Yesterday I attended, livestreamed and posted about the MN Public Broadband Alliance meeting in Le Sueur County. Today Benton Institute for Broadband & Society has published the text of the speech from Gigi Sohn…

Thank you, Barbara. Good morning! It’s wonderful to be here in Minnesota, a state that has always prided itself on strong communities and local problem-solving.  I’m honored to be speaking alongside my friends Ry Marcatillio and Bree Maki.

Before I begin, I want to introduce you to AAPB – the American Association for Public Broadband. We promote community networks by showcasing success stories and resources. We protect them from monopoly attacks. And we ignite new growth by linking communities with the mentors and expertise they need. Together, we’re building broadband by the people, for the people.  AAPB is a membership organization, so please join us as we work to empower communities across the country.

I want to start with a truth many of us already know; when it comes to federal efforts to close the digital divide, Minnesota has been left behind. Program after program has promised transformational change—yet time and again, your communities are still waiting.

Today, I want to offer both an honest assessment and a hopeful path forward. Because while Washington has failed you, Minnesota has the power—and the track record—to build its own broadband future.

Federal Program Failures

Let’s talk first about the federal record.

Launched in 2020, the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund—RDOF—was supposed to be a $6 billion game-changer. But nearly one-third of RDOF projects defaulted nationwide. That means hundreds of thousands of families were promised service and got nothing. Here in Minnesota, the story is far worse.  ISPs defaulted on 80% of  more than $400,000,000 in state RDOF funds and on 78% of the over 142,000 RDOF locations. These numbers are nothing less than tragic.

Then came BEAD, the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. $42.5 billion. A once-in-a-generation opportunity. Congress made clear that states should prioritize infrastructure that could scale, last for decades, and support the technologies of tomorrow. The Biden Commerce Department determined that only fiber networks met that definition.

But the Biden Administration didn’t finish the job, and on June 6 of this year, the rules were rewritten by the new Administration. Technology neutrality replaced fiber-first. Cost took precedence over performance. Low-earth orbit satellite companies swooped in with bids as low as $700 a location—numbers no fiber provider could match. The result? In Minnesota, 22,000 out of 76,000 eligible locations received no bids at all, because ten fiber providers dropped out rather than play a rigged game.

Of the remaining locations in the state, just 58% will get fiber, while approximately 25% will get satellite and 17% fixed wireless. Let’s be clear: the latter two aren’t long-term solutions. Satellite is expensive, congested, and limited. Fixed wireless can’t keep up with the demands of advanced applications. And for nearly a third of BEAD-eligible Minnesota households, there is no solution.

But that’s not all. Congress didn’t just fund deployment—it also envisioned a future where leftover BEAD dollars could be reinvested in the things that make networks work for people: workforce development, digital literacy, adoption programs, streamlined permitting, public safety and new applications like AI.  These aren’t luxuries; they’re the essential supports that get networks built faster and ensure they’re actually used.

Yet instead of empowering states to stretch their deployment dollars and then redirect the savings to these critical efforts, the Commerce Department has made clear it will claw back the money. Whether through a rescission like Congress passed in July or by simply withholding funds—just like it’s doing with the $3 billion Digital Equity Act—these resources are being locked away in Washington rather than put to work in Minnesota communities. Once again, promises made in the Infrastructure bill are being broken, and the people paying the price are the very families still waiting for a connection.

So, let’s be honest. The federal government has shown itself—again and again—incapable of implementing broadband programs that deliver robust, affordable networks for all Americans. Minnesota cannot keep waiting.

The Case For Self-Help

The good news is that Minnesota has a long history of self-help. When Washington has failed, when the market has failed, your communities have stepped up.  You’ve built cooperatives, power systems, and water systems. Broadband should be no different.

And in fact, it already isn’t.

Willmar

Take Willmar. Years ago, when private providers refused to invest, the city built its own network. That took courage. And today, Willmar has doubled down—planning a new $24.5 million open-access fiber project. This means that not just one provider, but many, will be able to serve homes and businesses over a shared city-owned fiber system.

What does that mean in practice? It means families whose kids struggled through COVID with buffering Zoom classes, will finally have reliable service. It means entrepreneurs can now reach clients nationwide without worrying about upload speeds. And it means residents have choice—true competition—instead of the take-it-or-leave-it monopolies we’ve come to expect.

Southwest Broadband

Now let’s move to Southwest Minnesota.  Nine small towns realized they couldn’t solve the broadband problem alone. So, they came together to create Southwest Broadband, a regional cooperative network.

The impact has been extraordinary. Students in Worthington can attend virtual classes seamlessly. Farmers outside Jackson can use precision agriculture tools—tracking soil health, applying fertilizer efficiently, saving money, and protecting the environment. Local clinics are expanding telehealth, so patients don’t have to drive hours for routine appointments.

Southwest Broadband is more than a network. It’s a lifeline, built because communities refused to wait for someone else to save them.

Dakota County

Closer to the Twin Cities, Dakota County built one of the nation’s first countywide fiber backbones. That backbone connects schools, libraries, city halls, and public safety facilities. The result? Students in Apple Valley can get online at their libraries. Police officers and firefighters can share lifesaving data in real time. And taxpayers save money because the county no longer pays private carriers year after year to lease lines.

Scott County

And then there’s Scott County. Their countywide network didn’t just make government more efficient—it extended opportunity into neighborhoods that private carriers ignored. Small businesses now have the bandwidth to grow. Families have access to telehealth. Local government can deliver services faster, better, and at lower cost.

These are not isolated experiments. They are part of a movement: over 700 communities nationwide have chosen to own their broadband infrastructure. They are all living proof: community-owned broadband works.

The Broader Benefits of Community Networks

And remember— community broadband is not just about fast internet. It’s about transformation.

When a community builds its own fiber network, the benefits ripple outward in powerful and measurable ways.

First, economic development. Businesses today make decisions about where to locate based on infrastructure. Roads, water, and power still matter—but high-capacity broadband is now at the top of the list. A manufacturer deciding between two towns will choose the one with reliable fiber that can support automation, logistics, and global communication. Hospitals expand services where fiber makes telehealth possible. Entrepreneurs launch startups in places they might otherwise overlook, because they can now serve customers anywhere in the world.

Second, population growth and retention. Families want to live where opportunity is abundant, and quality of life is high. In rural Minnesota, young people are more likely to stay—or move back—if they know they can work remotely, take online classes, and build a life with the same digital resources they’d have in the city. Broadband has become a cornerstone of livability, as critical as good schools and safe streets. Communities with fiber don’t just keep their residents—they attract new ones.

Third, housing and real estate values. Studies show that fiber broadband can increase home values by 3–5 percent, sometimes more. Realtors will tell you that buyers now ask about internet speed as often as they ask about property taxes. A community with fiber is a community where homes sell faster and at higher prices—strengthening the tax base and fueling local growth.

Last, but not least, cost savings and new revenue streams. When a city leases lines from private telecom companies, it pays year after year with no equity to show for it. But when a city owns its network, those dollars stay local. Instead of sending profits to shareholders in another state, communities can reinvest savings into teachers, firefighters, and other public priorities. Utilities use fiber to detect water leaks and power outages before they become disasters, saving millions. Public safety agencies share data instantly, reducing response times and saving lives.

A community-owned fiber broadband network can also be a source of new revenue. Local governments can lease excess fiber capacity to private providers, anchor institutions, or wireless companies, producing steady wholesale revenue. In addition, community networks can support smart-city applications—such as traffic management, utility monitoring, or public safety systems—that save money while opening opportunities for service contracts and partnerships. Over time, these revenue streams can reduce reliance on outside funding, lower taxes, and ensure that the economic benefits of broadband stay local.  A community network isn’t just a cost—it’s an investment that pays dividends across the community.

And fiber doesn’t just connect—it protects. With new fiber sensing technology, those same strands of glass can act as thousands of tiny guardians—detecting accidents on roadways, warning crews before a backhoe cuts a line, even picking up the tremors of an earthquake or the sound of a gunshot. Fiber doesn’t just carry data. It carries peace of mind.

And perhaps most importantly for the future, fiber is the foundation for artificial intelligence. AI applications—from precision agriculture to advanced manufacturing, from autonomous vehicles to telemedicine—depend on moving massive amounts of data with speed and reliability. Only fiber has the bandwidth, low latency, and symmetrical speeds to power real-time decision-making at scale. Without robust fiber networks, the promise of AI will remain out of reach for most communities. With fiber, Minnesota communities can lead in deploying and benefiting from these transformative technologies.

Community-owned fiber networks build stronger economies, more vibrant neighborhoods, healthier families, and more resilient communities. It creates places where people can live, work, and thrive.

Conclusion

So, let’s return to where we began. Federal broadband programs have failed the state. They promised a feast and delivered crumbs. But Minnesota doesn’t need to wait. Minnesota knows how to help itself.

The path forward is community broadband. Cities like Willmar. Coalitions like Southwest Broadband. Counties like Dakota and Scott. These aren’t dreams. They are models, ready to be replicated across the state.

Because broadband is not just infrastructure—it’s opportunity. It’s fairness. It’s security. And it’s the foundation for the communities we dare to imagine.

If Minnesota communities want to close its digital divide once and for all, they can’t wait for Washington. They have to do it for themselves. And the good news is— they can.

Thank you.