The Isanti-Chisago County Star reports…

Officials from the Minnesota Legislature and the Office of Broadband Development joined East Central Energy staff in Pine City on July 17 to observe speed testing and review the progress of the cooperative’s state-supported broadband expansion.

The visit marked a milestone in ECE’s fiber buildout, funded in part by $15 million in grants awarded in December 2022 through the state’s Border-to-Border Broadband Grant Program. The project spans Isanti, Kanabec and Pine counties and aims to deliver high-speed fiber internet to 7,584 homes and businesses in some of the region’s most underserved areas.

Sen. Aric Putman, chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Broadband and Rural Development, and Rep. Nathan Nelson of District 11B joined the visit. They were accompanied by Bree Maki and Mike Wimmer of the Minnesota Office of Broadband Development. The group watched performance testing by Connected Nation, the state’s contracted verifier, which is ensuring the network meets speed and coverage requirements.