The Pine City Pioneer reports…

East Central Energy is continuing its over $300 million ECE Fiber broadband internet buildout as construction nears completion in northern Pine County across a swath spanning east of Hinckley to the Wisconsin border.

Broadband Manager Dennis Rice shared, “Multiple contracted crews have been actively working throughout the area. Mainline fiber construction follows ECE’s existing overhead and underground power lines, with work scheduled Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.”

Residents and businesses in Pine County are encouraged to explore plans, pricing, and add-ons, then sign up for service at ecefiber.com.

The cooperative has seen significant growth in all areas of the project, with the most visible progress being member connections. In January 2024, the cooperative had 12 members connected to ECE Fiber. Since then, over 4,000 additional connections have been made, with more being added every week.

An update from Paul Bunyan Communications...

Paul Bunyan Communications is making steady progress on its broadband expansion across parts of Itasca and St. Louis Counties.
Current Construction Areas:
•Itasca County: City of Coleraine
•St. Louis County: Areas of Alango, Angora, Owens, and Sandy Township
Construction is currently in progress. Once construction is complete, crews will begin the fiber splicing phase. The new network is expected to be fully operational by the end of September. At that time, customers who signed up for service in advance will be contacted to schedule service installations.
Future 2025 Expansion Areas:
•Itasca County: City of Bovey and areas of Bearville Township
•St. Louis County: Areas of Balkan, French, Great Scott, Pike, and Wuori Townships, along with the unorganized township located north of Great Scott
Construction in these areas will begin once current projects are completed. The network is expected to be operational and ready for service in these locations by late fall or early winter of 2025.
Sign Up Now to Ensure Fiber Optic Connection Residents and businesses in these expansion areas are encouraged to sign up for service now, before construction crews move on to ensure the fiber optic connection is brought up to the location. That can be done online at http://www.gigazone.com, by phone, or in person at our Grand Rapids Customer Service & Technology Center.
Services Available Upon Completion Once the network is live, customers will have access to Paul Bunyan’s GigaZone® services, including high-speed fiber-optic Internet with speeds up to 10 Gig and dependable, low-cost unlimited local and long-distance GigaZone® voice services.

Paul Bunyan Communications reports…

Paul Bunyan Communications is excited to announce more expansion plans for this year! Our cooperative will be expanding its all-fiber optic network the GigaZone®, to over 800 more locations in the cities of Coleraine and Bovey.
City of Bovey
Includes over 350 locations and construction is anticipated to start in late summer/early fall
City of Coleraine
Includes over 480 locations and construction will start in mid-May.
Construction will take place this construction season with services expected to be available by winter. Anyone interested in getting connected to the all-fiber optic broadband network should sign up for service now. That can be done online, over the phone, or in person at our Grand Rapids Customer Service & Technology Center. To check to see if a specific location is within an expansion area, visit www.gigazone.com
The cooperative’s services will become available once the network is operational including GigaZone™ Internet with speeds of up to 10 Gig and low cost unlimited local and long distance GigaZone™ voice telephone service. There is no membership fee to join Paul Bunyan Communications, membership is gained by subscribing to local phone service or GigaZone™ Internet service.

Just yesterday, I shared information on Paul Bunyan Communication’s fiber expansion to 1600 locations in Minnesota. But the news just got better with 350 more locations…

Areas of Great Scott Township and unorganized township north of Great Scott Township in St Louis County

This expansion includes over 350 locations in areas of Great Scott Township and an unorganized township north of Great Scott.  This includes Dark Lake, Clear Lake, Lake Fourteen, and Lake Leander.

This project is made possible in part through a St. Louis County Broadband Grant of $400,000 and Iron Range Resource and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) Broadband Grant of $217,000

Big news from Paul Bunyan Communications…

Paul Bunyan Communications will be expanding its all-fiber optic network the GigaZone®, to over 1,600 more locations in St. Louis County this year with four different projects.
Areas of Angora, Alango, and Owens Townships in St Louis County
Includes over 300 locations in areas south of the city of Cook.
Areas of Balkan Township in St. Louis County
Includes over 550 locations north of the city of Chisholm in areas of Balkan Township.
These two projects are made possible through the Low-Density Population Grant Program through the state of Minnesota. This project is estimated to cost $7,526,055, with the State of Minnesota’s Low-Population Density Program grant contributing $5,569,281. Paul Bunyan Communications investing $1,881,513, Angora Township $33,104, and Balkan Township $42,157.
Areas of Pike, Sandy, and Wuori Townships
Includes over 645 locations. These areas are primarily South and East of Britt
Areas of French Township in St. Louis County and Bearville(S) Township in Itasca County
Includes over 200 locations East and North of Side Lake including Perch Lake, Luna Lake, and Beatrice Lake.
These two projects are made possible through the USDA ReConnect 3 Grant Program. This project is estimated to cost $13,588,555 with the USDA grant contributing $10,191,416. Paul Bunyan Communications investing $3,381,112, and Wuori Township contributing $16,026.

Construction will take place over the summer with services expected to be available by winter. Anyone interested in getting connected to the all-fiber optic broadband network should sign up for service now. That can be done online, over the phone, or in person at our Grand Rapids Customer Service & Technology Center. To check to see if a specific location is within an expansion area, visit www.gigazone.com

Isanti-Chisago County Star report...

North Branch residents will soon have access to fiber internet from East Central Energy so state-of-the-art (according to ECE) it outclasses networks in the metro area.

ECE’s broadband manager, Dennis Rice, presented an update on the project to the city council, saying construction of the first stage of the network will likely be complete by August, with fiber connection “drops” to residences starting construction by November.

What’s more, Rice said, ECE members who sign up will pay no fees beyond the monthly cost of service: not for the drop, the in-home equipment, the wi-fi extenders, or even fees for long driveways.

“It’s a tremendous value with that,” Rice told the council.

The five-year project started in 2022 and will cost $350 million total, Rice said. Initial construction will focus on areas with ECE members who do not already have broadband internet access, and will expand eventually to even include non-ECE members.

Kanabec County Times reports…

On Friday, Jan. 17, East Central Energy proudly celebrated a major milestone: the one-year anniversary of connecting members to ECE Fiber.

The event brought together a mix of attendees, including ECE directors, vendors, contractors, local government representatives, state officials, and many more who have supported the endeavor.

During the event, President/CEO Justin Jahnz said a few words regarding the achievement.

A lot has happened in a year…

Over the past year, ECE has seen significant growth in all areas of the project, with the most visible progress being member connections. In January 2024, the cooperative had 12 members connected to ECE Fiber. Since then, around 4,000 additional connections have been made, with more being added every day. The co-op is committed to providing reliable internet and a positive broadband experience while keeping service affordable for members.

Good news for Buhl from Paul Bunyan Communications…

Paul Bunyan Communications has completed expanding its all-fiber optic network, the GigaZone® to the city of Buhl in St. Louis County. Those who have signed up for service are being contacted to set up service installation.
“We are steadfast in our mission to bring all-fiber optic gigabit broadband to underserved areas in our region. In today’s connected world, reliable internet is a necessity, and we’re thrilled to start providing services to the city of Buhl.” said Chad Bullock, Paul Bunyan Communications CEO/General Manager.
“This is a significant upgrade for residents and businesses. Our all-fiber optic network delivers the fastest internet speeds available—now up to 10 Gig—making remote work, distance learning, telehealth, streaming, and more seamlessly possible. It’s a transformative step forward for the community.” added Leo Anderson, Paul Bunyan Communications Chief Technical Officer.
Anyone interested in getting connected to the all-fiber optic broadband network in these areas can still sign up for service. The cooperative will return to bring the network up to locations with no construction fee when feasible.
There is no membership fee to join Paul Bunyan Communications, membership is included by subscribing to either local phone service or GigaZone® Internet service.
To check to see if a specific location is within an expansion area and learn more about the expansion construction process, visit www.gigazone.com.