KSNI radio reports… Benton County residents will get high-speed fiber broadband internet after the Board of Commissioners approved an agreement with Benton Communications. The county awarded the company $1.5 million to 483 rural addresses in unserved and underserved areas north … Continue reading
From the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society… We’re Now Accepting Nominations for the 2023 Charles Benton Digital Equity Champion Awards Do you know someone who should be recognized for their work in digital equity? Or someone who has brought … Continue reading
Rank: 25 Code: Yellow (See Blandin Foundation interactive map) Benton County: big leap two years ago, incremental since then Benton County ranks 25 for broadband access and 30 for digital equity out of 87 counties. They have hovered around 89 … Continue reading
Last fall, the FCC announced that broadband providers were going to be required to use broadband labels, which are akin to nutritional labels in the grocery store. They show the broadband equivalent of calories and cost per unit. As someone … Continue reading
Every year, the Blandin on Broadband blog does County Broadband Profiles (and will do again when the new maps come out) but given federal opportunities are making it possible to get funding for access and adoption, I thought I’d try … Continue reading
The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society has compiled a nice recap of what’s happening in Minnesota in terns of broadband investment… Minnesota’s Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant Program is the state’s financial tool to address the primary cause for the lack of broadband in … Continue reading
Benton Institute for Broadband & Society has an opportunity for the right folks… Through the Marjorie & Charles Benton Opportunity Fund, we aim to support a new generation of broadband scholars, practitioners, and advocates. We welcome applications from people working … Continue reading
KSNI radio St Cloud reports… Office of Broadband Development Executive Director Bree Maki says thousands of customers will soon be getting service. “More specifically to the St Cloud area, we are happy to say that more than $8.2 million will … Continue reading
The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society took a look at the great increase in broadband adoption during the pandemic (Broadband Benefit Programs are Helping to Close the Digital Divide: Four Lessons for Policymakers). They looked at where increases were … Continue reading
I’m sharing this into from the St Cloud Times to help Benton County get to more people but also, if you’re in a different county this survey may give you some good ideas… Benton County has put two short surveys … Continue reading
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) provides 17 million households up to $30 per month in subsidies to offset the cost of broadband. In Minnesota, 193,678 have signed up. Benton Institute for Broadband & Society has created a tool to help determine … Continue reading
Rank: 24 Code: Yellow (See Blandin Foundation interactive map) Benton County: big leap two years ago, incremental since then Two years ago, Benton County moved the broadband needle from 26 to 88 percent for access to 100/20 Mbps after benefitting … Continue reading
Benton Institute for Broadband and Society has a great article on Getting a BEAD on Community Asset Mapping How Community Development Can Aid Your State’s Broadband Planning. They include what and whom to gather… The six buckets are individual residents, … Continue reading
The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society has done a nice job detailing the Affordable Connectivity Program from angle of provider and recipient, or at least to help a recipient. I remember working a Reference Desk and working with patrons … Continue reading
The Enhancing Our Regional Broadband Capacity had 40+ people in attendance. The presenters included several elected officials, community leaders, business owners and providers. We heard about the importance of surveys and mapping that paints a real picture of the frontlines … Continue reading
Blandin on Broadband 