This report summarizes information about Internet access in the United States as of December 31, 2024, as collected by FCC Form 477 and the Broadband Data Collection (BDC). For purposes of this report, Internet access is defined as a service that allows information to be sent to or received from the Internet with a speed of at least 200 kilobits per second. See the Technical Notes at the end of this report for more-detailed information about these data collections and the meaning of terms used in this report.
Hundreds of rural hospitals across the country are operating on thin margins, and recent federal policy proposals threaten to exacerbate that strain. Provisions in H.R. 1 are projected to reduce federal funding to hospitals and other providers by more than $1 trillion, putting many rural facilities at risk of service reductions or closure. In an attempt to mitigate some of these challenges, H.R. 1 established the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), allocating $10 billion annually over five years to assist states in modernizing rural health care infrastructure, expanding access to care, and improving patient outcomes.
Minnesota is mentioned…
Our research indicates that mobile health models can expand access to care in rural communities by reaching populations facing geographic and broadband barriers. Mobile health care can increase preventive care, support chronic disease management, and link patients to follow-up care. For instance, a program in rural Minnesota launched a mobile-telehealth hybrid model, allowing patients to avoid 30–60 mile trips for primary care.
Patients frequently report highsatisfaction with the convenience and quality of mobile health services in rural areas. Some programs are also associated with reduced emergency department use and potential system-level cost efficiencies. For example, a rural South Carolina community paramedicine program helped patients lower their blood pressure and blood glucose levels while also reducing emergency department visits.
The sustainability of mobile health programs often depends on stable funding, strong community partnerships, and referral networks that allow mobile services to act as a gateway to additional care.
Minnesota’s Minnesota Rural Health Transformation is held up as a standout…
Minnesota stands out for its integration with Tribal health organizations and its focus on dental and primary care. Mobile medical and dental units provide preventive screenings, basic primary care, restorative dental services, and lab work, while telehealth links patients to specialty care. The state also positions mobile units as extensions of FQHCs and community clinics, embedding care within existing referral networks and using community sites such as schools for service delivery and workforce training.
They are also hosting a virtual discussion on how state policymakers can better support mobile health clinics and improve access to care at 1pm ET on February 13. Register here.
AT&T closed its acquisition of Lumen’s mass market fiber business in a $5.75 billion all-cash deal Monday.
The deal has expanded AT&T’s fiber offerings in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado Nebraska and Iowa, landing AT&T with one million additional fiber subscribers and four million additional fiber locations, according to a press release.
The 2025 MN Broadband Task Force Annual Report is out! The Office of Broadband Development and MN Broadband Task Force unveiled the 2025 MN Broadband Task Force Annual Report at the Task Force. It includes a concise description of progress toward the statutory speed goals Minnesota has made measurable strides: as of 2025, 93.84% of homes and businesses have access to broadband at 25/3 Mbps, and 92.11% can reach speeds of 100/20 Mbps. Yet, more than 121,000 households remain without basic service, and nearly 155,000 are underserved at higher speeds. It also includes recommendations for policymakers.
Today, with paved roads, remote work, and a highly mobile population, she [DeeDee LeMier} explains the limited data available to rural communities often obscures the real story of how they are functioning. But new mobile data tools are beginning to change this — offering a clearer picture of how people move, work, and connect across regions.
This shift is playing out in rural Minnesota where LeMier, an Extension community development educator, has been working with Placer.ai, a location analytics platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze anonymous mobile device data.
She talked about Wadena County as an example…
In Wadena County, community leaders asked Extension to help blur the lines between counties for an annual planning effort. The request reflected a growing recognition that people’s lives — and local economies — don’t stop at jurisdictional borders.
Ben Winchester, a rural sociologist with Extension, frames the issue as “living in the middle of everywhere,” explaining that since 2018 a majority of Minnesotans now leave their home county to work every day. “People move for regional assets surrounding quality of life rather than solely job opportunities. That is, they find a home in the middle of their desired social and economic life,” he says, challenging long-standing economic development strategies focused solely on industrial attraction.
Using Placer.ai, Extension analyzed three key dimensions of community life: resident activity, visitor patterns, and commuting behavior. The results offered insight that traditional surveys often miss. “For many small communities, especially those in rural areas, there is no detailed information available without spending huge amounts of money to do in-person surveys,” says LeMier. “By having real-time data, we can share local information with county leadership that would otherwise not be available.”
Wadena community leaders found the results immediately useful. “The most valuable insight was seeing how people actually move through, into, and out of the community — where they are coming from, how long they stay, and which destinations are most connected to Wadena,” says Hope Williams, executive director of the Economic Alliance, Wadena County’s economic development agency. “This provided a more accurate picture of regional relationships and economic activity than traditional data sources alone.”
Mobile data, for example, revealed that Wadena is a net importer of workers, meaning a larger number of employees work in the county than those who cross county lines for outside work. Nearly one-third of workers came from regional zip codes, most commonly from the Fargo, North Dakota, metropolitan area.
Williams says one of the most surprising findings was the extent to which Wadena functions as a hub for the surrounding area. “The data showed stronger and more frequent connections with neighboring communities than expected,” she says, “reinforcing the idea that Wadena plays a regional role in services, employment, and daily travel.”
Brookings Institute talks about research that looks at workers’ ability to adapt if job loss does occur…
In short, the new analysis asks: If AI does cause job displacement, who is best positioned to adapt, and who will struggle most? In asking those questions, this analysis intends to help policymakers focused on AI’s labor market impacts better target their attention and resources.
I thought this might be of interest to policymakers, anyone with workforce development and anyone with a job…
Overall, this analysis offers a more nuanced picture of AI’s possible impacts on workers than AI exposure measures can on their own.
Specifically, the analysis focuses on understanding the degree to which workers in different highly exposed occupations could manage a job transition after involuntary displacement. In doing so, it makes clear the existence of both large zones of strong resilience to job loss across the workforce as well as concentrated pockets of heightened vulnerability if displacement were to occur.
Given this, the report likely has practical use for workforce and employment development practitioners because understanding where workers are most and least resilient to AI-driven labor market change may help inform the optimal use of public funding for workforce adjustment programs.
The research is interesting and can be highlighted in the graphics below…
Visit the article for access to the interactive maps of communities with the largest share of jobs in high vulnerability occupations.
There is a new, free tool called BroadbandClusters that you can use to get information about your community (county, city, zip code) if your county is part of a MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area). If you are you can access the following information:
Median Broadband Adoption
Median Large Screen Availability
Median Without Compute Device
Median Availability (250 Mbps and above)
Median Income
Total Population
ZIPs Considered
You can get data from the following counties (as well as cities and zip codes within these counties):
Broadband Matters: Office of Broadband Development Updates
Broadband Task Force, January meeting recap
Line Extension Connection Program updates
Broadband updates and in the news
BEAD in Minnesota
Broadband Task Force, January meeting recap
The Broadband Task Force had the first meeting of 2026 on Thursday January 22, at 10 a.m. The Task Force had a legislative discussion and broadband check-in with Senator Putnam (Chair Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development) and presented on the 2025 annual report, including recommendations on meeting broadband goals in Minnesota. Deven Bowdry, (Government Relations Director, Department of Employment and Economic Development) presented a legislative preview, and OBD’s Bree Maki (Executive Director) and Megan Messerole (Broadband Environmental and Land Use Coordinator) gave overviews on broadband updates and Minnesota broadband environmental permitting.
OBD is currently in the process of rolling out awards and getting confirmation of award acceptance from providers for Round 4 of the Line Extension Connection Program. Once this process is complete, OBD will publish final awards, which is expected to be late January or early February.
Registration remains open for future rounds if and as funding is available for residents and businesses on the Line Extension Connection Program webpage. OBD expects to run a fifth round of Line Extension with state project funds in spring 2026.
On December 19, 2025, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approved Minnesota’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Final Proposal, advancing the state’s plan to expand high‑speed internet with federal funding.
Following extensive engagement, restructuring, and over 18 rounds of curing, Minnesota has been initially approved for:
$378.9 million in BEAD subgrants across 94 projects. These projects are supported by nearly $190 million in matching funds, representing a total anticipated investment of more than $568.8 million
Funds will connect connect 74,739 locations
OBD is awaiting final approval from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and will then begin the contracting process with subgrantees, prioritizing award agreements and readiness activities.
OBD continues to update the OBD BEAD webpage as additional updates and resources are made available, including:
NTIA is hosting the a Discussion on Federal Requirements for BEAD Subgrantees on Thursday, January 29, 2026 at 1 p.m. CST. This webinar will discuss the requirements of being a federal subgrantee; while subgrantees contract directly with the Eligible Entity, this webinar will be an opportunity for SBOs and provisionally awarded subgrantees to be reminded of the baseline requirements. Register here.
The MTA Convention brings together leaders from across the telecommunications industry for meaningful conversations and practical insights. Hear from expert speakers on topics ranging from rural broadband growth and strategic process improvement to leveraging AI to enhance the customer experience. This engaging event delivers practical takeaways and valuable networking in one place—designed to inform, inspire, and connect.
Be part of the conversations driving the industry forward.
Reasons You Won’t Want to Miss This
Top-tier education: The MTA Convention delivers some of the most valuable educational sessions in the telecommunications industry.
Trade Show with over 115 booths represented — meet and connect with vendors and companies all over the state of Minnesota, and even into the neighboring states.
Expand your network: Connect with industry peers and meet new colleagues from across the state and beyond.
Blois Olson to Headline MTA Convention Issues Luncheon
The Minnesota Telecom Alliance is pleased to announce that Blois Olson will serve as the featured speaker for this year’s Issues Luncheon at the MTA Annual Convention.Blois Olson is one of Minnesota’s most respected and recognizable voices in public affairs. As the founder of Fluence Media and the author of the widely followed Morning Take briefing, Blois helps thousands of business and community leaders stay informed about the fast‑moving issues shaping our state. His deep knowledge of communications strategy, policy trends, and statewide political dynamics has made him a trusted resource for organizations navigating change.
This year, Blois will offer MTA members timely insights into Minnesota’s evolving political landscape, including the shifting priorities at the Legislature, the factors influencing policymaking today, and what these trends mean for industries working to connect Minnesotans across the state. His clear, accessible, and forward-looking analysis will help attendees better understand the environment in which we operate — and what may be on the horizon.
We look forward to welcoming Blois Olson and hearing his perspective on the key issues shaping Minnesota and the future of telecommunications.
Join us at the Issues Luncheon for this informative and engaging session!
Paul Bunyan Communications has completed expanding its all-fiber optic network, the GigaZone®, to the city of Bovey that included over 350 homes and businesses. Those who have signed up for service are being contacted to set up service installation.
“We’re proud to complete our all-fiber optic gigabit broadband expansion to the City of Bovey. High-quality connectivity is no longer a luxury, it’s essential. With this project now complete, residents and businesses in Bovey can access the advanced broadband services they need to thrive,” said Chad Bullock, CEO/General Manager of Paul Bunyan Communications.
“This expansion marks a major step forward for the Bovey community,” said Leo Anderson, Chief Technology Officer at Paul Bunyan Communications. “With our all-fiber optic network now delivering speeds up to 10 Gig, everything from remote work and online learning to telehealth and streaming becomes seamless. This level of connectivity is truly transformative.”
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
There are moments in Minnesota when the cold does more than freeze lakes and stiffen breath. It interrupts the machinery of daily life. It closes schools, empties buses, quiets playgrounds, and turns the ordinary act of leaving home into a calculation of risk. Friday, January 23, 2026 is one of those days.
Added in the difference in broadband based on location…
For many families, school is not just a place of learning. It is childcare. It is reliable meals. It is heat. It is structure. When buildings close, those supports scatter into private homes that are not equally equipped to absorb the shock.
Hourly workers lose income. Parents working essential jobs face impossible choices. Families without reliable internet struggle to make e-learning function as intended. Rural households with long driveways and limited broadband face isolation compounded by cold. For elders who depend on school transportation staff, school nurses, or community routines connected to schools, the day becomes longer and lonelier.
The cold does not distribute its burden evenly. It presses hardest on those with the fewest buffers.
The Pine River Economic Development Corporation facilitated a legislative forum Monday, Jan. 19, in the Pine River-Backus High School Media Center, offering residents and businesses the opportunity to ask questions of area state legislators.
Legislators included District 5A Rep. Krista Knudsen, R-Lake Shore; District 6A Rep. Ben Davis, R-Mission Township; District 5 Sen. Paul Utke, R-Park Rapids; District 6 Sen. Keri Heintzeman, R-Nisswa; and District 6B Rep. Josh Heintzeman, R-Nisswa.
Broadband was one of the topics…
Five topics were prepared ahead of the two-hour forum, including: efficient communication with state agencies about underutilized state property, Minnesota Paid Family Leave Act and legislation, broadband funding, Highway 371 development, and the future of bipartisan communications in the Legislature.
And what was reported…
Legislators talked about the limits of broadband access in rural Minnesota in spite of federal and state programs supposedly designed to bridge those gaps. Josh Heintzeman said it is very difficult to pass bills for broadband expansion if it restricts those funds to outstate districts.
He said with current budget woes, it is unlikely that there will be funding in the near future for more state broadband grant money.
Utke said the money is sometimes directed based on decisions by the businesses in charge of installation.
“It’s a business decision in a lot of cases with how much work they can handle this season and what they are going to do, and in some cases they will go after certain grants that fit their business models,” Utke said.
Utke said those businesses might choose to expand in one place versus another based on existing infrastructure, weather, convenience and population density.
Because they have the chance of serving more customers, those businesses may be less interested in projects that capture a smaller number of rural customers as opposed to those living in a more densely packed city area.
Utke said state grants have requirements that federal grants do not, such as requiring contractors to pay prevailing wages, which can eat into the profit margins of a broadband project.
Zimmerman, Minnesota, doesn’t get many headlines. It’s one of those seemingly ordinary American towns—quiet, wooded, comfortably suburban in some directions and unmistakably rural in others. Yet, as someone who’s been watching the shifting tides of regional economics and digital transformation, I see Zimmerman as a signal of something bigger—a subtle but profound reordering of where innovation happens in America.
The geography of opportunity has been flattening since the early 2020s. Remote work erased rigid commuting boundaries, high-speed internet reached towns once considered too far for corporate footprints, and the cost-of-living differential between the Twin Cities and communities like Zimmerman became impossible to ignore. What used to be a bedroom community for Minneapolis is now morphing into something else entirely: a test case for the rise of the rural tech corridor.
Zimmerman sits in Sherburne County, part of a ring of towns that benefited from the pandemic-era “rural renaissance.” But the local story has evolved beyond affordability. Startups specializing in green tech, agri-data analytics, and logistics automation are experimenting in these lighter-regulated, data-rich landscapes. It’s not that Silicon Valley moved north—it’s that digital infrastructure made geography optional. Rural Minnesota towns are now discovering that the bandwidth revolution is a form of civic power.
Underlying this trend is a cultural recalibration. Younger entrepreneurs—many coming from the Twin Cities or returning home after time in tech hubs—are building companies that aren’t chasing valuation headlines. They’re focused on sustainability, circular economy models, and hyperlocal efficiency. Zimmerman’s local co-op initiatives and small-scale AI farming experiments indicate the post-capitalist microeconomy taking shape: distributed, data-aware, and proudly independent of the coastal gravity wells.
What’s interesting isn’t just what’s happening but how attitudes are changing. Residents who once saw the future as something urban are beginning to see digitization as an ally to rural identity. High-speed connectivity is allowing craft manufacturers, solar startups, and freelance technologists to operate globally while living locally. In Zimmerman, independent contractors for national tech firms coexist with agritech developers who use drones to monitor soil health. The lines between manual and digital, local and global, are dissolving.
Minnesota has made measurable strides: as of 2025, 93.84% of homes and businesses have access to broadband at 25/3 Mbps, and 92.11% can reach speeds of 100/20 Mbps. Yet, more than 121,000 households remain without basic service, and nearly 155,000 are underserved at higher speeds.
The report also outlines recommendations to policymakers…
Key Recommendations for Governor and Legislature Affordability, Economic Opportunity, and Workforce Development
• Modernize Federal Affordability Programs – Advocate for federal reforms to the Lifeline program, increasing the monthly subsidy to match the former ACP levels ($30 for most households, $75 for Tribal lands). This would make broadband service genuinely affordable for low-income Minnesotans and help prevent service cancellations due to cost.
• Workforce Development and Local Hiring – Develop and fund Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs and registered apprenticeships with Minnesota schools and colleges to address labor shortages and build local capacity for broadband deployment. Encourage grant recipients to implement workforce best practices (outlined in Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 116J.395) and prioritize local hiring provisions, ensuring jobs created are family-supporting with fair wages and benefits.
• Support for Anchor Institutions – Prioritize funding for anchor institutions (libraries, schools, community centers) to provide digital literacy training, including resources for software, hardware, staff (such as digital navigators), outreach, and business alignment with these initiatives.
• Statewide Digital Inclusion Initiative – Launch a coordinated, multi-faceted initiative to systematically eliminate barriers to digital literacy and adoption. This includes expanding affordable broadband access, providing devices, and funding community-based programs that address non-technical challenges, such as transportation, childcare, language barriers, and trust-building with service providers. The initiative should prioritize digital skills training for all residents, regardless of foundational literacy level. Mapping, Policy, and Funding
• Advance Inclusive Broadband Deployment – Align deployment strategies with community needs, prioritizing underserved and unserved populations. Strengthen state-supported coordination of community and nonprofit efforts and explore cost-reduction policies to lower barriers in high-cost, low-density areas.
• Expand and Sustain Broadband Mapping – Continue and expand mapping efforts to provide accurate, transparent data that informs policy decisions, identifies service gaps, and supports targeted infrastructure development. As BEAD and other grant programs are completed, ensure mapping efforts evaluate actual locations served, speeds delivered, and infrastructure capabilities.
• Prioritize Funding for Line Extension Connection Program – Provide continued and increased funding for the Line Extension Connection Program, which has proven to be a cost-effective and targeted solution for last-mile deployment. This program empowers consumers, meets demand, and ensures no household or business is left behind as BEAD funding rolls out.
The Broadband Task Force unveiled the Annual Report (I will post on the report very soon) and presented it to Senator Putnam (Chair Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development). They also heard about Minnesota broadband environmental permitting overview.
10:00 a.m. – 10:05 a.m. Welcome from Teddy Bekele, Chair, Minnesota Governor’s Task Force on Broadband and approval of minutes from December Task Force meeting.
10:05a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Legislative preview for 2026 with Deven Bowdry, Government Relations Director, DEED
Session should be brief
Session starts Feb 17, second year of biennium, so more policy than budgets
Split House & Senate so not expecting to get much done
There might be a supplemental budget – focusing on urgent items – Fraud security is a hot topic
Governor hasn’t yet announced priorities
Probably see budget in March
They will be looking for informational hearing to fill time
Governor’s bonding proposal has been released
OBD will have a hearing session as will the Broadband Task Force
10:15 a.m. – 10:20 a.m. Office of Broadband Development (OBD) overview and updates from Bree Maki (Executive Director, OBD).
BEAD
NTIA approved final proposal – now waiting on approval from NIST
Can’t move forward without NIST approval – but getting ready to be ready
Working to make sure that MN rules and regulations align with BEAD requirements – including emerging federal laws such as related to AI
155,000 are unserved looking at 2026 goals; 76,000 could get service through BEAD but many will not meet state goal of 100/20
There are concerns from providers because of some issues – such a – if you take BEAD funding you will not be eligible for future federal funding, including USF
Once OBD gets approval, they have 6 months to sign with providers/subgrantees
There are tribal locations – and OBD needs consent from tribal partners
Working on how to get back some of the BEAD funding for non-deployment funds
Likely to be 2027 before broadband comes via BEAD
OBD
Digital Equity Act Funding ended – but got approval for capacity grant draw. So OBD got paid.
The planning grant was closed out before spent – we are getting audited as are all the states.
2026 Connecting MN conference April 29 at the Heritage Center
Going through a few audits
GRANTS
Line Extension – 3 rounds. 48 projects all built last year. 2200 locations were built. Trying to use up all of the funds before they expire.
Plan to do Line Extension 5 with state funds. So please sign up and encourage others to do so.
Border to Border – OBD is still busy closing out various grants. 40 are closing and 50 are waiting to be built.
Q: What about the NTIA conference in March? Should the Task Force attend?
A: That meeting might not be a fit but there are many national events and OBD can share those opportunities with the Task Force
Q: When will OBD hear from NIST?
A: Unclear.
10:20 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Overview of 2025 Broadband Task Force Annual Report and recommendations.
11:00 a.m. – 10:20 a.m. Senate Committee Chair legislative discussion and broadband check-in with Senator Putnam (Chair Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development).
The senator appreciates the broadband focus of access that includes
We’ve talked about training – are there any consequences to the changes to requirements for broadband construction folks?
There are 20-30 approved plans. The cold makes good training weather. Haven’t seen full implementation yet.
The deadline for the program was Jan 1 – so too soon to see results. Last summer we were informing folks of the need for training.
Are there specific permitting concerns?
State level permitting is a bottleneck. OBD has been working to help.
Railroad crossings are difficult and cost is unpredictable
MN Legislators have been supportive
(From chat) One Railroads – If I am notified, I general bring in our Federal Senators to help navigate conversations with them.
(From chat) FCC regulations on permitting and joint use agreements with other utilities are found here: Federal Register :: Accelerating Wireline Broadband Deployment by Removing Barriers to Infrastructu…
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Minnesota broadband environmental permitting overview with Bree Maki (Executive Director, OBD) and Megan Messerole (Broadband Environmental and Land Use Coordinator, OBD)
from one of the slides above:
Environmental Permitting Resources
Minnesota National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Permitting Resources
Planning for MN BEAD Grant Environmental, Historic Preservation, and Permitting Success (PDF) – Coming soon
NTIA Best Management Practices and Mitigation Measures (PDF): Best management practices (BMPs) and mitigation measures to minimize impacts during construction, deployment, and operation of NTIA funded broadband projects.
NTIA Local Permitting Importance and Challenges and Strategies (PDF): Guidance explaining local permitting, providing strategies and examples addressing challenges and increasing processing efficiency. environmental factors in planning routes for deployments.
The 2025 MN Broadband Task Force Annual Report is out!
