Category Archives: Building Broadband Tools

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.

OPPORTUNITY: Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians hosts Tribal Broadband Boot Camp Aug. 18-21

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The Tribal Business News reports...

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians will host a four-day Tribal Broadband Boot Camp Aug. 18-21 at Bay Mills Community College Technology Center on the tribe’s Marquette campus.

The training program, organized by broadband advocacy group Waskawiwin, will bring together tribal technology staff, community leaders and advocates for hands-on instruction in network design, deployment and management. The event marks the first boot camp held in the Great Lakes region and is designed primarily for members of the 36 federally recognized tribes across Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Participants will receive support for travel costs, including rooms and meals. Sessions will be led by Waskawiwin co-founders Matthew Rantanen and Christopher Mitchell of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

“Our goal is to connect people working in Indian Country on Internet access to build skills and share knowledge on how to make sure everyone is well connected,” Mitchell told Tribal Business News. “This issue is not as complicated as it first feels and tribes have real options to achieve digital sovereignty.” …

Boot camps help tribal technologists maximize current funding levels to create optimal results, Rantanen said. Attendees learn to build and manage their own networks, reducing reliance on outside contractors and vendors while preserving tribal data sovereignty.

“There really has never been a more important moment in history where it’s apparent tribes need to manage their own digital sovereignty,” Rantanen said.

Registration closes July 31. Interested tribal staff and leaders can apply at tribalbroadbandbootcamp.org.

Fiber Connect panel finds fiber deployment problems stem from construction and permits

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Fierce Network reports…

As fiber deployments surge, so do the various challenges associated with building. Speakers on a Fiber Connect panel voiced their main deployment gripes, from permitting and poles to disrupting community infrastructure.

One set of problems relates to construction…

“Anyone who thinks a fiber business is a technology business is sorely mistaken,” said Greg Wilson, founder and CEO of Ripple Fiber. It’s more of a construction business, where any large project faces challenges with labor, permitting, regulation snags and the like.

Construction is a hot mess, according to Mitchell J. Campagna, president and CEO of architecture firm Mitchell J. Architecture.

Another set of problems relates to permitting…

For many fiber operators, securing pole attachments can be difficult, stacking up permitting requirements, panelists noted.

CTC is deploying fiber to Breitung Town (St. Louis County)

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The Timberjay reports...

At their meeting on May 20, the Breitung Town Board approved the permits allowing CTC to begin laying fiber optic cable to bring high-speed broadband internet to parts of the township. Residents on Mallard Dr., Puncher Pt., and along Hoodoo Pt. Rd. up to the McKinley Park Campground will get the service.
CTC has been working with the Bois Forte Reservation and local townships to get permits and install broadband in as many places as possible with available funding. Initially, broadband was supposed to be installed to Echo Pt. and McKinley Park Acres but the prevalence of bedrock made that cost-prohibitive. If residents in these areas are interested in high-speed internet, it’s important to visit goctc.com to request service. Board chairman Matt Tuchel said his goal is to eventually get service to all parts of the township including Indian Point.
Service will begin later this year or in early 2026 depending on location. Service charges start at $65 per month for 250 mbps with additional faster tiers at $85 for 500 mbps and $100 per month for 1 gbps.
McKinley Park Campground already has broadband service.

New partnership, Tri-Co, focused on deploying broadband to Cass and Crown Wing Counties

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The Brainerd Dispatch reports on good news for Cass and Crown Wing Counties..

Tri-Co Technologies Partnership, with current owners Emily Cooperative Telephone Company of Emily and the West Central Telephone Association of Sebeka, is expanding its membership to include Paul Bunyan Communications of Bemidji and Consolidated Telephone Company of Brainerd to form a powerful new alliance.

Operating under the name Tremolo Communications, Tri-Co is a strategic collaboration committed to delivering high-speed broadband to underserved communities across Cass and Crow Wing counties. This cooperative effort unites the strengths and resources of four established rural broadband cooperatives, along with local leadership and vision. …

For more information and to see if your address is included in the expansion, visit tremolo.net/fiber .

Renville County residents are invited to take a broadband survey

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West Central Tribune reports…

Renville County residents are invited to take a short broadband internet survey through March 31 to gauge satisfaction with current internet service providers.

According to the release, those without a home or business broadband connection are also encouraged to take the survey in order to help the county consider different broadband solutions.

Residents can take the survey by visiting www.renvillecountymn.com and clicking on the survey link in the homepage pop-up or going directly to surveymonkey.com/r/2687525.

Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe shares broadband expansion plans

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Leech Lake News reports…

The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe is launching a transformative broadband infrastructure project to bring fast, reliable internet access to our communities. Backed by an $18.7 million grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), this project will include a combination of fiber-optic lines and fixed wireless towers to serve households and businesses across the reservation.

The network will include fiber routes and strategically placed wireless towers capable of delivering 5G fixed wireless internet. These towers awill broadcast internet within a defined coverage area.

Throughout May 2025, LLBO Tribal and Economic Development staff will attend Local Indian Council (LIC) meetings to share plans, answer questions, and gather input on tower site locations. Community feedback is critical to ensuring this project reflects local priorities and needs.

Project Timeline:

  • May 2025: Community outreach at LIC meetings
  • Fall/Winter 2025: Environmental review & final tower placement
  • Spring/Summer 2026: Construction begins
  • Fall 2026: Project completion anticipated

We encourage community members to participate in the meetings and help shape the future of internet access across Leech Lake.

LAST ACRE Act promotes broadband to the farm

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Telecompetitor reports…

Rural broadband would get a boost if a precision agriculture bill introduced in the Senate were to be adopted.

The Linking Access to Spur Technology for Agriculture Connectivity in Rural Environments (LAST ACRE) Act, introduced by U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), would create a competitive grant and loan program in the USDA focused on the “last acre.”

As a fact sheet explains, existing broadband programs support connectivity to households but don’t address connectivity across farmland and ranchland. That “last acre” connectivity would be important to support precision agriculture applications such as soil mapping and aerial imaging.

Precision Agriculture Bill

The LAST ACRE Act would:

  • Enable eligible producers to work with eligible service providers to apply for broadband service and to secure network offers across farm and ranch sites. Multipoint connectivity would be supported to enable data transmission between structures and devices. Funding also could be used for wireless infrastructure construction, including retrofitting existing vertical structures.
  • Update the USDA’s Agriculture Census to include questions about broadband adoption, including the subscribers’ speeds and the purposes of the connections.

The LAST ACRE Act is part of a broader package of three precision agriculture bills. The other two bills are the PRECISE Act, which would provide financial tools to help boost farmer and rancher adoption of precision agriculture technologies through existing USDA conservation programs. The Precision Agriculture Loan (PAL) Act would develop a USDA program to finance farmers and ranchers interested in purchasing precision agriculture equipment.

SF908 passes in Senate to provide revisions on broadband installer training and certification

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The Minnesota DFL reports..

Today, the Minnesota Senate passed legislation authored by Senator Rob Kupec (DFL-Moorhead) which will help accelerate broadband installation while upholding strong labor and safety standards. The bill passed in a unanimous vote of 64 – 0 .

The bipartisan legislation, SF 908, will require any workers installing underground broadband in Minnesota to have a broadband safety certification beginning on January 1, 2026.

“Everyone deserves access to high-speed broadband internet in Minnesota, but we must make sure that this broadband expansion is done safely by workers trained to do it,” said Sen. Kupec. “With support from labor, industry, and community leaders, this bill updates and aligns state policy to protect workers and help us meet our broadband goals.”

The bill also removes the requirement to have at least 2 workers on site for an installation, while leaving requirements that any worker performing specific tasks have the necessary certification. The bill also allows broadband training providers to provide credit toward certification for workers if their past coursework happened within two years of the upcoming January 1, 2026 deadline.

Can community/public broadband plans help serve unserved areas?

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Stanford Social Innovation Review looks at why broadband has not reached some rural areas…

Broadband deserts exist largely because traditional finance and big-name ISPs do not build for communities too rural or too poor to hit their profit targets. Successive governments have responded with programs to attract providers to underserved communities, with mixed success. One hundred billion dollars in federal funding between 2010-2020 closed the digital divide by less than 1 percent. Why has so much money had so little impact?

First, these grants have too often funded technology that is obsolete by the time it is built. Take the Connect America Fund II (CAF II), a $10 billion Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program to connect rural areas with download speeds of 10 Mbps. By the time the program took effect in 2015, the broadband standard had been updated from 4 Mbps download/1 Mbps upload to 25/10 Mbps, leaving communities with outdated and inadequate infrastructure. Penn State Professor Christopher Ali calls this pursuit of short-term fixes “the politics of good enough,” repeatedly leaving rural and low-income communities behind. Instead of bursts of investment every five to 10 years, funding future-proof connectivity would offer far better use of tax dollars.

Second, program design has often led to poor results or outright failure. The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF), a $20 billion program to fund high-speed rural internet, is a prime example. The FCC used a “reverse auction” structure, awarding funds to the lowest bidder rather than the most feasible proposals, creating a race-to-the-bottom. Combined with a lack of due diligence to ensure winners could deliver, the result has been a series of ongoing defaults, with ISPs dropping out and handing back funds. Of $9.2 billion awarded, defaults have so far reached $3.3 billion. That’s almost two million rural homes and businesses that will not receive service. In most cases, these areas were excluded from other funding opportunities and so will now likely get no help at all.

Third, public investments have too often been geared to benefit the large incumbent providers over the local, regional, and community-centric ISPs best placed to serve hard-to-connect communities (more on these later). Program rules and requirements, which may be speed bumps for large ISPs, can be roadblocks for smaller competitors that lack vast capital reserves and back offices. The effect is reinforcing a status quo where a few name-brand providers dominate an uncompetitive sector.

This is not to say public investment isn’t part of the solution (it’s vital). And that programs can’t be better designed to address the root problem (some have been). The $42 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program passed by the Biden administration was designed to sidestep some of these pitfalls, including 1) a clear preference for fiber as a resilient, long-term technology, 2) investing in state capacity to administer awards and ensure winners can deliver, and 3) provisions to make sure small providers are given a fair shake. Now, under the Trump administration, BEAD is headed for significant changes and a likely shift toward satellite providers like Elon Musk’s Starlink. While we remain hopeful that BEAD will make a real difference, it alone won’t solve the problem, even if administered perfectly.

Community broadband are offered as a solution, starting with reframing broadband as a utility…

Connecting communities left out by the market requires new approaches. Many goods—transportation, education, low-income housing—don’t work on a pure profit-maximizing basis. Broadband is no different. If we start from the position that connectivity is essential, we can align mission-driven capital to community-centric models that will deliver it, just as has been demonstrated in the sectors noted above.

Community broadband models are emerging to fill the gaps.

They offer some help…

But the answer isn’t simply replicating and rolling out what was done in Tennessee and Utah. Communities have a range of needs and realities that call for various models and different blends of financing. Organizations like ILSR and the American Association for Public Broadband are working to help communities find solutions that work for them. The missing piece is a dedicated capital market that can make these models work.

Reps McEwen and Johnson oppose HF47: a bill that relaxes recent legislation on certification for telecommunications installers

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Duluth News Tribune post an Opinion by Sen. Jennifer A. McEwen and Rep. Pete Johnson on HF47: Provisions governing the certification of underground telecommunications installers modified…

Before last year, the broadband industry was an outlier in the utilities world, with almost no worker-training requirements. Statistics tell the story: In 2023, telecommunications construction like broadband caused seven in 10 drilling-related damages to underground infrastructure in Minnesota. Over half these incidents were mistakes by people operating drilling machinery. By comparison, natural gas and electrical work damage overwhelmingly resulted from people improperly marking the places for drilling to avoid — not mistakes operating machinery.

Telecommunications infrastructure workers made five times more excavator drilling errors than those doing natural gas and electrical work.

Moreover, these trends were increasing: Damage to natural gas infrastructure caused by telecommunications and broadband installation jumped 62% from 2022 to 2023, according to industry leader Common Ground Alliance.

To address these concerns, the Minnesota Legislature passed the 2024 Broadband Safety Bill. Still in implementation, it already is making Minnesotans safer. A leading telecommunications contractor admitted to legislators that “most of the issues brought to the industry last year were based on out-of-state contractors and their out-of-state subcontractors.” Now, they already see increases in the use of “local Minnesota contractors, which will show great improvement for the new construction season.”

However, in his March 2 commentary in the News Tribune (Lawmaker’s View: “ Minnesota must not squander opportunity to close digital divide ”), Rep. Isaac Schultz argued that the basic safety regulations passed in 2024 will hurt broadband rollout in Minnesota.

Nonsense. We do not have to sacrifice safety to build out our broadband system. In fact, as written now, Schultz’s new broadband bill would reject the public-safety advancements we’re making in favor of helping Twin Cities cable companies maximize profits, by allowing them to use underhanded, out-of-state contractors for the 2025 construction season and beyond. It would also undercut skilled Minnesota workers by watering down and postponing training requirements, which could further increase reliance on unskilled, out-of-state workforces.

Fall Lake township learns about broadband needs in the area (Lake County)

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The Ely Echo reports…

Paul Peltier, Executive Director of RAMS (Range Association of Municipalities and Schools), attended Fall Lake’s township meeting to inform the board about what has been discussed at RAMS meetings. Gruba has been attending RAMS meetings.

Peltier gave a history of RAMS which was formed in 1939. The organization serves 27 townships, 27 cities and 15 school districts all in the Taconite Assistance Area. He was happy to hear Fall Lake had received one half of the Taconite Tax allotment of $16,696. He said this is money to be used by the township that does not have to be levied.

Peltier’s main issue to discuss was about broadband and what money is available. He said the BEAD Act (Broadband Equity Access & Deployment) has $652 million federal funds available to the state of Minnesota. He will try to get as much money north as possible. RAMS connects communities that want broadband that are underserved and unserved with providers.

Peltier had an interactive tool that showed what areas would qualify for funds, areas that showed a cluster of properties that a provider may consider to provide service.

One area on Sunset Road showed they were declared served because Lake Connections had received a grant for broadband in the area. This area is not served.

Another area is at the end of the Fernberg were there is a cluster of properties that are unserved. Peltier is willing to work with areas to see if they can tap into the BEAD Act funding. There is less than 30 days until the first volume of applications is due.

The tool will be put on the Fall Lake Township’s website.

Peltier asked what are the township’s priorities, other than broadband. The supervisors listed off roads, housing, the community center and ambulance concerns.