Category Archives: Rural

Telehealth helps with access to mental healthcare for rural Minnesota’s communities of color – when they have broadband

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A recent publication from the Center for Rural Policy reports…

Rural Minnesota is changing. Across its small towns and open landscapes, people of color are becoming a larger part of the community—some newly arrived from other countries, others whose families have called this region home for generations.

As our previous research has shown (here and here), finding help for mental health concerns can be a struggle for anyone living in rural areas, but it can be even harder for BIPOC residents (Black, Indigenous and People of Color). Whether they are recent immigrants trying to navigate an unfamiliar system or long-time Minnesotans seeking care that understands their experiences, the challenges of finding accessible mental health services that meet their needs remain significant.

This makes access difficult…

While statewide outpatient statistics are not readily available, national evidence shows that rural residents face longer drives to outpatient clinics. The greater distance between communities and the sparse population of smaller towns create adverse economies of scale that increase the cost of providing services. This in turn has led to clinic closures and healthcare consolidation, further squeezing the supply of services over the years as healthcare companies try to keep revenue ahead of expenses. The closures also result in even longer drives to receive services. …

A lack of transportation or public transportation also limits people in rural areas,[3] who are more likely to not have their own vehicles or are unable to drive due to age, income, or disability even as the distances patients need to travel to get services continue to increase. According to a 2024 Minnesota Department of Health report on the state of rural healthcare, rural patients seeking inpatient mental health and chemical dependency treatment must travel three times farther than their urban counterparts.[4]

But while these challenges are tough for all rural families looking for help, they are even greater for people of color.

The report offers several recommendations for improvement, including telehealth for those with adequate broadband…

Telehealth can especially help rural people of color access appropriate, effective mental healthcare, says Terica Toliver, Senior Director of Clinical Therapy at Louisiana-based Iris Telehealth, which provides therapy via telehealth through her contract with ElevaCare in Southwest Minnesota. Telehealth gives people of color a broader range of providers to choose from, including providers who share the same racial and cultural backgrounds.

It’s not a perfect solution, however. Hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans don’t have access to the broadband internet service required for telehealth to work reliably,[26] and telehealth isn’t for everyone. Some patients simply don’t feel comfortable talking to a stranger about their mental health on a digital screen.

EVENT June 24: AI without the hype: What rural broadband operators need to know

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From Benton Institute for Broadband & Society…

Telecompetitor

Wednesday, June 24, 2026 – 3:00pm
Time Zone
EST
Virtual Event

Rural broadband operators are navigating a moment of real change. AI is reshaping how networks are used, how they’re managed, and how providers can stay competitive. But sorting useful strategies from empty buzzwords isn’t easy.

A panel of industry leaders will share proven approaches to using AI and automation to improve network efficiency, deliver better customer experiences, and open new revenue streams.

RadioLink closure in Southern MN leaves customers without options

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I’ve reported on this story earlier, but I thought AOL did a nice job with perspective. In the Cities, we have more options than some rural areas, and this is a great example of why choices are important…

If you live in an urban or well-populated area, you likely get your internet from one of the major internet service providers (ISPs) such as Verizon or T-Mobile. Those in rural areas, however, likely have to rely on smaller ISPs, with fewer options than urban areas because major companies can’t justify expanding their services to cover sparsely populated regions.

So, while urban residents will likely have at least a backup option if they aren’t happy with a provider’s services, that’s not a luxury that more rural folk can rely on. Spare a thought, then, for residents in rural Minnesota who have lost access to the internet after RadioLink Internet (RLI) abruptly ceased service without any warning on June 1, 2026. Some customers initially thought the outage was temporary, but it turned out that the company had also shut down its website and phone lines. RLI states that it sent out an email to affected customers, but some residents say they never received any notification of the abrupt closure.

RLI serviced about 5,000 square miles in southern Minnesota. In an email, the company’s owner, Daniel Petsinger, told local news station KTTC that the sudden closure was due to a dwindling customer base and changes in the political climate. The company has filed for bankruptcy, leaving customers in the lurch.

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.

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)

Citizens group aims to eliminate the Agriculture Department’s Rural Utilities Service

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Broadband Breakfast reports on an effort to eliminate a longstanding source of broadband funding…

A government watchdog group is calling on Congress to eliminate the Agriculture Department’s Rural Utilities Service, arguing that its broadband programs are redundant given billions already allocated through other federal initiatives.
Citizens Against Government Waste said existing USDA broadband efforts duplicate funding provided through the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, the federal government’s primary initiative to expand high-speed internet access.
The group pointed to a 2023 Government Accountability Office report that identified more than 133 broadband-related programs across 15 federal agencies, raising concerns about overlap. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr has said total federal broadband funding could reach as much as $800 billion.

Fiber cables help understand modern farming in a surprising way

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For folks who like a deep dive, Grist outlines an unexpected benefit of fiber to the farm…

Fiber optic cables, of all things, have now exposed just how badly tilling messes with a farm’s ability to retain moisture. Using a technology known as distributed acoustic sensing, or DAS, scientists analyzed how seismic waves disturbed the cable as they rippled through harrowed fields compared to adjacent undisturbed plots. This created subtly distinct signals, showing that plowing obliterates the “capillaries” that carry water like tiny interconnected reservoirs.

The findings point to a serious problem with modern agriculture, to be sure, but also to solutions. “Regenerative farming practices based on principles of no-till — combined with cover crops and a diversity of crops — can basically lead to less agrochemical reliance, better soil organic matter contents, comparable yields, [and] lower diesel use,” said David Montgomery, a geomorphologist at the University of Washington and coauthor of a new paper describing the research.

Daily Yonder catches the podcast wave – talking about Data Centers

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Something new to listen to on a long drive – Yonder Radio. Here’s a description from their newsletter…

This week’s hour opens with a look at what happens when major corporations like Meta and Amazon bring data centers to rural communities. Also in this episode: hear how rural films performed at this year’s Academy Awards, take a road trip through some of the wonders of roadside America, and step back in time to explore ancient folk pottery traditions still alive in North Carolina.
Plus, enjoy a mix of rock and blues, along with an interview featuring an artist from Blue Mountain Tribe, three-time winners of the Native American Music Awards.

The data center discussion happens in the first 10 minutes. The rest of the podcast is fun too – from scenic byways to the Oscars through a rural lens.

Success of Mobile Health in State Rural Health Transformation Plans, including MN

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Georgetown University reports on Mobile Health in State Rural Health Transformation Plans…

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 high satisfaction 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.

Minnesota’s RHTP application and press release.

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.

Cold weather points out inadequacies of rural broadband

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MinneapoliMedia reports…

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.

Zimmerman celebrates “bandwidth revolution is a form of civic power”

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Futurism reports on Zimmerman…

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.

Policymakers introduce bipartisan rural broadband access bill

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Ag Daily reports…

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pushing to extend federal support for broadband infrastructure aimed at improving internet access in rural America.

U.S. Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., introduced the Middle Mile for Rural America Act, legislation that would reauthorize a U.S. Department of Agriculture program supporting middle-mile broadband projects for another five years.

The bill proposes a reauthorization covering fiscal years 2026 through 2031, extending authority under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to fund middle-mile broadband infrastructure that connects rural communities to high-speed internet networks.

RUS has been working on middle mile since 2018…

The USDA’s Rural Utilities Service gained authority to support stand-alone middle-mile broadband projects under the 2018 Farm Bill. Prior to that change, middle-mile infrastructure could only be funded indirectly through last-mile broadband projects.

A slight change would extend support…

If enacted, the Middle Mile for Rural America Act would amend Section 602(g) of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 by replacing “2018 through 2023” with “2026 through 2031,” extending USDA’s authority to support middle-mile broadband infrastructure in rural communities.

North Star and Pequaywan Townships are excited for BEAD funding for broadband (St Louis County)

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The folks in St Louis County are clearly excited about the promise of broadband. They are getting a lot of local press. WDIO reports…

An early Christmas present for North Star and Pequaywan Townships. Leaders found out they are getting federal funding to pay for broadband for about 550 locations.

Minnesota’s broadband funding proposal has been approved, and that means Mediacom will get money to bring a fiber optic network to the rural townships.

This has been in the works since 2009. Janet Keough was a township supervisor then. “I teared up when I heard the news,” she shared. “I was jumping up and down. I can’t believe it’s actually happening.”

Rod Saline is a current supervisor, and told us everyone is very excited. “We got a lot of help from other townships that have gotten broadband.”

Mediacom will be putting in about 38 miles of cable. Saline told us they have already been doing some site prep work. So the hope is that they’ll break ground this spring.

Rural St Louis County is getting better broadband through BEAD and Mediacom

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News from North Star Township and Pequaywan Township in St Louis County..

Minnesota broadband grants, funded by the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program in the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), will include funding to Mediacom to bring a fiber optic network to rural North Star and Pequaywan Townships and adjacent areas. On December 22, 2025, Senator Klobuchar announced that the Minnesota grant program had been approved by NTIA. “I’m thrilled to announce that Minnesota’s broadband funding
proposal has been approved, which will bring fast, affordable, reliable internet to families in every
corner of our state, especially in North Star, Pequaywan, and other rural townships,” said Senator
Klobuchar. “This funding is available thanks to my bipartisan legislation that I fought to pass so that
Minnesota families—regardless of their ZIP code—have access to high-speed internet.”
“For more than a decade, the residents and leaders of North Star and Pequaywan Townships have done everything right—planning, organizing, and advocating for better connectivity—and this investment finally delivers on that work,” said Bree Maki, Executive Director of The Office of
Broadband Development “BEAD funding is designed to reach exactly these kinds of rural communities
that the market alone has not served, and this project will help to ensure families, businesses, and first responders in St. Louis County have access to reliable, affordable, high-speed internet that meets today’s needs and tomorrow’s opportunities.”
North Star and Pequaywan Townships along with a handful of other rural townships in St Louis County,
have been working to bring reliable, affordable and fast internet access to their communities since 2009. Townships have lobbied providers, conducted feasibility studies, satisfaction surveys, and outreach. More populous townships have attracted broadband providers, but the more rural and less populous townships including North Star and Pequaywan have had no success until now.
In St. Louis County, Mediacom, in recent years, began building a fiber optic network in Lakewood Township and later, into Normanna Township, bringing their network to the North Star Township border. This gave township officials new incentive to convince Mediacom to extend north. Mediacom successfully applied for BEAD funding for North Star and Pequaywan Townships and adjacent areas.
“We are thrilled to have recently been awarded grants through the state’s BEAD program,” said Christopher Lord, Mediacom’s Senior Director of Government Partnership Opportunities. “We have long enjoyed a highly collaborative relationship with the amazing team at Minnesota DEED, and NorthStar Township, Pequaywan Township, Ault Township, and Unorganized Township 54-13, have been great local partners throughout this process. We look forward to delivering fiber-to-the-home broadband services to these communities and seeing the great impact these services will have on the residents and businesses in these townships.”

Funding from the BEAD program will also greatly expand broadband availability across in St Louis County. Commissioner Paul McDonald noted “This is fantastic news for these townships who have been working diligently for over 15 years to get quality broadband”.
Officials from North Star and Pequaywan Townships have been working to prepare their property owners to get the Mediacom fiber optic service through hosting town hall meetings and newsletters.
Rod Saline, North Star Supervisor, noted “Our citizens, small businesses, and especially our Fire/EMS Department, are looking forward to having access to reliable, affordable, and really fast broadband!”
Doug Nelson, Pequaywan Supervisor, added “This announcement from Sen Klobuchar is welcome news for all the residents in our area as this broadband service is greatly needed.”
Information on the Minnesota BEAD broadband program can be found at:
https://mn.gov/deed/programs-services/broadband/bead/

Rural broadband is getting better but there are still gaps say’s NTCA’s Shirley Bloomfield

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Brownfield Ag News reports…

Shirley Bloomfield is the CEO of NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association…

“I’ve got 850 community-based local companies and cooperatives across the country that are providing broadband to their communities,” she said. “They are now up to about 90% fiber to the home for their customer base. That covers 35% of the land mass of the United States.”

She tells Brownfield there’s been some good progress in recent years.

However, “The job is not done,” Bloomfield added. “There are still a percentage of Americans that are tough to serve. They live in remote areas.”

Bloomfield says many farmers and ranchers remain in need of broadband improvements.

“When you’ve got a farm that is three miles down the road, you’ve got to have a government program – like we’ve seen with the infrastructure act – that actually gives companies a business model and a business reason to go connect those most remote Americans.”