Monthly Archives: October 2025

Pew looks at what Broadband Workforce Expected needs to do to meet BEAD requirements

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Pew Research reports…

The success of federal broadband investments—especially the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program—depends on whether the U.S. has enough trained workers to build and maintain a workforce. Evidence suggests that worker shortages, misaligned training timelines, and inconsistent data could delay states from meeting BEAD’s ambitious deadlines.

On June 6, 2025, the U.S. Department of Commerce updated the BEAD implementation guidance. The new rules require states to reopen provider selection, which could delay funding in some places and accelerate it in others—making worker readiness more urgent. In addition, the suspension of nondeployment funds reduces resources that states had planned to use for workforce development.

Workforce challenges have already been widely cited as risk factors in almost every state. According to an analysis by The Pew Charitable Trusts, 41 states and Washington, D.C., identified workforce challenges in their BEAD or Digital Equity Act (DEA) plans: DEA was a separate Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) program that provided support for digital adoption and workforce training, but was canceled in May 2025.1 Those challenges included barriers for workers trying to join the industry and a lack of detailed federal job classification data—suggesting that workforce shortages are not only local but a potential nationwide barrier to BEAD implementation.

They mention some work that they feel might streamline the process…

Key findings include:

  • The pool of skilled telecommunications workers is shrinking just as demand is rising sharply. Policymakers should examine the barriers to growth for specific broadband-related occupations to meet both short- and long-term needs.
  • Training requirements mean new workers cannot be mobilized quickly, raising risks of deployment delays.
  • Competitive wages and benefit packages are crucial as telecommunications employers compete for workers across industries or those who are supporting other infrastructure projects funded through the IIJA.
  • Inconsistency in jobs classifications in federal data obscure workforce needs. Greater collaboration between employers and federal and state governments is needed to standardize data and improve planning.

And, in case you’re thinking about the workforce or jobs…

In assessments of workforce needs specific to BEAD, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) said the following workers are needed to expand broadband infrastructure:

  • Equipment operators.
  • Fiber and wireless technicians.
  • Inspectors.
  • Laborers and manual movers.
  • Master and stage electricians.
  • Network architects and coordinators.
  • Radio frequency and field engineers.
  • Software engineers.
  • Structural engineers.
  • Surveyors and drafters.
  • Trenchers.
  • Trucking crews.2

 

St. Louis County summarizes ARPA spending: $54.5 million on landfill, roads, housing, childcare and broadband

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Citizen Portal, which is an AI powered media resource, reports,

County administration presented a final summary of how St. Louis County used $54.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars, describing investments in solid waste infrastructure, roads, broadband and social services meant to address pandemic impacts.
Administrator Gray told the board the county received ARPA funds in two tranches in 2021 and 2022 and that staff worked to meet complex U.S. Treasury reporting and compliance deadlines. Gray said the board intentionally focused funding on four areas: pandemic response/recovery, economic impacts, support for service delivery, and infrastructure (roads, water/sewer and broadband).
Key allocations described by administration included roughly $12.5 million for upgrades to the county’s large solid waste landfill to address forever chemicals; about $7.25 million for roads (including a roughly $3.5 million reclaim-and-overlay project to complete County Highways 115 and 77 between Cook and Tower, with widened paved shoulders for pedestrians and cyclists); broadband investments in communities that lacked service; and investments in county buildings and transfer stations.
Administration also cited investments in youth and recreation projects that benefited 25–30 communities countywide, including $830,000 for childcare expansion in partnership with the Northland Foundation (Administration described roughly $750,000 of that as contributed by the foundation), and a range transitional housing project in Virginia and Hibbing still under way. Other ARPA-supported projects included behavioral health urgent care in Duluth in partnership with the Human Development Corporation (HDC), fairgrounds improvements and a solar expansion project in Mount Iron.
Administrators said roughly half of the ARPA allocation went to infrastructure, highlighted pandemic-related staff costs and outreach that were supported without drawing on levy dollars, and noted that more than 100 unique projects or investment categories were advanced. Board members repeatedly praised county staff for project management and compliance; several commissioners also recognized former deputy administrator Brian Fritzinger and audit staff for their roles in tracking projects.

Paul Bunyan Communications completes broadband expansion in French and Bearville(S) Townships

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Paul Bunyan Communications reports…

Paul Bunyan Communications has completed expanding its all-fiber optic network, the GigaZone®, to areas of French and Bearville(S) Township that included over 200 homes and businesses. This expansion included areas east and north of Side Lake including Perch Lake, Luna Lake, and Beatrice Lake. Those who have signed up for service are being contacted to set up service installation.
“We remain fully committed to bringing all-fiber optic gigabit broadband to the underserved areas in our region. Reliable Internet is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity, and we’re proud to now serve more of the French and Bearville Townships.” said Chad Bullock, Paul Bunyan Communications CEO/General Manager.
“This is a major upgrade for both residents and businesses,” said Leo Anderson, Chief Technology Officer at Paul Bunyan Communications. “With our all-fiber optic network now offering Internet speeds up to 10 Gig, things like remote work, distance learning, telehealth, and streaming are not only possible, but they are seamless. It is a true game changer for these communities.”
Anyone interested in getting connected to the all-fiber optic broadband network in these areas can still sign up for service. The cooperative will return to bring the network up to locations with no construction fee when feasible.
There is no membership fee to join Paul Bunyan Communications, membership is included by subscribing to either local phone service or GigaZone® Internet service.
To check to see if a specific location is within an expansion area and learn more about the expansion construction process, visit http://www.gigazone.com
This project was made possible through the USDA ReConnect 3 Grant Program. The grant area also included areas of Pike, Sandy, and Wuori Townships and is estimated to cost $13,588,555 with the USDA grant contributing $10,191,416. Paul Bunyan Communications investing $3,381,112, and Wuori Township contributing $16,026.

Alternative education options are changing the MN learning landscape

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The Dassel Cokato Enterprise Dispatch write about alternative school options in Minnesota, including online learning…

Across Minnesota, a growing number of students are stepping away from traditional public schools and toward alternative education paths — homeschooling,
Post-Secondary Enrollment Options, and online learning. Their reasons range from safety concerns and academic customization to transportation barriers and future career planning. The result is a reshaping of the educational landscape, with public schools facing declining enrollment, funding challenges and a call to evolve.

…

Online learning is also expanding. The State of Education in Minnesota 2025 report by EdAllies notes that while virtual academies offer flexibility, students in rural or low-income households often lack reliable internet or devices, limiting their ability to participate fully.

They dive into the main alterative options…

Each alternative education model—homeschooling, PSEO, and online school—offers distinct advantages and challenges.

Including online learning…

Online schooling offers self-paced learning, access to niche subjects and the convenience of no daily commute. As ConsumerAffairs reports, many students appreciate the autonomy and breadth of course offerings. Still, online learners must contend with technology access issues, reduced rapport with instructors and a heightened risk of isolation or disengagement.

They recognize the requirements of online schooling..

Online learning demands stable internet and devices, which remain out of reach for some rural and urban households. …

Technology access also plays a role. While ISD 466 has invested in Chromebooks, and availability has increased in recent years, broadband access remains inconsistent in some outlying areas. This limits the viability of full-time online learning for students without stable internet at home.

New report: BROADBAND AFFORDABILITY: Assessing the Cost of Broadband for Low-and Moderate Income Communities in Cities

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Here are the key takeaways from a recent Federal Reserve Bank of NY study…

  • This study introduces a new community-level measure of broadband affordability that considers local median monthly household income and costs of living relative to local costs for broadband.
  • Low- and moderate-income communities pay a notably higher share of their income for broadband— 2.43% compared to 0.51% in wealthier areas—exceeding the FCC’s 2% affordability benchmark.
  • In cities where broadband is less affordable, households are more likely to use slower or lower-quality plans due to cost or limited infrastructure. In areas with the least affordable broadband, 26.7% of households rely solely on mobile devices, limiting access to jobs, financial services, and other key resources.
  • Data on broadband pricing is still scarce in small and rural areas, limiting the ability for businesses, government, and community anchor institutions to understand the economic costs and benefits of broadband infrastructure. This underscores the need for localized pricing data to support digital access research.

All very interesting, but I’m always a sucker for an equation to determine a community-level measure of broadband affordability. And this report has that too:

The numerator is the average price for the cheapest internet service plans offered by providers in the geography, and the denominator is the median monthly household income for the geography. This is multiplied by 100 to create a percentage measure of Relative Broadband Affordability experienced by households in a given geography. Relative Broadband Affordability is helpful for understanding the ability of households within a census tract or census place to pay for broadband relative to their median household income. However, to understand just how affordable broadband is to a community, it is important to compare it to other communities within their city.

Turns out affordability impacts the decision to go for mobile-only connection, as the graph below indicates.

US Congress looks at addressing robocalls

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Politico reports…

Eradicating unwanted robocalls is one of those policy goals with almost universal appeal to American consumers. No one wants to pick up the phone to be greeted with a disembodied, robotic voice offering dubious loans, or warning of phony toll fees — and have it happen again, and again.

The Senate Commerce Committee took a step last week toward trying to stem the deluge, advancing the Foreign Robocall Elimination Act, which would establish an interagency task force to explore ways to stymie scam calls originating abroad.

It’s a welcome idea, but joins a years-long roster of policies designed to tackle the problem, such as requirements for caller ID authentication and autodialer restrictions. For all their popularity, these have had mixed success at best. In 2018, the number of robocalls jumped from around 30 billion to 50 billion, and has stayed in that range ever since.

EVENT Feb 3-5: Net Inclusion 2026 in Chicago

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From the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA)…

Join the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) in the Windy City for Net Inclusion 2026! From its stunning skyline and top-notch museums to its famous deep-dish pizza, Chicago offers a diverse and fulfilling experience. What better place to gain digital equity insights, ignite change, and amplify your impact in the digital inclusion movement?
Tue, Feb 3, 8am – Thu, Feb 5, 9am 2026 EST
Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk
Register now

Legislative Commission on Cybersecurity Oct 27, 2025 Notes: future topics and LoginMN presentation

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The Legislative Commission on Cybersecurity met today. They started with a brainstorm on what they wanted to talk about in 2026. A hot topic was whether they extend (or maybe remove) the expiration date for the commission and talks about how to work with other commission that may have overlapping issues – such as the Data Practice Commission.

MNIT gave a presentation. There were lots of questions. I’ve highlighted the questions that I thought might be of interest to most readers. They are based on concern for folks who don’t have an email address or other digital tools/expertise and how will they be able to access some state and county services in the future.

More complete notes: Continue reading →

Be brave enough to ask the dumb questions – especially with technology

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I have taught every age from preschool to graduate school, and while this post may seem a little adjacent to what I usually write, I couldn’t resist because I read it and was reminded myself that a dumb, legitimate question can turn out to be the smartest discussion starter. Politico asks Signal Foundation President Meredith Whittaker questions “about the hype, risks and data-privacy threat of AI.” Before founding Signal (an encrypted-messaging app), she worked for Google.

When you talk to policymakers now, whether about energy or national security or economic competitiveness, AI is inevitably part of the equation. What do you make of how big an impact AI is having?

I would dare you or anyone listening who has contacts with policymakers and politicians to just sit them down and say: What do you mean by AI? I think what you’ll get at that point is a lot of hype, a lot of fog, a lot of magical thinking. And that’s a big problem. We are seeing a wave of hype washing over critical institutions, governments, and key decision makers to trust these technologies with key functions that those who understand the technical reality, the limitations, the conditions for how these actually work would never have advised.

What’s the antidote to that? You also always hear this argument that Washington or policymakers don’t understand the technology well enough to regulate it, or put guardrails on it.

That old trope that all you need is tech brains in Washington to move aside the dusty policymakers and get things on the rails of modernization has been around for a very long time. But they’re not too old or too crusty to understand the domains in which they operate, be that education or health care or national security. And tech has a lot to learn on the fundamentals of those domains.

The antidote — there’s no one weird trick here, but just be brave enough to ask the dumb question. People are deeply afraid of being humiliated for being dumb about AI. And I will hear NATO chiefs, I will hear CEOs of Fortune 100 corporations, repeating as received wisdom claims about AI that make absolutely no sense.

These quote-unquote stupid questions, like, “How does this work? Do we have control over the data? What are the privacy implications? Are there vulnerabilities there?” These are just basic questions that should be the floor before entrusting critical decision making to obscure systems that often don’t, in my opinion, meet that bar for safety use in critical domains.

Legislative Commission on Cybersecurity Meeting Oct 27 – 10:30

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I know it’s last-minute notice but sometimes that makes it easier to commit. Here’s the info…

Mon. October 27, 2025 10:30 AM
G-23, State Capitol

Additional documents may be posted prior to the meeting.

To provide feedback on digital accessibility of meeting information, please submit comments through the Minnesota Legislature Accessibility & Usability Comment Form. To learn more about requesting an accommodation, please visit the FAQs for Disability Access or contact the Legislative Coordinating Commission at lcc@lcc.mn.gov.

Livestream Link

Rep Ron Kresha speaks up in support of broadband especially for schools

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The Brainerd Dispatch ran an opinion piece from Representative Ron Kresha.

State policy must recognize that rural schools deserve the same opportunities as larger districts. That means supporting broadband access, promoting flexible learning options, and ensuring fair funding formulas that reflect the true cost of serving rural students. It also means connecting education directly to local career paths through partnerships with area businesses and technical colleges.

When students in rural Minnesota see a future for themselves close to home, communities thrive. Education is the bridge that keeps our small towns strong and our workforce growing. By continuing to invest in rural schools, we invest in the future of Minnesota itself.

Rep Kresha has been active in the world of broadband for many years. He introduced a bill in 2019 to invest $100 million in broadband. Last year, he introduced a bill (HF1971) that would remove barriers for telecom carriers interested in deploying broadband. He is chair of the MN House Education Finance Committee.

Cable provider Charter Communications announces layoffs

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The West Central Tribune reports…

Cable giant Charter Communications is laying off close to 1,200 employees, or just over 1% of its 95,000-person workforce, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.

The job cuts will affect corporate management positions within the company and will not impact sales or service roles, the source said, adding that the layoffs are intended to streamline operations.

Charter follows other media and cable peers that are trimming their workforce. Last month, Reuters reported exclusively that Comcast was planning to cut jobs at its biggest unit, which houses broadband and pay TV, to centralize operations.

Newly merged Paramount Skydance will begin mass layoffs next week, eliminating around 2,000 U.S. jobs, according to media reports .

Charter is facing growing pressure from telecom carriers offering bundled internet and 5G mobile plans. The company lost 117,000 internet customers in the second quarter, and 60,000 in the January-March period.

A second look at MN County broadband ranking from TC Business Mag

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Twin Cities Business is reporting on the MN Broadband County ranking – but I want to let careful readers know that this is based on the ranking I posted in December 2024. It’s still valuable, but again for folks who are long time readers, this isn’t an update, it’s just sharing the mainstream media coverage…

Rural businesses need access to fast, reliable broadband as much as metro-area firms do. Based on 2024 data gathered by the state, some Greater Minnesota counties are actually outpacing the Twin Cities region. The following rankings measure access to gig broadband, which is internet service with speeds of 1 gigabit per second (Gbps), the current standard for “high-speed.” Surprisingly, Anoka, a metro county, came in seventh from the bottom at 17%.

 

Minnesota creates portals to track federal spending by school districts and more

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The Pioneer Press reports…

The Minnesota Department of Education launched an online tool Friday that Minnesotans can use to learn more about federal funding for public school districts as the federal government shutdown enters its third week.

With the site, viewers can see estimated annual allocations from the federal government for each Minnesota school district, including money for food, broadband Internet and busing, as well as classroom support.

The MDE website doesn’t share the specific information I’d like to see on broadband, both in terms of how much federal funding support broadband in the schools but also helps subsidize or provide access (such a hotspot check-outs) to students at home. It segments the information by school district. I’ll paste a sample below; as you see the mention broadband but don’t quantify the amount invested but it’s a good remind that broadband finding comes from several places.

Also, the MN Star Tribune reports on a team from the Minnesota’s Office of Management and Budget that is…

tracking the effects on Minnesota from the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) and other actions this year in which President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have made big cuts in federal money to state and local governments.

Apparently, the team holds a conference call every 2 weeks to provide high-level summaries of recent funding changes. The call is open to the public and you can sign up for email updates.

More details on the Golden Valley’s upcoming FTTH deployment

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I wrote about Golden Valley’s broadband expansion last week, but MinneapoliMedia has more information…

Residents of Golden Valley could see fiber internet installation begin in many neighborhoods as early as Spring 2026, as multiple companies prepare to lay high-speed fiber optic cables throughout the city. The project will bring advanced broadband connectivity to both local residences and businesses, marking a significant step in the city’s digital infrastructure development.

City Engineer Michael Ryan confirmed that the city has already received plans and permit applications for more than 15 miles of fiber optic cable. “Golden Valley is behind other neighboring cities in fiber installation due to our undergrounding policy for new utility installations, which prohibits the use of existing overhead utility poles,” Ryan explained. “Despite this, we are confident that significant construction will begin in 2026.”

Fiber internet is considered a private utility, similar to gas or electric service. Its installation is managed by multiple private providers, with the City of Golden Valley facilitating permits and right-of-way access. The city does not select a single provider and cannot deny a permit if a company meets City Code requirements.

Key details for residents include:

  • Timeline: Construction is expected to start in Spring 2026.
  • Disruption: Active construction in a neighborhood typically lasts one to two weeks.
  • Installation Process: Utility marking via Gopher State One Call (GSOC), directional drilling to install underground conduit, fiber cable pulling, and splicing.
  • Restoration: Installing companies are responsible for restoring affected property, including lawns, sprinkler systems, and pavement.