Category Archives: FTTH

Sign up now in Breitung MN for FTHH for free installation (St Louis County)

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The Timberjay reports…

At their July 15 meeting, the Breitung Town Board emphasized the importance for residents to sign up for broadband internet service where it will soon be available, including the areas around Hoodoo Point, Puncher Point, and Mallard Drive.
Chairman Matt Tuchel said this is everyone’s “opportunity to get this installed free, under the grant. If they do not do that and wait, they will have to pay that installation fee which could be as much as $5,000-$10,000, depending on terrain and how they have to run the line. It can be a significant savings when it’s covered under the grant but they need to sign up.”
Tuchel asked that residents get in touch with their neighbors to make sure they’ve signed up. Almost 200 residences have signed up so far.
Every household in the eligible neighborhoods should have been contacted to sign up by now. If you haven’t been contacted or are unsure if your home is in the service area, call the town hall. Construction to lay the fiber lines will begin on July 28.
In the project’s next phase, the board hopes to get broadband to Echo Point and McKinley Park Acres. These areas were previously planned to get broadband but installing fiber through these areas, which has extensive bedrock, proved too expensive. The board, along with other municipalities, CTC and Lake Country Power are exploring the possibility of having fiber internet brought in on power lines.
To complete the project, a study is required which will cost $175,000. The money will come from Breitung Township, Beatty Township, Greenwood Township, Vermilion Lake Township, the new Goodwill Township, and the city of Tower. Breitung’s share would be 10.65-percent, serving 108 addresses.
Breitung estimated their cost of the study would be $18,637.

Mediacom expands multi-gig service to parts of Renville, Sibley, Carver and McLeod Counties

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Light Reading reports…

Mediacom Communications today announced the company has launched multi-gig and symmetrical speed broadband services to nearly 5,500 households located in the rural Minnesota communities of Fairfax, Gibbon, Gaylord, Norwood Young America, Hamburg, Stewart, Lake Marion and Winthrop.

Utilizing breakthrough technology to enhance the company’s fiber-powered network, Mediacom has created a more responsive end-to-end customer experience that prioritizes faster upload and download speeds, uncompromised network reliability, safe and secure connections, and lower latency.

The Timberjay looks at impact of federal broadband changes in NE MN

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The Timberjay takes a look at the impact of BEAD changes …

 As high-speed fiber-optic broadband systems continue rolling out along the south shore of Lake Vermilion and in Alango, Owens, Angora, Sandy, Pike, Wuori, Great Scott, and Bearville townships, one thing is abundantly clear: None of these projects would be happening without significant government funding behind them.
But whether we’ll keep seeing fiber splicing its way across the North Country is suddenly up for debate.
States are now scrambling to re-evaluate their broadband plans after a June policy shift from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which oversees the single largest federal commitment to rural broadband in U.S. history – the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program.
Federal support for broadband has been anything but consistent over the past 25 years, morphing along with the technology itself. It began with efforts to wire up schools and hospitals in the late 1990s and eventually evolved into programs like the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund and BEAD, which emphasized fiber as the preferred long-term solution. Fiber’s reputation as the gold standard for speed and reliability earned it top billing in most funding evaluations – until now.

And specifically changes in northeastern Minnesota…

For northeastern Minnesota, the implications are significant. Projects already in motion will continue because funding was secured before the rules changed. But what comes next is far less certain.
The NTIA’s new rules prioritize fast, cheap deployments, even if the technology doesn’t offer the same reliability or lifespan as fiber. In areas where fiber might cost more to install, it could lose out to point-to-point wireless or satellite – even if those options offer less consistent performance over time.
For rural residents still waiting for that first real taste of broadband, the question isn’t just when high-speed internet will reach them — it’s also what kind of internet they’ll get.
Paul Bunyan Communications declined to comment for the Timberjay, indicating the need for more clarification from the state before assessing the implications for future development.

Gateway Fiber will deploy fiber to Cottage Grove (Washington County)

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Business Wire reports...

High-speed internet providerGateway Fiber is excited to announce its network expansion into Cottage Grove, Minnesota, providing residents and businesses a great new way to connect online. This milestone follows the City of Cottage Grove’s Request for Proposal (RFP) process, in which Gateway Fiber was selected to design, construct, and deploy a state-of-the-art fiber optic infrastructure throughout the community.

“Residents deserve not just an additional option for internet, but one that provides a level of service that is above and beyond what is currently offered. As people across the country are working remote or hybrid, paying bills online, streaming TV and movies, to say nothing of the role that quality internet service plays in commercial businesses, this is a vital service that residents rely on daily. It supports economic development, housing development, and our current residents in massively meaningful ways.”

Gateway Fiber’s selection was based on its comprehensive response to the city’s RFP, demonstrating a proven track record of successful fiber deployments, commitment to transparent pricing, and dedication to exceptional customer service, with customer service scores that far exceeded traditional internet providers.

[Added July 3: here’s the RFP from Cottage Grove.]

Federated Broadband Holds Groundbreaking For Martin County Fiber Project

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Explore Okoboji reports...

Federated Broadband officially kicked off mainline construction for its latest Fiber Optic project in rural Martin County with a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday in Welcome.

The project is made possible by a Round 10 Border-to-Border grant, awarded by the Minnesota Office of Broadband Development. It will extend high-speed fiber optic internet services to over 450 households, businesses, and farms in six townships in Martin county.

Lumen RDOF defaults include 3,265 locations in MN for a total default of $15.6M

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Earlier this month, I reported on Lumen’s defaults on more than 41,000 RDOF locations. According to the federal funding map, Lumen’s RDOF default in Minnesota includes 3,265 locations for a total default of $15.6M.

Looking at BEAD changes from the County Perspective from Doug Dawson

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Doug Dawson always has an interesting take on things, He knows the technology, he knows the policy and he spends time on the frontlines. Here’s part of his recent post on BEAD changes…

Today’s blog talks about the big disappointment being felt by elected officials in Counties all over the Country as word of the NTIA’s new rules for BEAD filters down to them.

I’ve worked across the country with dozens of Counties that committed time and resources to the BEAD process. Many Counties put a lot of effort into the map challenge process. Many Counties carefully interviewed ISPs and chose their favorites – because State BEAD grant rules told them that ISPs would get more grant points with local support. Many Counties went further and made local matching grants to ISPs to support a BEAD application. Some of these grants came out of the general coffers, but many were from ARPA funding. Unfortunately, most of those matching ARPA grants are now lost, and the money will fall to the floor.

Counties made the effort for BEAD because their constituents told them to. I have been in numerous Counties where the elected officials say that fixing broadband is the number one issue they hear about. They can’t stop and pump gas or go to the grocery store without somebody talking to them about poor broadband.

That’s all gone now. Broadband equity grants were completely killed in May. BEAD grants for fiber are all but killed. Almost every County official I talked to wanted BEAD to be used in their County to build fiber. They learned how fiber networks would be good for many decades to come, and they want broadband in rural areas that is as good as in larger towns and cities.

ECE expands broadband from east of Hinckley to the Wisconsin border (Pine County)

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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.

Mediacom brings Gig+ service to Webster and Elko New Market (Rice and Scott Counties)

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Global Newswire reports…

Mediacom Communications today announced the company has launched multi-gig and symmetrical speed broadband services to nearly 1,800 households located in the rural Minnesota communities of Webster and Elko New Market.

Utilizing breakthrough technology to enhance the company’s fiber-powered network, Mediacom has created a more responsive end-to-end customer experience that prioritizes faster upload and download speeds, uncompromised network reliability, safe and secure connections, and lower latency.

Utilizing the new platform, Webster and Elko New Market residents will be able to choose from the following Xtream Internet offerings from Mediacom:

  • Internet 300 tier with speeds of 300 Mbps down and 100 Mbps up.
  • Internet 1 Gig Symmetrical tier with speeds of 1000 Mbps down by 1000 Mbps up.
  • Internet 2 Gig Unlimited tier with speeds of 2000 Mbps down by 1000 Mbps up.

The scalability of these network improvements will seamlessly allow Mediacom to ramp up from the one and two gigabit offerings of today to speeds of 10 gigabits and beyond in the coming years. Since this new technology is delivered using Mediacom’s existing fiber-rich network architecture, it was not necessary to dig up yards to add bulky equipment or bury cables.

Paul Bunyan Communications broadband expansion updates in Itasca and St. Louis Counties

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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.

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.

AT&T to Acquire Lumen’s Mass Markets Fiber Business

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AT&T reports…

AT&T agrees to acquire substantially all of Lumen’s Mass Markets fiber internet connectivity business in a deal that’s expected to close in the first half of 2026

Transaction to stimulate investment, expand world-class connectivity in the U.S., create new jobs and make high-speed fiber internet access available to millions of Americans

AT&T will extend its industry-leading fiber network with plans to reach approximately 60 million total fiber locations by year-end 2030.

Key Takeaways:

  • AT&T will acquire substantially all of Lumen’s Mass Markets fiber business, which today totals about 1 million fiber customers and reaches more than 4 million fiber locations across 11 U.S. states.
  • AT&T reiterates full-year 2025 financial and operational guidance and share repurchase plans.

How might this impact customers in Minnesota (or at least the Twin Cities)?

The transaction will enable AT&T to significantly expand access to AT&T Fiber in major metro areas like Denver, Las Vegas, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City and Seattle, as well as additional geographies. AT&T expects this transaction to deliver significant value to consumers, shareholders and the Company.

Highlights include:

  • Expanding the availability of AT&T Fiber. AT&T expects to significantly grow the number of AT&T Fiber customers within the acquired fiber footprint, using its extensive distribution, the strengths of AT&T Fiber, and the value of the AT&T Guarantee. Over time, AT&T expects to increase fiber customer penetration within the acquired footprint to levels more consistent with its current penetration of AT&T Fiber.
  • Accelerating an efficient build engine for constructing fiber home internet connectivity outside of AT&T’s traditional wireline operating region. Through this transaction, AT&T will gain access to Lumen’s substantial fiber construction capabilities within its incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) footprint and plans to accelerate the pace at which fiber is being built in these territories. AT&T now expects to reach approximately 60 million total fiber locations by the end of 2030 – roughly doubling where AT&T Fiber is available today.
  • Giving American consumers more choice when selecting broadband and wireless services the way they prefer – with fiber and 5G together. Customers with both AT&T Fiber and the Company’s wireless services are more likely to recommend AT&T, remain customers longer and provide the best returns. AT&T expects that its ability to offer 5G wireless and fiber broadband connectivity within Lumen’s Mass Markets fiber footprint will enable the Company to grow its base of high-value converged customer relationships and drive gains in its Mobility business.

 

Mediacom launches multi-gig broadband in Arlington (Sibley County)

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Globe News Wire reports…

 Mediacom Communications today announced the company has launched multi-gig and symmetrical speed broadband services to just over 1,000 households located in the rural Minnesota community of Arlington.

Utilizing breakthrough technology to enhance the company’s fiber-powered network, Mediacom has created a more responsive end-to-end customer experience that prioritizes faster upload and download speeds, uncompromised network reliability, safe and secure connections, and lower latency.

Utilizing the new platform, Arlington residents will be able to choose from the following Xtream Internet offerings from Mediacom:

  • Internet 300 tier with speeds of 300 Mbps down and 100 Mbps up.
  • Internet 1 Gig Symmetrical tier with speeds of 1000 Mbps down by 1000 Mbps up.
  • Internet 2 Gig Unlimited tier with speeds of 2000 Mbps down by 1000 Mbps up.
    The scalability of these network improvements will seamlessly allow Mediacom to ramp up from the one and two gigabit offerings of today to speeds of 10 gigabits and beyond in the coming years. Since this new technology is delivered using Mediacom’s existing fiber-rich network architecture, it was not necessary to dig up yards to add bulky equipment or bury cables.

Mediacom is now able to enhance the performance of these speeds even further using Advanced WiFi, a whole-home WiFi solution featuring eero’s TrueMesh designed to deliver an exceptional Internet connectivity experience throughout the entire house powered by eero 7 technology. With the recent launch of Mediacom Mobile, customers can take their Mediacom service on the go while enjoying access to America’s most awarded wireless network.

Burnsville License Center closed due to a fiber internet outage

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Here’s the news from Dakota County Facebook page…

The Burnsville License Center is currently closed due to a fiber optic internet outage.
Burnhaven Library remains open, but internet access is currently unavailable. We will share updates as soon as service is restored.
Thank you for your patience as we work to resolve this issue.
It looks like it was restored the next day (today). But it’s a reminder of how integral broadband is to daily life.

Update on Connect Willmar Initiative – open access network in Kandiyohi County

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I wrote about the new Connection Willmar Initiative portal earlier this week, but the West Central Tribune has an update…

The Connect Willmar Initiative marketplace had 65 sign-ups prior to the evening meeting of the Willmar City Council on Monday. The site had launched three days prior to that on May 2.

That information was part of an update from City Operations Director Kyle Box on the Connect Willmar Initiative, a city effort to construct a $24.5 million open-access, high-speed fiber network throughout the city of Willmar.

The marketplace website, which can be reached from the city website at willmarmn.gov, allows residents to sign up for services and for project updates, while allowing the city to gauge residents’ and businesses’ interest.

The interest shown by the city’s residents and businesses will help assure the council and the city that the network will pay for itself as designed.