Pew reports on funding, especially state funding, for broadband…

Dedicated state deployment funding helps pick up where private-sector investment leaves off. When states establish eligibility and funding requirements, they are better able to target areas of need and promote goals including infrastructure scalability.

About Minnesota…

Several states dedicate resources to broadband deployment through recurring appropriations. Minnesota’s Border-to-Border program, the Virginia Telecommunication Initiative (VATI), and Wisconsin’s Broadband Expansion Grant program are examples of this approach. Although their program funding structures differ, all three maintain statutory mechanisms for directing state resources toward broadband deployment. For example, Minnesota allows appropriations to remain available until they are expended, while Virginia and Wisconsin rely on recurring appropriations and transfers through their respective budget processes.

Since 2014, Minnesota has awarded more than $323 million in broadband grants through the Border-to-Border program, using a combination of state and federal funding, with $50 million in state appropriations in 2025.