Category Archives: Building Broadband Tools

Willmar City Council delays announcement of Willmar Connect broadband plan

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Willmar City Council had planned to announce the broadband plans at Monday’s council meeting. Instead, West Central Tribune reports…

Consideration for awarding the bid for the Willmar Connect initiative was expected to be on the Willmar City Council agenda on Monday, Jan. 5, but that agenda item was again delayed.

When asked why, City Operations Director Kyle Box explained the agreements with the internet service providers that will be operating on the network and paying fees to the city were not yet ready for approval.

He also shared that the low bid, about which the City Council was briefed on Dec. 15, is ready for approval, but the ISP agreements also need to be ready for approval to ensure the council members that the project is financially feasible.

A little more on the low bid…

The low bid from NC3 of Clearbrook, Minnesota, for phase one is in the amount of approximately $7.6 million. The city expects to collect a fee between $40 and $44 per subscription from the ISPs that use the network, according to Box.

Fiber supply threatens US broadband targets

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Light Reading reports…

Warnings about a US fiber crunch that could slow down broadband deployment have intensified since the summer. In August, Incab America, a Texan maker of fiber-optic cable, notified customers that “a significant fiber shortage is emerging” in a statement signed by Mike Riddle, its president, who blamed data centers for “sucking up all the fiber production capacity.” The situation reminded him of 2000, when lead times lengthened to a year. They have now risen to the same level, said a separate industry source who requested anonymity.

That compares with normal lead times of between eight and 12 weeks, according to the same source. Even when there is some tightness in the supply chain, they never usually exceed 15 to 20 weeks, he said. But a wave of investment in data centers, built to train AI’s large language models (LLMs), has quickly gobbled supplies of glass and other materials used in fiber-optic cables. “The three leading glass manufacturers in the United States are experiencing challenges in meeting this heightened demand,” observed Riddle in August. “Notably, one manufacturer has already sold all of its fiber inventory through the year 2026.”

Policies may also have an impact…

Yet surging demand from AI data centers is not the only problem. Sourcing components from overseas has also become harder because of the tariff restrictions Trump has slapped on imports of foreign goods. There is some industry frustration, too, about the need to comply with the rules of the Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act signed into law by Joe Biden, Trump’s White House predecessor, in November 2021.

Under BABA’s provisions, initiatives are ineligible for government financial aid “unless all of the iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials used in the project are produced in the United States.” That has ramifications for companies participating in the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, which draws on government funds to extend network coverage into hard-to-reach and underserved communities.

EVENT Jan 13-15: Clearfield launches Tribal broadband technician training program in Brooklyn Park MN

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Telecompetitor reports…

Tribal residents will have access to certified broadband training through fiber optic equipment company Clearfield Inc.’s new Tribal Broadband Training Initiative.

The free three-day course is accredited by the Fiber Optic Association for Certified Fiber Optic Technician (CFOT) training. It combines hands-on elements with classroom learning. The course covers inside plant, outside plant, and access network applications.

The goal is to offer a broadband training session each quarter near Tribal lands. The inaugural session will be held January 13–15 at Clearfield’s headquarters in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Subsequent sessions will be held from April 7–9 at the Hopi Telecommunications office in Keams Canyon, Arizona, and from July 21–23 at Tri County Tech in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

Willmar Connect bids to build open-access broadband are coming in

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The West Central Tribune reports…

The West Central Tribune reports…

The city of Willmar announced Wednesday that it opened bids for phase one of the city-wide, open-access broadband project known as Willmar Connect, with the apparent low bid coming in under the estimated costs for phase one construction.

Phase one involves constructing the network operations center and installing fiber throughout all the neighborhoods west of First Street South, between U.S. Highway 12 and 19th Avenue. Phase one may expand into areas within phase two of the project if there are clusters of residents and businesses who have completed the advance sign-up for the service.

The infrastructure will be owned by the city and the network will be managed by Hometown Fiber. Multiple internet service providers can contract with the city to offer services on the network for a fee, which will be used to pay the principal and interest on the bonds that will fund the construction of the project. Eventually, those fees are expected to generate revenue for the city, as well.

If approved by the Willmar City Council on Dec. 15, construction of phase one of the Willmar Connect project will begin in early 2026. The project has been a long time coming since it was first considered in 2022, with thorough vetting and research completed by the city to ensure its success.

Bipartisan bill to fast-track broadband expansion by smoothing access to rights of way

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Senator Blackburn’s website reports…

U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) introduced the bipartisan Broadband and Telecommunications RAIL Act that would streamline the process to deploy telecommunications and broadband equipment in public and railroad rights-of-way. Rights-of-way are the corridors alongside public roads and railroad tracks where utilities can install infrastructure.

“Access to reliable, high-speed telecommunications and broadband is a necessity for working families, schools, and businesses,” said Senator Blackburn. “The Broadband and Telecommunications RAIL Act would cut red tape to streamline the installation of telecommunications and broadband equipment in public and railroad rights-of-way, expanding essential connectivity for rural communities in Tennessee and across America.

“I’m proud to introduce legislation that will make it easier to expand broadband in rural and Tribal communities across New Mexico. Expanding broadband access strengthens local economies and opens the door to better education, job opportunities, and health care,” said Senator Luján, Ranking Member of Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media. “With nearly 2,000 miles of freight rail across our state, this bill streamlines broadband construction along rail corridors to help connect regions that have long been underserved.”

The FCC and Congress make moves to streamline broadband permitting at federal level

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State Scoop reports…

The Federal Communications Commission and Congress are considering reforms to numerous broadband permitting processes across the country, with the aim of accelerating deployment. Most changes would potentially preempt state and local government rules.

The House Energy Subcommittee on Communications and Technology on Tuesday heard amendments and marked up 28 bills that would streamline broadband permitting, passing several Republican-led measures to rollback regulations.

And the FCC this week has formally kicked off consideration of new measures to reform broadband permitting. That process includes public comments solicited through a notice of inquiry published in September. The agency’s deadline for initial comments passed on Monday, and reply comments are due in mid-December.

Both efforts follow frustrations over the last several years with the broadband infrastructure permitting process, magnified by billions of dollars of federal investment across the states. The Biden administration created a number of federal broadband programs to expand access to high-speed, broadband internet through the former president’s Internet for All initiative, which was created by the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.

The article goes on to explain the impact on some proposed changes on state and local role…

Following roll call votes, the subcommittee voted favorably on seven bills, sending them to the full committee for consideration, including one that would set “shot clocks” for permitting, giving state and local agencies 150 days to approve or deny new construction permits, and 90 days to respond to permit applications to modify existing broadband infrastructure. Requests that don’t receive responses within those timeframes would be automatically approved.

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

 

Willmar Planning is ready to go out for bids to begin the construction of the open-access

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West Central Tribune reports…

Willmar Planning and Development Director Christopher Corbett dropped the news Thursday that the Willmar City Council is ready to make a decision at the Oct. 20 council meeting to go out for bids to begin the construction of the open-access, citywide broadband initiative.

The announcement was made during the Kandiyohi County Economic Development Joint Operations Board meeting. …

The construction bids will be for phase one of the initiative, according to Willmar City Administrator Leslie Valiant. Phase one is to install fiber to all residences and businesses west of First Street South between 19th Avenue Southwest and U.S. Highway 12, as well as construct the project’s network operations center.

However, if there are clusters of residences and businesses outside of phase one that have already signed up to receive the service, Valiant noted they may be included as well.

The initiative, which was dubbed Connect Willmar in January 2024 and is now being called  Willmar Connect,  is a community-driven effort to construct a $24.5 million city-owned, open-access, high-speed fiber network throughout the city of Willmar, focusing on digital equity and economic growth.

Hometown Fiber will manage the system and the city plans to take out bonds to pay for its construction. Lease fees from the multiple internet service providers that will operate on the system will be used to pay the debt service on the bonds.

 

Benton looks at Achieving Affordability: State Strategies for Getting Everyone Online

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The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society has a new publication that looks at Achieving Affordability: State Strategies for Getting Everyone Online…

In the absence of federal leadership, state governments are working to ensure that every household can afford to get and stay connected

They looked at…

Some state governments have long prioritized broadband affordability, while others are only now stepping in to fill the vacuum left by Washington. Across their strategic plans, all states cite affordability as one of the chief barriers to achieving universal connectivity. This report examines how states are working to make high-speed internet more affordable for their residents, offering a menu of policy
options explored by states around the country. These approaches fall into six broad categories:
1. LOW-COST PLANS: New York’s Affordable Broadband Act caps the cost of internet plans for low-income households at $20 per month or less. Connecticut will soon require low-cost plans for qualifying low-income residents.
2. STATE LIFELINE REFORM: State Lifeline programs collect mandatory fees from telecommunications companies, which are generally passed on to consumer bills, to fund discounts on eligible low-income residents’ phone and internet bills. State programs supplement a similar Lifeline program at the federal level, which provides a $9.25-per-month discount. Oregon recently passed legislation to expand its Lifeline subsidy and offer discounts on devices to low-income residents.
3. ONE-TIME SUBSIDIES: States, including Maryland and South Carolina, have used or plan to use federal funding for short-term affordability programs. These efforts are inherently time-limited and rely on one-off funding streams.

4. LOW-INCOME HOUSING INCENTIVES: States like Pennsylvania and Indiana are using the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) to encourage developers to offer free or subsidized internet in affordable housing units.
5. CONSUMER PROTECTIONS and TRANSPARENCY MEASURES: States such as Arkansas, Virginia, and Tennessee have passed laws to improve pricing transparency and billing practices. These policies aim to empower consumers
to better understand the costs of internet service and avoid excess charges.
This approach may lower costs indirectly.
6. ENHANCED COMPETITION and CONSUMER CHOICE: Some states are fostering competition and affordability by permitting the market participation of municipal broadband providers and cooperatives, as well as investing in open-access, middle-mile infrastructure. Others offer deployment subsidies or regulatory relief to lower provider costs and encourage new entrants

They found…

States pursuing broadband affordability must consider key factors:
• Available state resources, such as fiscal and institutional capacity
• Local market landscape, including providers and their offerings
• The time horizon of affordability needs
• Positions of key political, industry, and consumer groups
• Implementation strategies for enrolling households and managing program
outreach

EVENT Sep 17: National Security and Resilient Critical Infrastructure

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From Broadband Breakfast...

Building critical resilience in today’s geopolitically volatile environment requires organizations and nations to develop comprehensive preparedness strategies that address both traditional threats like natural disasters and emerging challenges including cyberwarfare, electromagnetic pulse and other infrastructure vulnerabilities. Effective resilience must integrate robust backup systems for essential services, diversified supply chains, and layered security.

This session of Broadband Breakfast Live Online on Wednesday, Sept. 17 will explore how our nation can maintain a network of resilient critical infrastructure – in advance of the in-person Resilient Critical Infrastructure Summit on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. 

AI applications for rural broadband providers

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 NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association just released an interesting paper on AI use for rural broadband providers…

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the product of high-speed computer analysis of vast data sets that results in
predictive guidance for users. It can be used across a wide range of industries and applications, including
broadband network management; medicine and health care; writing and content creation; and customer
service support. AI represents both an opportunity and challenge for rural broadband providers and the
communities they serve. AI promises efficiencies and other gains but also implicates privacy, data security
and labor market considerations.
This paper provides rural broadband operators with a practical introduction to AI and its applied use for
telecommunications and other industries in rural settings. We will explain fundamental AI concepts and
terminology while highlighting specific examples of how rural ISPs and other businesses can use AI across
business operations, including customer service and administrative management. At the same time, we will
explore practical considerations about costs, customer perceptions and the need for thoughtful AI policies to
help rural providers navigate these challenges successfully. By serving as both users and enablers of AI, rural
ISPs can contribute significantly to the economic development and quality of life in the areas they serve.

Fairmont County Commission looks at 2026 budget – budget is discussed as an investment

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The Fairmont Sentinel reports…

The Martin County Board of Commissioners on Monday held a 2026 preliminary budget work session. As it stands, the county is looking at a 9.87 percent levy increase. It needs to adopt a preliminary budget and levy next month but won’t set the official amount until December.

They discussed a number of topics included in the budget and changes in the commission. Broadband was part of the discussion…

To close, Higgins asked the board what it wanted to see done next. Loughmiller said he was happy to leave the budget and levy it as is for now, though he did say he would like to see more done for broadband.

The board discussed using money from the reserves or the CIP.

“I’d like to continue to build the infrastructure and make Martin County a destination place. Western Martin County is where the broadband gap is,” Loughmiller said. “If we can do it, I’d rather invest in that kind of stuff.”

Koons said there was money set aside. However, he said if the $1.8 million, set aside for the justice center, was taken out completely, it would be about a 2.47 percent increase to the levy.

As it is, in 2026, the board is looking to utilize $1.453 of the $1.8 million, originally levied for the justice center project, to put toward broadband.

American Society of Civil Engineers grade US broadband and offers recommendations for improvement

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Description of the report card…

Since 1998, ASCE [American Society of Civil Engineers] has issued a quadrennial assessment of the United States’ infrastructure networks, known as the Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. For more than two decades, the message behind the unflattering grades was consistent: federal, state, and local governments, in addition to the private sector, have not been prioritizing our interdependent infrastructure systems. In sum, the bill on our infrastructure systems was past due. We needed to reverse the nation’s growing infrastructure investment gap to remain competitive in the global marketplace, allow local businesses to thrive, and keep our families safely connected. That message grew louder with each evaluation, through our most recent Report Card release in early 2021.

The addition of broadband is new…

Broadband was introduced as a graded category in 2025, coming in at a C+. Although evidence points to improvements throughout infrastructure’s system-of-systems, nine categories remained within the D range—a clear sign that more needs to be done to improve the health of America’s built environment.

Here’s what the postcard says about broadband…

As the fabric of work, society, and commerce has moved into the digital realm, a fast and reliable connection to the internet has become essential.1 In 2000, only 1% of U.S. adults had broadband access at home, compared to 80% today.2 America’s economy requires reliable broadband access, with research showing that the nation would have lost $1.3 trillion in economic growth between 2010 and 2020 if broadband speeds and adoption had remained at 2010 levels.3 While the total amount of public spending on broadband is difficult to estimate, the private sector has invested approximately $2.2 trillion in broadband infrastructure since 1996, with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) recently providing an additional $65 billion in federal dollars.4 Yet, broadband access and adoption continue to face several challenges. Estimates show that 10% of households (12.7 million) do not have a broadband subscription, whether at home or on a mobile device.5 As new investments are deployed to connect the remainder of Americans to broadband, extreme weather poses challenges to internet reliability and new technologies create a rapidly changing environment.

The report is interesting for the historical perspective as well as commentary on what is happening in the industry today. They end with some specific recommendations for improvement…

  • Incentivize internet service providers to provide better service data for key performance indicators such as delivered speeds and reliability of service.
  • Provide dedicated, predictable funding for broadband affordability programs.
  • Account for life-cycle costs and possible recovery costs from systems failures when delivering broadband projects.
  • Facilitate state-based reporting on the implementation of broadband plans, the use of BEAD, and other federal broadband funding.
  • Encourage partnerships with state and local agencies and broadband providers to facilitate service uptake for vulnerable communities. SOURCES 1.
  • Expand Dig Once policies to include broadband deployment plans in more public works projects, specifically transportation, energy, and water improvements that are already requiring work above and below the ground.
  • Incentivize the latest up-to-date codes and standards for utility poles and other structures that are often used for broadband deployment.

A view of BEAD changes from a fiber manufacturer via NPR’s Marketplace

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Kai Ryssdal, from National Public Radio’s Marketplace,. spoke to a fiber manufacturer a year ago and this week about how changes to BEAD’s take on fiber has impacted his work…

Patrick Jacobi is SVP of digital solutions in North America for Prysmian. He joined Ryssdal to talk about how the policy change is playing out in the fiber internet supply chain, and how other economic headwinds are creating both challenges and opportunities for the company.

You can listen to the full interview online.

FCC takes action to remove barriers to broadband deployment and investment

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The FCC reports…

The Federal Communications Commission today approved updates to its pole attachment rules that will make it easier and faster to deploy broadband networks.  This action supports Chairman Carr’s Build America Agenda objective to unleash high-speed infrastructure and get America building again.

The FCC’s pole attachment rules prescribe processes and timelines that attachers and pole owners must follow when telecom crews attach communications infrastructure to those poles.  Increased funding for broadband projects has led to extensive new deployments in recent years, resulting in a significant increase in attachment applications for large numbers of utility poles.

For too long, a lack of standard rules and timelines for processing large broadband deployment orders have slowed rollouts and led to costly disputes.  By encouraging communications companies and pole owners to collaborate on larger broadband deployments and by providing more concrete timelines, today’s action will remove barriers to deployment, encourage investment, and help achieve high-speed broadband availability for all Americans, consistent with the spirit and intent of Section 224.

In December 2023, the Commission adopted the Fourth Report and Order, Declaratory Ruling, and Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in which it took steps to make the pole attachment process faster, more transparent, and more cost-effective and sought comment on additional actions it could take to prevent delays and other challenges to broadband deployment. Today’s actions move these proposals forward.  Today’s item will also seek comment on whether light poles are covered by Section 224 of the Communications Act.

Action by the Commission July 24, 2025 by Fifth Report and Order, Fourth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, and Orders on Reconsideration (FCC 25-38).  Chairman Carr, Commissioners Gomez and Trusty approving.  Chairman Carr and Commissioner Trusty issuing separate statements.