The Pipestone Star reports…

Woodstock Communications has begun construction of a fiber optic internet network in the Hatfield area.

Work started east of Pipestone along State Highway 30 earlier this month. Woodstock Communications General Manager Terry Nelson said the project includes installing about 45 miles of fiber that will pass 116 homes in the project area. He said the fiber will be installed this fall and internet service is expected to be ready by the end of the year.

There will be no charge to residents in the project area to connect their residences. Projected pricing for broadband service is $44.95 for 100 megabits per second (Mbps) uploading and downloading speed, $54.95 for 250 Mbps, $74.95 for 500 Mbps and $104.95 for 1 gigabit per second. Nelson said that pricing is consistent with what Woodstock Communications charges in the rest of its service areas.

The project is estimated to cost $2,150,576. Woodstock Communications received a $1,612,932 grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) last year to help pay for it. The Pipestone County Commissioners voted in 2023 to provide $268,822 for the project, which would cover half of the local match for the grant. Woodstock Communications will pay the other half.

The project in the Hatfield area is phase one of a four-phase project to provide fiber internet access to all the rural parts of Pipestone County for an estimated $15,733,299. Woodstock Communications plans to seek other grants in the future to help fund the projects.