From the Office of Broadband Development…
Broadband Matters: Office of Broadband Development Updates
- Broadband Task Force, January meeting recap
- Line Extension Connection Program updates
- Broadband updates and in the news
- BEAD in Minnesota
Broadband Task Force, January meeting recap
The Broadband Task Force had the first meeting of 2026 on Thursday January 22, at 10 a.m. The Task Force had a legislative discussion and broadband check-in with Senator Putnam (Chair Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development) and presented on the 2025 annual report, including recommendations on meeting broadband goals in Minnesota. Deven Bowdry, (Government Relations Director, Department of Employment and Economic Development) presented a legislative preview, and OBD’s Bree Maki (Executive Director) and Megan Messerole (Broadband Environmental and Land Use Coordinator) gave overviews on broadband updates and Minnesota broadband environmental permitting.
More information on this and past meetings can be found on the Broadband Task Force webpage.
OBD is currently in the process of rolling out awards and getting confirmation of award acceptance from providers for Round 4 of the Line Extension Connection Program. Once this process is complete, OBD will publish final awards, which is expected to be late January or early February.
Registration remains open for future rounds if and as funding is available for residents and businesses on the Line Extension Connection Program webpage. OBD expects to run a fifth round of Line Extension with state project funds in spring 2026.
Questions on Line Extension can be sent to deed.broadband@state.mn.us or (651)-259-7610.
Broadband updates and in the news
OBD’s 2025 annual report has been submitted and made available online on OBD’s Minnesota Reports and Resources webpage. Additionally:
- OBD’s Executive Director Bree Maki was part of a panel and follow-up story in Broadband Breakfast’s, State Broadband Officers Still Face Delays in BEAD Approval, Implementation
- Pew analysis, What’s Next for Broadband Expansion?
- Telecompetitor interview, with Shirley Bloomfield on AI and rural broadband
BEAD in Minnesota
On December 19, 2025, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approved Minnesota’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Final Proposal, advancing the state’s plan to expand high‑speed internet with federal funding.
Following extensive engagement, restructuring, and over 18 rounds of curing, Minnesota has been initially approved for:
- $378.9 million in BEAD subgrants across 94 projects. These projects are supported by nearly $190 million in matching funds, representing a total anticipated investment of more than $568.8 million
- Funds will connect connect 74,739 locations
OBD is awaiting final approval from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and will then begin the contracting process with subgrantees, prioritizing award agreements and readiness activities.
OBD continues to update the OBD BEAD webpage as additional updates and resources are made available, including:
- Addition of an NTIA BABA Compliance Guide
- Updated NTIA Letter of Credit Waiver, see Section 2.2b for changes that apply to the performance bond only
NTIA is hosting the a Discussion on Federal Requirements for BEAD Subgrantees on Thursday, January 29, 2026 at 1 p.m. CST. This webinar will discuss the requirements of being a federal subgrantee; while subgrantees contract directly with the Eligible Entity, this webinar will be an opportunity for SBOs and provisionally awarded subgrantees to be reminded of the baseline requirements. Register here.
The status of BEAD nationally can be followed on NTIA’s BEAD Progress Dashboard.