchar has been a longtime advocate for bridging the digital divide and supports efforts to strengthen the Universal Service Fund, which aids broadband access in rural communities. Her past initiatives include the Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act and efforts to ensure proper implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s broadband provisions.

Office of Broadband Development Updates: BEAD updates, upcoming meetings, staff changes

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The Office of Broadband Development provides the following updates. I wanted to add just one – and that’s the departure of Hannah Buckland as New Digital Equity Lead. She has found a new home at DEED but unfortunately this is a consequence of the cuts in federal Digital Equity Act funding.

Broadband Matters: Office of Broadband Development Updates

  • BEAD updates
  • Broadband in the news
  • Line Extension Connection Program

BEAD updates 

OBD continues to work on following the updated guidance published from NTIA in the June 6, 2025 BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice. Updated documents and additional resources on the OBD BEAD webpage  include:

Upcoming office hours from the OBD have been scheduled for Tuesdays at 11am and will not be recorded unless otherwise noted. Materials from recent sessions can be found on the OBD BEAD webpage. 

Broadband in the news

Organizations continue to publish resources and updates on understanding the federal changes impacting the BEAD and Digital Equity Act (DEA) broadband programs. Some of these resources, as well as additional broadband news, include: 

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.