A lot of activity from the MN Office of Broadband Development today, much of what I’m posting is duplicative today but it’s nice to have each communication for the archive. Also, it’s been a busy summer (and beyond) for the staff and these are the products of that hard work…
Broadband Matters: Office of Broadband Development Updates
Draft of MN BEAD Final Proposal, available for public comment
BEAD Final Proposal Information Sessions, online + in-person
Broadband news and events
Draft of MN BEAD Final Proposal, available for public comment
The Minnesota Office of Broadband Development (OBD) has drafted and posted the draft of the Final Proposal, as required under the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment Program (BEAD). Upon receipt and consideration of comments to this document, the Minnesota Office of Broadband Development will submit this document for consideration to the National Telecommunications and Information Association (NTIA), the administrators of BEAD, including the Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce on September 4.
The Final Proposal and its attachments are available now on the OBD BEAD webpage.
Submit a Public Comment on Minnesota’s BEAD Final Proposal no later than Wednesday September 3:
Call (651)-259-7610 and leave a message with your comment
Submit by written response only available to attendees of the in-person regional events
The OBD will be offering the following Minnesota BEAD Final Proposal Information Sessions to provide an overview of the draft of the Final Proposal, steps for public comment, and next steps for BEAD in Minnesota. Information will also be posted to the OBD BEAD webpage.
Tuesday Sept. 2, 3:30—4:30pm, Northwest Minnesota Foundation (NWMF), Bemidji, 201 3rd Street NW Bemidji, MN.
Note: Attendees, please plan to find street parking.
Wednesday Sept. 3, 9—10am, West Central Initiative Foundation (WCIF), Fergus Falls, 1000 Western Ave, Fergus Falls, MN.
Note: Attendees, please park in the part of the lot on the south side of the building.
Wednesday Sept. 3, 3—4pm, Northspan, Duluth, 202 West Superior Street, Suite 600, Duluth, MN.
Note: Attendees, this is located in the in the WesternBank building. Parking can be found on the street, the Holiday Center, or in the Duluth Transit Center.
OBD will also be holding an online event for Tribal partners on Wednesday September 3.
The Minnesota Public Broadband Alliance is offering a free event, What’s Next for Broadband in Minnesota on September 10 at 9am in New Prague, MN. More information on the event is available online and registration is open.
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) today released the state’s draft final proposal for using federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program funds to expand broadband availability.
The proposal would extend broadband access to 75,000 Minnesota homes and businesses, covering every location eligible for BEAD funding in the state. DEED is accepting public comment on the proposal for seven days, after which it will finalize and submit the plan to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for approval before the end of the year. Construction could begin in late spring or early summer 2026.
“Fast broadband will be a welcome resource for the thousands of Minnesota residents and businesses who will soon have access,” said DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek. “This funding will help us connect thousands of Minnesota families and businesses to the internet in new, important ways.”
DEED’s proposal will use an estimated $381 million in federal BEAD grants and utilize a mixture of broadband technology, with more than half of covered locations utilizing fiber optic. Eligible locations are classified by the BEAD program as unserved (with broadband speeds slower than 25 megabits [Mbps] per second download and 3 Mbps upload) or underserved (with speeds slower than 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload).
“We are excited that 75,000 Minnesotans will soon have faster broadband because of BEAD,” said Office of Broadband Development Executive Director Bree Maki. “We are grateful to our internet service provider partners for their hard work and commitment to the Minnesotans we all serve. We will continue working hard, together, to make smart, effective investments so every Minnesotan can access broadband.”
The Office of Broadband Development will host regional, in-person informational sessions on the draft final proposal over the next week. These sessions will provide an overview of the proposal, steps for public comment and next steps for BEAD in Minnesota.
DEED is the state’s principal economic development agency, promoting business recruitment, expansion and retention, workforce development, international trade and community development. Find out how DEED delivers for Minnesota by visiting theDEED website, JoinUsMn.com, CareerForceMN.com or follow us on X.
More than 80 people attended the Minnesota BEAD Final Proposal Virtual Information Session today. It was a lot of information. I have the video and PPTs below. I have mostly taken notes on action items and deadlines.
Most importantly: The draft of the Final Proposal, attachments, and form for public comment are available on the webpage, under the first dropdown titled, NOW AVAILABLE: BEAD Final Proposal + Public Comment: https://mn.gov/deed/programs-services/broadband/bead/
Action items:
Proposal is due Sep 4. The OBD will work with NTIA for 30 days to finalize the report. NTIA gets the final say.
Public comments are welcome over the next 7 days. There will be listening sessions around the state over the next week – where folks can make public comments. Mail in comments are not accepted due to time constraints.
There will be a similar session available for tribal communities.
Questions/Comments:
Have providers been notified if they have received awards or will not receive those they applied for?
OBD has been working with providers. We have 24 subgrantee entities who will be awarded funds. We will post the specifics soon.
There are a few projects that will probably not win any locations. We have not notified them yet. We are still talking to applicants.
A tricky aspect is that even awarding now – is preliminary until NTIA approves.
So providers should know if they were going to receive an award?
Sounds like it. They have been negotiating.
How is build out to CAIs captured in the Final Plan?
They were included as regular BSLs – but otherwise did not focus on community anchor institutions.
How can we help in the comment period? What info can we share? What can we say?
We will consider comments. But we can’t change much. There’s not much wiggle room.
We got 60 letters of support of OBD for the final proposal.
Not sure where the letters will end up – but we want to hear from you.
For those that were contacted, are we to expect an additional letter or email from OBD to follow up?
We want to get through the comment period and then contact folks. We want to talk about what to expect if you get funding because we will be using federal not state rules.
Could you tell us what the process between the state and the feds will be in the next 3 months?
There is a 90-day review process, which will include NIST.
We assume there will be some back and forth.
We will share info when we can.
We met with them earlier this week. We are getting through the processes.
Can you screen share to show where the awardees are listed?
Sorry to be that guy, but does it help to show up for the public comment sessions in person?
Yes
Connecting everyone to robust broadband service remains a top policy goal in the Land of Lakes.
While federal changes to the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program have created new hurdles for Minnesota’s providers and communities, the state remains committed to its ambitious broadband agenda.
On Wednesday, in a discussion with Gary Bolton, president and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association, Minnesota Office of Broadband Development Executive Director Bree Maki explained some of the progress and challenges Minnesota is facing in broadband deployment.
Office of Broadband Development: Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Public Comment Tour
BEAD Final Proposal Information Sessions, online + in-person
The OBD will be offering the following Minnesota BEAD Final Proposal Information Sessions to provide an overview of the draft of the Final Proposal, steps for public comment, and next steps for BEAD in Minnesota. Information will also be posted to the OBD BEAD webpage.
Tuesday Sept. 2, 3:30—4:30pm, Northwest Minnesota Foundation (NWMF), Bemidji, 201 3rd Street NW Bemidji, MN.
Note: Attendees, please plan to find street parking.
Wednesday Sept. 3, 9—10am, West Central Initiative Foundation (WCIF), Fergus Falls, 1000 Western Ave, Fergus Falls, MN.
Note: Attendees, please park in the part of the lot on the south side of the building.
Wednesday Sept. 3, 3—4pm, Northspan, Duluth, 202 West Superior Street, Suite 600, Duluth, MN.
Note: Attendees, this is located in the in the WesternBank building. Parking can be found on the street, the Holiday Center, or in the Duluth Transit Center.
OBD will also be holding an online event for Tribal partners on Wednesday September 3.
Along with staff from East Central Energy (ECE), officials from the Minnesota Legislature and the Minnesota Office of Broadband Development met in Pine City for a site visit on July 17 to observe speed testing and review progress tied to state-funded broadband grants as part of the ongoing ECE Fiber broadband expansion project.
The visit marked a significant milestone in the cooperative’s broadband buildout, as it completed a crucial step for the December 2022 awards given through the Minnesota Border-to-Border Broadband Grant Program, administered by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. The grants totaled nearly $15M and enabled three large-scale broadband projects in Isanti, Kanabec, and Pine counties. Designed to bring reliable high-speed fiber internet to 7,584 serviceable points, the project includes some of the hardest-to-reach areas in east central Minnesota.
State support and oversight
Senator Aric Putman, Chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Broadband, and Rural Development, and Representative Nathan Nelson (District 11B) joined the site visit to better understand the progress of rural broadband deployment by electric cooperatives. Also present were Bree Maki and Mike Wimmer from the Minnesota Office of Broadband Development, whose leadership has been vital to ECE’s broadband success and advocacy. The group observed performance testing and mapping verifications by Connected Nation, the state’s contracted assessor, to ensure compliance with network speed and coverage requirements.
…
The ECE Fiber network now spans over 2,200 miles of fiber, with more than 5,000 members already connected and additional installations in progress. So far, approximately 300 businesses have been connected. Since launching the initiative, ECE has created 45 new jobs, including technicians, designers, and support staff. This continues to strengthen the local economy while building long-term technical capacity within the region.
To leverage existing electric infrastructure, ECE designed its fiber network to follow its electric lines (approximately 60% overhead and 40% underground). Because the cooperative uses non-conductive fiber lines, installation can run closer to neutral wires, minimizing the need for new poles or underground components and further lowering construction expenses.
Just a reminder (or heads up) of the next Office of Broadband Development Office Hours…
Registration now open for the Minnesota BEAD Final Proposal Virtual Information Session, Thursday August 28 at 11am CST, which will provide an overview of the Final Proposal, steps for public comment, and next steps for BEAD in Minnesota. This webinar will be recorded and posted to the OBD BEAD webpage.
I assume the Minnesota BEAD Final Proposal will be the hot topic…
The Minnesota BEAD Final Proposal will be posted to the OBD BEAD webpage for a 7-day public comment on Thursday August 28. The Final Proposal is due to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) by Friday September 4.
It will be interesting to see who shows up for the meeting. I expect we’ll see many applicants, which should include many of the following:
Approved BEAD Applicants (8/8/2025)
Ace Telephone Association
AMG Technology Investment Group, LLC d/b/a Nextlink Internet
Broadband Corp
Christensen Communications Company
Consolidated Communications
CTC
EarthLink
East Central Energy Fiber
Emily Cooperative Telephone Company
Federated Rural Electric Association
Frontier
Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Company
Gateway Infrastructure LLC
Hanson Communication
Harmony Telephone Company
IBT Group USA, LLC
Johnson Telephone Company
KMTelecom
Kuiper
MCC Broadband Data
Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association
Midco
MiEnergy
Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative
MVTV Wireless
Nuvera
Otter Tail Telcom
PAUL BUNYAN COMMUNICATIONS
PCs for People
Pinnacle Broadband LLC
Red River Communications
Runestone Telephone Association
SCI Broadband
Sjobergs
Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
Spectrum Mid-America, LLC
Sytek Tekstar Communications, Inc.
Wikstrom Telephone Company Inc
Windstream Lakedale, Inc.
Winnebago Cooperative Telecom Association
Woodstock Communications
Xfinity
And be sure to mark your calendars for early September meetings…
OBD will be announcing regional, in-person Final Proposal Information Sessions on the BEAD Final Proposal. These will be scheduled the first week in September, and open to anyone to attend with no registration required. When finalized, dates and logistics will be posted to the OBD BEAD webpage and shared in another email blast.
Broadband Matters: Office of Broadband Development Updates
Broadband Task Force at August Farmfest
Restructured BEAD Round updates + upcoming information sessions
Line Extension Connection Program
Broadband events and news
Broadband Task Force at August Farmfest
The Broadband Task Force met at Minnesota Farmfest last week to discuss the important connection between broadband and agriculture. This meeting featured a panel discussion with Commissioner Thom Petersen (Department of Agriculture), Miles Kuschel (Board of Directors, District 6, Minnesota Farm Bureau), and Anne Schwagerl (Vice President, Minnesota Farmers Union) on topics around precision agriculture, AI in agriculture, and the future of broadband in agriculture in Minnesota.
A huge thank you to the panelists and attendees for sharing their time and expertise in discussing this important topic.
Restructured BEAD Round updates + upcoming information sessions
OBD is currently reviewing and deconflicting locations from the Restructured Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Round of subgrantee selection.
Next steps and additional resources to watch for on the OBD BEAD webpage include:
Registration now open for the Minnesota BEAD Final Proposal Virtual Information Session, Thursday August 28 at 11am CST, which will provide an overview of the Final Proposal, steps for public comment, and next steps for BEAD in Minnesota. This webinar will be recorded and posted to the OBD BEAD webpage.
The Minnesota BEAD Final Proposal will be posted to the OBD BEAD webpage for a 7-day public comment on Thursday August 28. The Final Proposal is due to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) by Friday September 4.
Coming soon: OBD will be announcing regional, in-person Final Proposal Information Sessions on the BEAD Final Proposal. These will be scheduled the first week in September, and open to anyone to attend with no registration required. When finalized, dates and logistics will be posted to the OBD BEAD webpage and shared in another email blast.
If you have questions on the webinars or in-person events, please reach out to deed.broadband@state.mn.us.
The Minnesota Line Extension Connection Program aims to connect residents and businesses that lack access to wired broadband internet service with service providers and assist in the expense of extending broadband to those locations.
Owners of residential and business locations lacking a wired internet connection with access to actual speeds equal to or greater than 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload, can submit their address location for bid consideration by entering their information into the Line Extension Connection portal to initiate their interest in receiving broadband internet service. Applicants should complete every applicable question including providing additionalcomments that will help explain the critical need of broadband for the household/business, including any barriers. More information on how to submit an application via portal, phone, or mail is available on the OBD Line Extension Connection webpage.
Broadband events and news
The Minnesota Public Broadband Alliance, member of the American Association for Public Broadband, is offering a free event, What’s Next for Broadband in Minnesota on September 10 at 9am in New Prague, MN.
The even will host featured speakers, Gigi Sohn of the American Association of Public Broadband, Christopher Mitchel of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, and OBD’s Executive Director Bree Maki. More information on the event is available online and registration is open below:
Director Maki was also quoted in an August 6 Star Tribune article, on the impacts of the BEAD program on OBD’s work: “[Minnesota] had this big program that we really thought could maximize the state and federal efforts,” Maki said, “and the timing is just taking a little longer than anticipated.”
The MN Broadband Task Force met at Farmfest today. It was a short meeting, but they got to spend time with panelists who work in the ag business. It was interesting to hear from folks who have been (or still are) living on the slow end of the broadband divide. Also, there was an interesting push-pull conversation about precision agriculture and the growing need for data and the ability to process it with the energy it requires and the possible impact on local water.
2:30 p.m. – 2:35 p.m. Welcome – Teddy Bekele, Chair, Minnesota Governor’s Task Force on Broadband
2:35 p.m. – 2:40 p.m.Roll Call + Approval of minutes from June Task Force Meeting – Described the Task Force and had Task Force members introduce themselves.
2:40 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.Relationship between agriculture in Minnesota, and fast, reliable broadband – Panel discussion between representatives from the Department of Agriculture, Farmer’s Union, and Farm Bureau on the relationship between agriculture in Minnesota, and fast, reliable broadband.
Three panelists from rural/ag communities talk about their broadband needs.
Where is broadband needed?
Cooperatives have been powerful in getting broadband to rural MN. We get broadband from our local coop. (It’s the year of the cooperative.)
In most places, there’s one broadband provider. That’s fine when the provider is good but we need competitive in areas where that isn’t true.
Farmers use data – especially uploading data.
During COVID we really learned the importance of good broadband. Until we got better broadband, we have five ways to get online in our home.
Broadband can mean a resurgence for rural towns and communities. When people can work from home, they can live anywhere.
Broadband helps the largest and smallest farms.
Coops are great.
What would a connected community look like to you?
Just being connected would make a difference to keeping small towns alive.
In Pine City, we are seeing people move to our community. Often farmers need a second job for income and insurance.
Data gets bigger and bigger – we need broadband to manage it. Especially for precision ag.
What are the challenges to broadband?
What do you think of AI impacting ag?
It’s going to harness actionable data – for crops and livestock
We’re getting pitched on AI all of the time. We’re skeptical but we’re watching it. We’re not into it if is leads to more consolidation.
AI will double our energy needs and MN has made a commitment to clean energy – this seems in conflict and we need to have a conversation about that.
Our population is changing. We need greater diversity in farmers – so nice to have translation services.
Data collected on water and nitrates is also positive.
There do need to be checks and balances.
How are you holding federal and state agencies accountable for things like BEAD and USF changes?
No audible answer
How important is latency to you?
I don’t notice it with fiber – but I’m not on satellite or wifi.
Fiber has been so reliable for us.
This was an issue with teenage gamers at home but when we moved from Stalink to ECE we have fewer complaints. I also don’t hears as much from our neighbors. Farmers have to upload a lot and it had been an issue but as more fiber is available we see fewer issues.
From dialup to fiber – it’s been great. With email, it does matter. With videoconferencing, we notice the difference. BUT autonomous operations cannot tolerate latency.
We have seen lots of applications that need best broadband at Farmfest.
How can the TF help you?
Speed is 25/3 – but we need more. We need 100/100 and eventually gig access – especially with fully autonomous applications.
The efforts to get last mile are not working. We need a better plan.
I hear from people who go from crappy to good service and its life-changing.
There’s no State funding in the budget because we thought federal funding would work. But if it doesn’t – what do you need legislators to do/think?
The need will only continue to grow. 25/3 will not handle the growth for long.
One size does not fit all. I live in an area without trees, so wireless works for us.
If there’s limited funds, maybe we need to focus funding.
The push for fiber may not be affordable for everyone, we need to go with cheapest choices.
Q: From precision ag: As data centers are moving closer to the home, do you have concerns or ideas?
There’s concern about data centers on ag land – especially when it comes to water and water needs. Especially in southern and southeast MN.
Ditto
There used to be a concern – there’s a push and pull between water and energy needs. You want to use AI on the farm but it can’t be taken away because energy needs it. Making sure that tech companies work with communities is important.
Q: Economic development in SE MN: Is there any movement to get back RDOF funds?
It would be great
RDOF defaulted locations were at least re-added to the BEAD maps. But it is unlikely that we will recover the funding.
Q: Economic development in SE MN: Is there a push to get FTTH funding for communities that are “served” (according to the maps) by national providers but aren’t really served?
Local communities who aren’t served need to work on their situation
We need competition and we need to find a way to incentivize competition. We had a national provider who years, who never met our needs.
I’m not a fan of municipal providers but maybe if the municipal providers went with a open access model. You need to put out an RFP.
Why are you so passionate about broadband?
Three kids. The ability to learn and educate yourself. (Can’t be a YouTube mechanic on sate.)
Geofencing looks exciting.
Direct sales works better with broadband. Some farms have moved to entirely online sales.
We are building out a weather station across the state to get real time climate information. It helps farmers save money and take climate in consideration.
Technology is a way to get the next generation of farmers interested.
Also next generation of ag careers is very technical. Broadband is critical to that.
Broadband makes it possible to stay in rural MN.
3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.Office of Broadband Development Updates
Bree Maki, Executive Director, OBD
MN State Grants
Border to border grants provide funding to providers to reach expensive areas to serve
Lower population grants does similar but for even higher cost areas
Line Extension allows residents and businesses to request help
OBD is visiting communities that received funding.
We have 3 different grant rounds of MN funding happening now. (These are folks who got funding in the past.)
Line Extension funds need to get spent by end of 2026.
New hire on land use is doing a great job and helping folks with permitting.
If you need better service, please take a look at our Line Extension program.
We brough legislators to see a broadband provider and speed testing.
We give lessons to decision makers on how to work with fiber
BEAD
In May we were told to start the grant process over due to federal changes.
We need to do a public comment period for our final proposal – it will start on Aug 28 and hope to do a webinar to introduce that.
We are soliciting letters of support from local organizations to include with our final proposal. We want to make sure that BEAD eligible locations are correct on the maps we are using.
It seems like we may need State funding to meet State funding goals.
The Broadband Task Force will be meeting on Wednesday, August 6 from 2:30-4pm in Redwood County at the Minnesota Farmfest. This meeting will be held in-person and is open to anyone from the public to attend, however, tickets are required to enter Farmfest. Members of the public with questions about attending should email deed.broadband@state.mn.us or call 651-259-7610 no later than Monday July 28.
As Farmfest gears up to welcome thousands of attendees to southern Minnesota, one panel will zoom in on a challenge that transcends state lines and fencerows: reliable broadband access.
The Minnesota Governor’s Task Force on Broadband will host a listening session during Farmfest’s second day, Wednesday, Aug. 6, bringing a multi-stakeholder group face-to-face with the very people most affected by poor rural connectivity.
The task force includes representatives from agriculture, education, health care, small business and broadband providers. They advise the governor’s office on how to close the state’s digital divide. At Farmfest, they’re looking to hear from farmers and rural residents themselves. “This work only matters if it reflects the lived reality of the communities we’re trying to serve,” said Teddy Bekele, Land O’Lakes executive and Task Force member.
Broadband Matters: Office of Broadband Development Updates
Out and About in Greater MN
Restructured BEAD Round updates
Line Extension Connection Program
Remembering Senator Bruce Anderson’s impact on broadband
Out and About in Greater MN
Representative Nathan Nelson, ECE President/CEO Justin Jahnz, Senator Aric Putnam, and OBD Executive Director Bree Maki.
Along with staff from East Central Energy (ECE), officials from the Minnesota Legislature and the Minnesota Office of Broadband Development met in Pine City on July 17 to observe speed testing and review progress tied to state-funded broadband grants as part of the ongoing ECE Fiber broadband expansion project. Senator Aric Putnam, Chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Broadband, and Rural Development, and Representative Nathan Nelson (District 11B) joined the site visit to better understand the progress of rural broadband deployment by electric cooperatives. The group observed performance testing and mapping verifications to ensure compliance with network speed and coverage requirements.
OBD staff have been busy with additional site visits across the state, and have seen updates on state Broadband Grant Programs and the Line Extension Connection Program through visits with: Access Networks, Midco, Garden Valley Technologies (GVT), Otter Tail Telcom, Savage Communications, Inc (SCI), Interstate Telecommunications Company (ITC), Bevcomm, Arvig, Federated Rural Elective Association, Southwest Minnesota Broadband, and KMTelecom.
Outside GVT office for annual site visits: GVT Chief Facilities Officer Jon Smith, GVT Chief Financial Officer Kristi Benson, OBD Staff Samantha Ernst, and GVT CEO/General Manager Tim Brinkman.
Restructured BEAD Round updates
Minnesota saw the close of it’s Restructured Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Round of subgrantee selection, which ran July 14 through July 24, 1:30pm CST. OBD has begun review and deconfliction of the submitted applications.
Updates as they are available will be posted to the OBD BEAD webpage, including a direct negotiation process for locations that did not secure bids and posting the Final Proposal for public comment (posted by August 28) in compliance with National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) guidelines.
Line Extension Connection Program
The Minnesota Line Extension Connection Program aims to connect residents and businesses that lack access to wired broadband internet service with service providers and assist in the expense of extending broadband to those locations.
Owners of residential and business locations lacking a wired internet connection with access to actual speeds equal to or greater than 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload, can submit their address location for bid consideration by entering their information into the Line Extension Connection portal to initiate their interest in receiving broadband internet service. Applicants should complete every applicable question including providing additionalcomments that will help explain the critical need of broadband for the household/business, including any barriers. More information on how to submit an application via portal, phone, or mail is available on the OBD Line Extension Connection webpage.
Remembering Senator Bruce Anderson’s impact on broadband
The Office of Broadband Development would like to extend gratitude to the late, Senator Bruce Anderson for his lifelong work in understanding and expanding broadband access for his constituents and across Minnesota. Reflection and recognition of Senator Anderson’s impact on key issues through his service on the Senate Agriculture, Broadband, and Rural Development Committee have been recognized by many, including an article published by Minnesota Public Radio.
Almost 30 people attended the session. You can see the slides and video below. It was a quick update. No one had questions about the process. It seems that folks must be in the thick if it with completing applications and/or answering questions about the applications.
Question
Minnesota and the OBD has achieved much in the past 10 years. Is there anything you might request from us to better support your good efforts?
We are looking for letters of support. We are collecting them to share with federal funders and legislators.
Broadband Matters: Office of Broadband Development Updates
Restructured BEAD Round, grantor portal OPEN
Broadband Task Force, August meeting plans
Minnesota featured, Bridging the Digital Divide; Planning Innovate State and Local Approaches
Line Extension Connection Program
Restructured BEAD Round, grantor portal OPEN
On July 8, 2025 NTIA approved Minnesota’s IP BEAD Correction Letter. This approval allowed OBD to move forward with the updated list of eligible locations (6/30/2025) and open the grantor portalon July 14 for prequalified applicants to submitapplications for the Restructured BEAD Round, compliant with the updated changes to the NTIA’s June 6 Restructuring BEAD Policy Notice. The grantor portal will remain open through July 24, 1:30pm CST.
Register today for the additional office hours session, scheduled Tuesday July 22 at 11am. This session will not be recorded and will be a time to answer questions on the BEAD application.
Access to and resources on the grantor portal are available on the OBD BEAD webpage, including:
The Minnesota BEAD Contractor Directory, a voluntary list consisting of the names and contact information of the contractors and subcontractors that have requested to be included in the directory. To be listed in the directory, complete and submit the Minnesota BEAD Contractor Directory Form.
Broadband Task Force, August meeting plans
The Broadband Task Force will be meeting on Wednesday, August 6 from 2:30-4pm in Redwood County at the Minnesota Farmfest. This meeting will be held in-person and is open to anyone from the public to attend, however, tickets are required to enter Farmfest. Members of the public with questions about attending should email deed.broadband@state.mn.us or call 651-259-7610 no later than Monday July 28.
Minnesota featured, Bridging the Digital Divide; Planning Innovate State and Local Approaches
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development’s OBD, community partners, internet service providers, and broadband leaders across the state were featured in the newly published, Bridging the Digital Divide in the US Planning Innovative State and Local Approaches. The book presents a multi-level governance framework which explores how local leaders use policy opportunity and community resilience to address inequity in broadband infrastructure, and Chapter 4 presents “Minnesota – An Early Leader In Addressing Rural Broadband” by Y. Edward Guo, Elizabeth H. Redmond, and Mildred E. Warner.
The Minnesota Line Extension Connection Program aims to connect residents and businesses that lack access to wired broadband internet service with service providers and assist in the expense of extending broadband to those locations.
Owners of residential and business locations lacking a wired internet connection with access to actual speeds equal to or greater than 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload, can submit their address location for bid consideration by entering their information into the Line Extension Connection portal to initiate their interest in receiving broadband internet service. Applicants should complete every applicable question including providing additionalcomments that will help explain the critical need of broadband for the household/business, including any barriers. More information on how to submit an application via portal, phone, or mail is available on the OBD Line Extension Connection webpage.
On remove eligible locations. Are they removed from the portal or should we upload a new spreadsheet?
For an existing application – you will want to upload and review updated information and make sure it works.
Is there a specific template for Priority Projects? Where should that documentation be loaded?
It’s part of section 3 and the network form. You’ll want to upload more network info. (Get more info on page 35.)
In 49 section 12 “This project will include required documentation to be reviewed for consideration as a priority project consistent with NTIA Restructuring Policy Guidance” Has MN DEED defined specific required documentation that needs to be uploaded to satisfy this question?
In section 3 – it’s going to be the network components and project schedule, diagram, map…
Can you give a quick update on line extension? How much funding is there? not funded previously still open applications?
No – hopefully next session.
On Q 48, will a new affidavit be required?
If project doesn’t change – no. Otherwise, yes.
The new applications how have an ORG# and application # that is tied to the uploaded documents. ex…ORG123APP1234 Do we need to use a specific naming convention?
no. It will be automatically assigned. But we like it when it’s easy to recognize
Q 49 “This project will include required documentation to be reviewed for consideration as a priority project consistent with NTIA Restructuring Policy Guidance.” can you explain?
It is asking if you want your project to be reviewed as a priority project
What is format (tools) for the “public comment” process? It would be nice to have a broadband stakeholders call.
Final proposal will be posted – and maybe emailed. Will probably do what we did for the original round.
Similar to last week, about 50 people attended the Office of Broadband Development Office Hour today. The discussion is very nuts and bolts discussion of the BEAD funding and applications. Below is a video, notes and questions.
