Blandin on Broadband

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Category Archives: FTTH

US Senate Panel talks about permitting Reform and fiber to supporting growth of AI

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Broadband Breakfast reports…

The rapid growth of artificial intelligence is putting unprecedented pressure on U.S. communications networks, telecommunications leaders told a Senate panel Thursday.

Industry witnesses told officials of the Senate Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media that AI’s growing use across businesses and households is reshaping internet traffic in ways existing networks were not designed to handle, making broadband deployment and modernization increasingly urgent.

Kandiyohi County Board approves fiber expansion to Svea

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Yahoo News reports...

Fiber internet is spreading farther in Whitefield Township through Svea. An expanded infrastructure project has been approved by the Kandiyohi County Board and will pass by 70 additional properties from the originally intended 52, for a total of 122 passings.

More on the project…

In April of this year, the voted to approve the installation of fiber internet around Svea in partnership with Vibrant Broadband and Whitefield Township. The original project used American Rescue Plan Act funds, according to Kandiyohi County Administrator Kelsey Baker.

More details…

The expansion of the project will cost the county $88,927.98. This is in addition to the $100,800 in rescue plan dollars approved for the original plan. The new costs will be drawn from the county’s reserve funds as one-time expenditures.

“There was some leftover ARPA dollars for broadband at the time we had to make a commitment. Those dollars went into reserve and now they are coming back out. It is not new levy dollars being used here,” Kandiyohi County Commissioner Roger Imdieke said during the discussion Tuesday.

The cost to the county is matched funds. Kandiyohi County and Vibrant Broadband each will pay for 28% of the project expansion. Whitefield Township pays 9% of the costs, and the state Broadband Line Extension Connection Program will pay 35%.

The original project cost a total of $210,000. The project expansion will cost an additional $312,532.26. Together, the total project is now $522,532.26.

Update from Paul Bunyan Communications on Broadband Expansion in Itasca and St. Louis Counties

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Update from Paul Bunyan Communications…

Paul Bunyan Communications started construction in late April on expanding the all-fiber optic network, the GigaZone®, to over 600 more locations in Itasca and St. Louis County across five townships.
This project includes areas south and west of the city of Cook including parts of the following townships: Alango, Carpenter, Field, Sturgeon, and an unorganized township east of Carpenter.
Currently crews are working in Sturgeon, Field, and Alango townships. The construction phase of the project is expected to be completed within the next 4-6 weeks with services expected to become available by winter. There is no construction fee to get connected, by signing up for services a location gets on the construction list.
The first stage of the construction process is installing the main fiber network which is followed by installing the connections up to individual homes and businesses that have signed up to be connected. Once those two stages are completed, our clean up/restoration crews will come through, and our team will work to splice the fiber network. Once it is operational in a project area, customers who signed up for service will be contacted to schedule service installations. A video on how the construction process works is located on the Paul Bunyan Communications YouTube channel at:

For those unfamiliar with Paul Bunyan Communications, we are a member-owned broadband cooperative that has served northern Minnesota since 1952. There are no membership fees or annual dues, membership is gained when a resident or business subscribes to local phone service or GigaZone® Broadband Internet service. The cooperative headquarters is in Bemidji with a Customer Service & Technology Center located in Grand Rapids.
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 quickly and easily online at paulbunyan.net or in person at one of our office locations.
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.
This project is made possible through the State of Minnesota, Department of Employment & Economic Development, Low-Density Population Broadband Infrastructure Development Grant Program. This project is estimated to cost $7,810,355, with the State of Minnesota’s Low-Population Density Program grant contributing $3,924,157, Paul Bunyan Communications investing $2,203,928, Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation (IRRR) investing $1,000,000, St. Louis County investing $583,250, Alango Township $41,200, Field Township $17,800, and Sturgeon Township $40,000.

Update from Paul Bunyan Communications on Broadband Expansion in Central Aitkin County

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From Paul Bunyan Communications…

Paul Bunyan Communications broadband expansion across Central Aitkin County is progressing as planned. The project area includes the cities of McGregor, Palisade, and Tamarack, as well as portions of Clark, Haugen, Jevne, Libby, Logan, McGregor, Shamrock, and Workman Townships. Once completed over 2,400 homes & businesses will have access to the all-fiber optic network and the services it provides.
Currently crews are working in areas south of Sandy Lake Reservoir and west of Lake Minnewawa. They are still working north of McGregor and will soon be heading east towards Tamarack. Construction in the city of McGregor is almost done.
Paul Bunyan Communications will be at the Aitkin Chamber of Commerce Riverboat Days on Saturday, August 1 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. in the vendor fair area and we will be at Palisade Riverfest on Saturday, August 8 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Please stop by to learn about our expansion, services, and cooperative plus pick up a free fast charging power cube while supplies last.
The first stage of the construction process is installing the main fiber network which is followed by installing the connections up to individual homes and businesses that have signed up to be connected. Once those two stages are completed, our clean up/restoration crews will come through, and our team will work to splice the fiber network. Once it is operational in a project area, customers who signed up for service will be contacted to schedule service installations. A video on how the construction process works is located on the Paul Bunyan Communications YouTube channel at:

Paul Bunyan Communications is a member-owned broadband cooperative that has served northern Minnesota since 1952. There are no membership fees or annual dues, membership is gained when a resident or business subscribes to local phone service or GigaZone® Broadband Internet service. The cooperative headquarters is in Bemidji with a Customer Service & Technology Center located in Grand Rapids.
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 quickly and easily online at paulbunyan.net or in person at one of our office locations.
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.

July 21 EVENT: Kandiyohi County Board to discuss broadband project expansion

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The West Central Tribune reports…

The Kandiyohi County Board is expected to take action Tuesday on the 2026 Svea Fiber Internet Project.

A proposal to expand the project will be brought before the board at its regular meeting on July 21 in Willmar.

In a regular meeting in April, the Kandiyohi County Board approved the original project totaling $210,000. Of that, the county would be responsible for $100,800 of funding.

The new proposal in front of the board on Tuesday would allow the original project to pass by an additional 70 homes in Whitefield Township at a cost of $1,271 per passing for the county.

The county is responsible for 28% of the costs for the expansion, according to meeting materials posted with the agenda, and Vibrant Broadband for another 28%.

The largest contributor to the project is a grant, secured by Vibrant Broadband, from the state Broadband Line Extension Connection Program, which is expected to pay 35% of the costs.

According to the materials, the project in total would cost $312,532.26. Of the total, Kandiyohi County would be responsible for $88,972.98.

The meeting begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Kandiyohi County Health and Human Services Building, 2200 23rd St. N.E. in Willmar.

EVENT July 7: Control + Shift + ALTernative: Building Community-Owned Fiber

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From the Institute for Local Self Reliance…

July 7th, 2026 | 12:00 – 1:00 PM EST

The latest installment in a joint webinar series from the American Association for Public Broadband (AAPB) and the Community Broadband Networks initiative at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) will showcase a new financing and governance model being put into real-world action that allows for communities to control their digital futures.

The free, one-hour live webinar — “Control + Shift + ALTernative: Building Community-Owned Fiber” — will go behind the scenes of two real-world community fiber projects to tease out the practical lessons that other communities can learn from.

The webinar will feature four practitioners who have been in the trenches of community broadband development: Jim Cannon, CEO of Pivot-Tech; Scott Corbitt, General Manager of the Port of Lewiston; Christina Burns, Kendall County Administrator; and Chris Perlitz, Managing Director at Municipal Capital Markets Group, Inc.

The conversation will be grounded in two case studies — Kendall County and Lewiston — that together illustrate what it actually takes to move a community fiber project from idea to operating network, using a creative “63-20” tax-exempt bond model championed by Pivot-Tech Development, which specializes in public-private partnerships for community-owned broadband networks.

Click to register

NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth updates Congress about BEAD

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I’m borrowing from Benton Institute’s recap of NTIA’s Administrator, Arielle Roth, update to Congress on BEAD from June 30, 2026…

The House Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology convened an oversight hearing focused on the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and Administrator Arielle Roth was the sole witness. NTIA oversees the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, which was intended to provide grants for last-mile deployment in unserved and underserved areas. On June 6, 2025, the Trump NTIA issued new guidance for the BEAD Program. The guidance removed many Biden-era requirements, including a fiber technology preference and low-income plans. The June 2025 guidance directed eligible entities to run an additional “benefit-of-the-bargain” bidding round to ensure that awards reflected the changes made by the Administration and to submit final proposals by September 4, 2025. In the year since issuing the new guidance, NTIA has approved 54 out of 56 final proposals submitted by eligible entities, BEAD-funded infrastructure in two states has been deployed, and the program expects to “save” approximately $21 billion on deployment costs. What to do with the remaining money is to be determined. NTIA held a listening session to gather input on how this “nondeployment” money could be used by states, and is expected to provide guidance soon. Ideas include public safety, deployment to homes and businesses that may have been missed following the initial bidding round, workforce development, and permitting reform. The hearing, in part, was aiming at determining the  status of BEAD deployment and nondeployment funding.

The rest of the notes highlight different views of BEAD. Some folks are focused on saving as much money as possible. Some folks are focused on getting better broadband to everyone. Everyone seems frustrated with the slow timeline. And most folks were hoping for more information on the plan for nondeployment funds from BEAD…

During questioning from Members of the Subcommittee, Administrator Roth said guidance on nondeployment funding will come “this summer.” She deferred specifics on the question of whether those funds will be held back from states that enact regulations on artificial intelligence, as directed by a presidential executive order. “We want the funding … to produce real measurable outcomes, be non-duplicative, non-distortionary….” Roth said. She added, “we’re proceeding cautiously in producing the guidance so that we can ensure that this funding achieves the same success as the first segment of the BEAD Program.”

Work progresses with ImOn Communications’ FTTH deployment across the Twin Ports

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I wrote about this deployment last week, but here’s a slight update from WDIO…

Crews are busy installing fiber cables across Duluth, to make sure people can have high speed Internet services through ImOn.

Dave Ball, Sales and Operations Manager for ImOn Communications, added, “Every single customer is going to have their own fiber line going directly into their house. They’re not going to have to share bandwidth with their neighbors and other businesses. And, you know, we’re going up to speeds up to five gig and five gig symmetrical. And nobody in this area is up to those speeds.”

ImOn is investing $120 million dollars into the Northland. WDIO caught up with them in the Kenwood neighborhood on Wednesday. …

Connection to the customers will begin in August, according to Ball. They are doing about half of Duluth this year, and Superior. And then the other half of Duluth next year.

Based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the company has also pledged $100,000 to community organizations and non-profits.

The USDA announces a reorganization of Rural Development to consolidate loan and grant processes

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The USDA reports...

Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development Mission Area announced a modernization and restructuring effort to strengthen customer service, improve program accessibility, and enhance support for rural communities across the country. This effort aligns with USDA’s broader initiative to modernize operations, increase accountability, and ensure federal resources are positioned where they can deliver the greatest impact.

Rural Development maintains one of the largest field-based presences in the federal government, with more than 3,000 employees serving in over 400 offices throughout rural America. Under this modernization effort, Rural Development will maintain its National Capital Region (NCR) presence to be responsive to Congress, interagency needs, regulatory work, and policy coordination, while relocating select NCR-based positions to St. Louis, Missouri, and Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas.  These new locations will serve as operational hubs supporting loan and grant processing, program management, and maintain our mission of serving rural communities.

“When rural communities collaborate with USDA they deserve a streamlined experience. With this reorganization, that’s exactly what they’ll get,” said Deputy Secretary Stephen A. Vaden. “Realigning Rural Development’s reviews, approvals, and servicing structure, together with significant improvements in the agency’s IT systems, will help rural America achieve more without government getting in the way.”

“Rural Development is, by name and by function, fully focused on the rural communities we serve,” said Todd Lindsey, Acting Under Secretary for Rural Development. “This reorganization injects new attention to our systems and processes that will eliminate unnecessary layers of bureaucracy, improve our ability to engage with our customers, and conduct responsible oversight of federal investments.”

This action follows USDA’s July 24, 2025, announcement outlining the Department’s intent to reorganize around four pillars: aligning workforce size with available resources, relocating resources closer to customers, eliminating excess management layers, and consolidating support functions. Rural Development’s restructuring reflects these priorities and positions the mission area to better meet emerging operational demands while continuing its support for rural America.

Maintaining Strong Field Presence

Program delivery employees in state and regional offices will not be required to relocate, as they already operate in the rural communities they serve. Field staff will continue to lead constituent engagement, stakeholder outreach, and marketing of RD programs. This structure builds on successful models used by national-level RD programs such as Single-Family Housing Guaranteed Loans, Multi-Family Housing Guaranteed Loans, the Electric Program, and the Telecom Program, where program funds are administered centrally.

Streamlining Loan and Grant Processing

Rural Development will consolidate loan origination, processing, and servicing functions under one centralized national framework. Current processes has contributed to inconsistent underwriting and costly delays. Centralization will strengthen quality control, reduce delinquency, and protect taxpayer dollars while ensuring borrowers receive consistent, high-quality service.

Improving IT Systems

A key component of this modernization is a significant investment in Rural Development’s IT infrastructure. USDA is launching the transformation of over 130 loan and grant systems that support farmers, ranchers, and rural communities into one modern platform built for the 21st century. This upgrade will enable customers to submit applications, track cases, access records, and resolve issues online 24/7 without staff intervention. Modernized IT will reduce delays created by outdated systems and enhance consistency and speed across programs.

Aligning With Executive Orders

In accordance with USDA’s broader reorganization effort, this restructuring reflects multiple directives focused on government efficiency, workforce optimization, and improved federal service delivery, including initiatives on cost efficiency, hiring reform, and returning federal operations to in-person work.

Together, these changes strengthen Rural Development’s ability to deliver loans, grants, and technical assistance efficiently and effectively—enhancing customer experience, improving program access, and ensuring rural America has a strong and trusted partner in USDA.

ImOn communications breaks ground on $100 million fiber network in Duluth to serve 51,000 homes by 2027 (St Louis County)

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Northern New Now reports…

A broadband provider is breaking ground on a new fiber network in Duluth, part of what the company estimates is a $100 million investment in local internet infrastructure.

ImOn communications announced the project Wednesday.

The company says the new fiber build will reach about 25,000 homes this year. In 2027, it expects to connect another 26,000.

During construction, crews will install both underground and aerial fiber using existing utility poles. The project will roll out in sections, with work already underway near UMD.
ImOn says residents will get notice before construction begins on their street. Residents interested in service can sign up online.

Mediacom Communications announces 5-Gig in parts of Scott, Waseca, Nicollet, Le Sueur and McLeod Counties

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Global Newswire reports...

Mediacom Communications today announced the launch of its new 5-Gig Internet service, the fastest residential speed tier ever offered by Mediacom, reinforcing its continued investment in next-generation network capabilities to meet evolving consumer needs.

The new 5-Gig Internet service will be made immediately available to more than 500,000 homes passed nationally. Many Minnesota communities including Belle Plaine, Hutchinson, Montgomery, St. Peter, and Waseca will be included in the initial rollout. Mediacom expects to extend 5-Gig availability to more than one million homes by the end of the year as part of its multi-gig deployment strategy.

Community Networks offers a look at fiber in the US via Fiber First conference

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The Institute for Local Self Reliance (aka Community Networks) reports…

As reported by Telecompetitor, Bolton said, there are now over 1,500 active fiber providers operating nationally, with 42 new market entrants and 715 providers that doubled their footprints in just the past six months.

Meanwhile, he said, independent ISPs, electric cooperatives, and municipal networks together accounted for about 40 percent of all fiber deployment in 2025 – “a sign that the buildout is increasingly being driven by community-rooted operators, not just national giants.”

But the conference’s panel sessions made it clear that translating increased fiber demand into deploying networks is getting harder and more expensive, with one panelist describing it like going “from a sprint into a marathon.”

During a Broadband Breakfast Live event at the conference, Josh Summit, director of outside plant engineering and construction at Glo Fiber/Shentel, said that there has been a roughly 300 percent increase in pole make-ready costs over the past five years and that rural fiber deployments that once cost between $20,000 and $25,000 per mile are as expensive as $100,000 per mile, which he attributed to stricter pole loading requirements and “preexisting noncompliance being charged to new attachers.”

The conference also highlighted the mounting opposition and tensions related to the construction of AI hyperscale data centers, which panelists said are increasingly following cheap rural electricity away from traditional hubs like Loudoun County, Virginia while running into local opposition in communities across the country, as some states consider data center moratoriums.

Still, despite the challenges, there was an air of optimism from conference organizers, as the FBA said it is seeing record membership growth – up 16 percent year-over-year, with more than 8,000 broadband professionals now represented.

Midco and Switch announce a multistate connectivity agreement supporting critical AI infrastructure in the Midwest

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This highlights our neighbors in North Dakota more than Minnesota, but MidCo announces…

Midco and Switch are proud to announce a five-year, multistate connectivity agreement supporting critical AI infrastructure in Ellendale, North Dakota.

“This connectivity deal strengthens Midco’s position as the nation’s largest 400G circuit provider1, enabling hyperscalers and data centers to grow with confidence,” said Midco President and Chief Operating Officer Ben Dold. “With unmatched network customization, engineering responsiveness and high-capacity transport reach, Midco is redefining what high-bandwidth fiber connectivity can deliver.”
The agreement includes more than 500 individual 400 gigabit-per-second (Gbps) circuits delivered across two geographically diverse routes, providing full path redundancy between Ellendale, ND and Chicago, IL. In total, the network enables 200 terabits of capacity.

They do frame it from a regional level…

“This partnership demonstrates that the Midwest is open for business,” said Midco Director of Wholesale Jeff Sanders. “It shows that our region, with its favorable climate, abundant natural resources, renewable energy and strong business environment, continues to be the optimal location for data centers and hyperscalers. Our network covers the heart of the region, and our long-haul routes connect business customers to major points of presence sites like Minneapolis, Omaha, Chicago and Denver, allowing the transmission of massive volumes of voice, video and data at reliable 400G speeds.”

Fiber Broadband says Precision Agriculture needs fiber

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Fiber Broadband Association releases a report that outlines the benefits of fiber for precision agriculture…

Precision Ag depends on data and broadband networks. Farming is transforming into a highly connected, data-driven industry and this shift fundamentally changes the broadband requirements of rural America.

Current 100/20 Mbps thresholds do not reflect these realities and risk prematurely classifying agricultural communities as “served,” but a symmetrical baseline of at least 100/100 Mbps better reflects the operational demands of Precision Ag today and the technologies emerging over the next decade. Among broadband technologies, fiber remains uniquely positioned to meet these requirements due to its symmetric capacity, extremely low latency, and virtually unlimited scalability.

To ensure U.S. agriculture remains competitive and resilient, broadband policy must evolve past minimum speed thresholds and “good enough” infrastructure to reflect the realities of data-driven farming. Investing in scalable fiber infrastructure ensures that rural America and the nation’s food supply remain competitive in a rapidly evolving agricultural economy.

It makes sense that the Fiber Broadband Association would feel that way. They also list some increased needs they predict will happen as a result of AI…

Practically, technology advancements and AI integration push networks toward the following requirements:
• More upstream throughput (moving raw/processed data to models)
• Lower-latency access (interactive recommendations and control)
• More reliability (automation cannot “pause” for a flaky link or bad weather)
• Edge computing architectures (local processing plus cloud synchronization)
• Scalability (more devices and higher data rates over time)
• Security (critical operational data, ransomware risks, supply chain access)

Willmar Council seeks bids to turn former wastewater treatment plant into the network operations center for Willmar Connect.

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The West Central Tribune reports…

During a brief 15-minute Willmar City Council meeting last week, the council approved more than $6.2 million in street improvement projects to be completed this summer.

The council accepted the low bids and approved the as-bid budgets for the reconstruction of Fourth Street Southwest, several seal-coating projects and stormwater improvements.

The council during the May 4 meeting also authorized the advertisement for bids for renovation of the former wastewater treatment plant building on Fifth Street Southeast to be the network operations center for the citywide broadband project known as Willmar Connect.

More info on the Willmar Connect project…

Willmar Connect is the city’s plan to construct a city-owned, open-access broadband network that will be operated and managed by Hometown Fiber. Multiple internet service providers can operate on the network, paying fees to the city that will generate revenue to service the debt and interest on the bonds issued to pay for network construction.

Phase one of the project will take place this year, constructing the network operations center and installing fiber-optic lines for all businesses and residences west of First Street South between U.S. Highway 12 and 19th Avenue.

Phase two of the project will install fiber-optic lines for businesses and residences south of 19th Avenue and east of First Street South and is expected to commence next year. Phase three, expected in 2028, will finish the installation of fiber-optic lines north of Highway 12.