Category Archives: uncategorized

What is Fiber Sensing? A good path to becoming a Smart Community

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For years I’ve talked about the value of fiber in getting fast broadband to a house or community. Today I learned about a nice byproduct – the value of the fiber as a sensor. Imagine you have fiber deployed alongside a highway. The fiber can be used a sensor along that road to track traffic or sense a construction nearby that might mean a backhoe is getting dangerously close to the fiber, or it might sense a car that has unexpected stopped late at night on a remote road.

There’s video from the Fiber Optic Sensing Association that does a good job describing the idea, the benefits and the how it’s done.

MN Tribal Broadband Profiles 2024: 100 percent coverage based on National Broadband Map

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In December 2024, I completed the MN Broadband County Profiles. These are  the MN Broadband Tribal Profiles. Spoiler alert, the tribal counties and communities all show 100 percent coverage for broadband at speeds of 100 Mbps down and 25 up. Congratulations to them!

I wasn’t able to use the same tools I used for the County Profiles because the MN interactive map doesn’t track broadband by tribal area. However, I can pull maps from the interactive map that show (but don’t give data) coverage in tribal areas. (I have screenshots showing unserved areas.) I used the FCC National Broadband Map to get the data. There appear to be some discrepancies in the 100 percent in data and seeing unserved dot in the maps.

Below is a chart tracking speeds for 2024, 2021 and 2019 for speeds of 25 Mbps down and 3 up (25/3) and 100/20. (The map shown is from 2023, but I thought it was best for the high level view of where the tribals areas are and a glimpse at broadband coverage.)

Tribal Area  (25/3)
2024
(25/3)
2021
(25/3) 2019
(100/20) 2024
(100/20) 2021
(100/20) 2019
Bois Forte 100 65.36 20.12 100 0 0
Fond du Lac 100 83.81 30.96 100 66.4 19.5
Grand Portage 100 94.24 94.24 100 94.24 94.24
Leech Lake 100 95.15 91.68 100 78.99 65.01
Lower Sioux 100 100 100 100 90.24 77.12
Mille Lacs 100 76.41 60.51 100 72.54 60.46
Prairie Island 100 100 100 100 50.24 50.59
Red Lake 100 99.82 99.81 100 99.82 99.81
Shakopee Mdewakanton 100 100 50 100 100 50
Upper Sioux 100 100 100 100 47.58 0
White Earth 100 89.96 84.67 100 89.96 84.67

The role of libraries in community digital equity initiatives and coalitions

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It’s been a long time since I worked a Reference Desk, but I cannot resist an opportunity to mention the role the local library can (and often does) play in digital equity. Today I’m sharing an abstract from Colin Rhinesmith’s paper, Public Libraries, Digital Equity Coalitions, and the Public Good…

Public libraries play a critical role in addressing the digital divide and advancing digital equity in their communities. However, little is known about their participation in digital equity coalitions and what this information might tell us about public libraries as partners in community-wide efforts to advance the public good. This paper seeks to address this gap in the literature by presenting findings from a pilot study of public libraries working with digital equity coalitions in the U.S. The findings from the survey revealed that public libraries support the public good through: (1) convening and leading digital equity coalitions; (2) participating in coalition action planning and advocacy to advance digital equity; and (3) actively centering equity, as opposed to equality, and social justice in their efforts to create and sustain healthy digital equity ecosystems. These findings suggest that if public libraries are to effectively lead and actively participate in digital equity coalitions they must not take a neutral stance to librarianship. The findings have implications for public libraries, coalitions, and policymakers interested in understanding how public libraries can support digital equity coalitions. This issue is relevant and timely, as the National Telecommunications and Information Administration has allocated $2.75 billion to advance digital equity over the next five years. The agency has also recognized that community coalitions will play an important role in the success of this federal initiative.

Libraries are good partners!

EVENT: MN OBD BEAD Program, 2025 Update in Minnesota notes and video

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Today the Office of Broadband Development (OBD) presented on BEAD…

OBD will be providing up to date information on the BEAD program, including the upcoming pre-qualification process, and an overview of the anticipated BEAD timeline in Minnesota. There will also be time for Q+A from attendees, and a preview of resources available for 2025.
The OBD BEAD webpage is being updated with additional resources, so please be sure to check that ahead of the webinar.

Notes:

It’s important for everyone to get pre-qualified.

The first round is your time to create your own project areas; after that OBD will need to define them. Also, first round is best for fiber.

OBD will be hosting Tuesdays at 11am and run from January 14 to April 1. Registration is open for the sessions below, these will also be posted to the webpage, and sent out in an email blast:

Questions:

How do you define project areas?
Census block groups.

Are joint powers considered eligible organizations for Digital Opportunity grants?
There’s a combination of elements. We’ll take it into consideration.

When will final BEAD eligibility map come out?
Maybe Jan 20 but we don’t know. We’re hoping mid-February.

ITIF looks at policies and government owned broadband networks

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The ITIF (Information Technology & Innovation Foundation) releases a report (Government-Owned Broadband Networks Are Not Competing on a Level Playing Field) looking at 20 Government Owned Networks. Here are their key takeaways:

  • ITIF evaluated the finances, regulatory status, and economic sustainability of 20 government-owned broadband networks (GONs). The analysis found they are not competing on a level playing field with private Internet service providers (ISPs).
  • Governments are generally less efficient at building and operating broadband networks because they lack the experience, skill, and economies of scale of private broadband providers.
  • GONs often operate on an unlevel playing field, allowing them to compete unfairly with private ISPs.
  • These advantages include capital grants not available to private ISPs, tax exemptions, and more favorable treatment by state and local regulatory authorities.
  • When favoritism results in choosing duplicative or inefficient networks, the result is wasted U.S. societal resources.

States should be careful about using Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD)  funding to make GONs sustainable. U.S. broadband policy should advance broad national interests, not prop up subsidized GONs.

One of the networks they looked at was in Minnesota (Barnesville Municipal Utilities). Here’s what they note about them:

  • Name: Barnesville Municipal Utilities
  • Years (of finance examined?): 2023
  • Operating Margin: 79.81%
  • Operating Revenue: $534,477
  • Operating Expenses: $107,933
  • Operating Income: $426,544

And here’s what they say about rights-of-way regulations in MN…

Minnesota state law M.S. § 237.163 exempts municipal broadband from ROW regulations.8 This exemption means Barnesville Municipal Utilities is not beholden to the same extensive deployment regulations private ISPs would face to deploy their network hardware in ROW. This special treatment for GONs extends to rules regarding restoration areas around dig sites and permits for small wireless facilities. Barnesville Municipal Utilities represents one of the best-performing GONs from the group, as it was profitable without receiving alternative funds and has deployed across the entire city.9 However, it is important to consider that its “success” may be due to facing fewer regulatory hurdles when deploying its network infrastructure. A private ISP would have had to expend extensive resources just to get permission to deploy in the first place. To establish a level playing field, deployment rules not required for GONs should not be required for private ISPs.

“I think we’re going to see more talk about commercial versus government-owned networks. Early on in the BEAD process (and some since) was talk about the (potential) impact of BEAD on municipal and commercial providers. Last MN Legislative session, there were bills that some through might challenge larger companies. It’s a conundrum, especially with $42.5 billion of BEAD funding slowly coming into communities.”

Roger Imdieke and Steve Gardner are re-elected to the Kandiyohi County Board – broadband is on the list for 2025

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The West Central Tribune reports…

 The Kandiyohi County Board will enter 2025 with the same commissioners with which it will end 2024. District 4 Commissioner Roger Imdieke was elected to a fourth term on Tuesday, beating challenger Paul Ryan by approximately 15%.

Imdieke specifically mentions plans for broadband expansion…

Moving forward, Imdieke hopes to continue focusing on infrastructure and continuing the county’s positive impacts on transportation and broadband.

“We’ve accomplished in the last few years hundreds of millions of dollars worth of projects when you think a little bit more regionally, like Highway 23. There is definitely still more we can do,” Imdieke said, especially with broadband. “We’ve just about spent all of the American Rescue Plan Act funds that were made available for broadband. Going forward we’re going to have to try to figure out how do we fund those last miles.”

More info on Arvig’s MN Broadband grant in Stearns County

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Morningstar reports…

Arvig has been awarded a grant from the state of Minnesota’s Border to Border Broadband Program to expand fiber internet access to more than 100 rural homes and businesses in central Minnesota.

Arvig will invest its grant award of $708,790 into a 26 route-mile fiber network expansion project to bring gigabit internet speeds to 113 structures in Wakefield and Luxemburg townships, south of Cold Spring, Minn.

When complete, 46 unserved and 67 underserved locations will have access to fiber internet for the first time. The network will offer up to 10 Gigabit-per-second download speeds (1 Gbps upload) and up to 10 Gbps for businesses.

“It’s becoming increasingly important for homes and businesses in rural Minnesota to have access to fiber with gig-level speeds,” said David Arvig, Vice President and COO at Arvig. “This grant funding helps Arvig close the connectivity gap and put underserved areas on a level playing field.”

The total cost of the project is $1,575,089 and includes local matching funds of $866,299. Of the matching funds, Stearns County and the Townships will contribute $661,537, with Arvig covering the remaining $204,762. …

The project is on target for completion before Dec. 31, 2026.

MN Broadband Task Force Aug 2024 Mtg: Hearing from broadband providers

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It was nice to hear from broadband providers from the Northeast Minnesota. The spoke frankly about the trials, tribulations and success for building broadband in the area. The importance of the Affordable Connectivity Program also came up – and the loss of trust that came up with loss of broadband.

Also nice to get public comments from folks from the frontlines!

10:10 a.m. – 10:20 a.m. Introduction – Paul McDonald, Board Chair, St. Louis County Commissioners

  • In 2021 created SLC broadband grants
  • $400,000 for community infrastructure
  • Worked with RAMS and IRRR to talk to folks
  • 7,000 square miles, 13.1 pop density (people per square mile), very rocky (Canadian Shield), lakes and rural
  • One community in the area: 550 customers, $11M for project, many partners – still $3M shy
  • They leverage $10 for every $1 in grants
  • BEAD fears: not enough money / fall back on non-fiber solutions / ISP required to cover affordable options

10:20 a.m. – 10:25 a.m. Approval of minutes from July 18th, 2024, Task Force Meeting
Done

10:25 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. Internet Service Providers Panel – Consolidated Telecommunications Company: Joe Buttweiler, Chief Strategy Officer, Northeast Service Coop: Paul Brinkman, Executive Director; Joe Weber, Operations Manager, Paul Bunyan Communications: Gary Johnson, CEO/GM; Chad Bullock Assistant GM; Patti Horazuk, Regulatory Compliance Specialist; Steve Howard, IT & Development Manager

CTC:

  • New things: We have workforce challenges – we need more people but have been named top 200 small businesses
  • New things: launching new MC Fiber construction company (CTC and Meeker Coop Light & Power)
  • New things: CTC Cares is a nonprofit to exclusively fund local community initiatives – new grants in 2025
  • Lots of partnerships with local govs, EDAs, cooperatives…
  • In last 10 years: $123M in federal, state  local gov and CTC investment to get 16, 534 homes and businesses online
  • Implementing a state grant: it starts with community engagement. We develop a high level budget – how many served/unserved, is there an anchor institution, potential funders (IRRR, state funding…?), pre-application process (tell area providers you are going to apply – required by OBD) – it can cost $1000-25,000 to get this far. The state process is easier than many others.
    Assembling the grant application: get letters of support (personalized letters are better!),  curing a grant application if it is challenged (OBD does a nice job but it takes job and labor – could be $5,000-33,000)
    Grant awarded: community engagement, grant review and bid waiver (bidding isn’t always best option – sometimes easier to negotiate (cost $1,000-6,000)
    Deploying: Pre-construction, construction and activation, admin functions. They pre-wire at home while building.

NESC

  • Providing middle mile for last 10 years.
  • We look for partners to provide last mile – except public utilities.
  • We are a providers’ provider.
  • Work with public and private sectors.
  • Working on 40/200 gigahertz Optical Channels

Paul Bunyan Communications

  • Constructed nothing but fiber since 2004
  • Do people really need multi-Gig? We don’t want to make decisions for people.
  • Long standing partnerships
  • Strive to make things affordable. Without ACP intervention, we found people didn’t get online. SO we jumped on that and brought subscription desks and training to them. Especially helped with tribal partners. Heart broken on the demise of the ACP. We know it worked and we have stories.
  • 6,000 square miles – have spent $245M on infrastructure from 2005 to 2023. $228M is PB investment the rest is IRRR, RDOF, Border to Border or other. Profit is not our motivation – service is.
  • GigaZone Gaming – 8 years going, so far

Questions:

  • About Bois Fort – how much of $20M has been eaten up in process?
    Thousands of dollars – it’s more the time that it takes.
  • About Bois Fort – have you looked at cost projections from going through rock or around it?
    We have $1M in rock contingency. We’re hoping CTC construction will help us keep to budget.
    Sen Smith has been involved in broadband. The letters of support are striking. We hear good things about CTC and Paul Bunyan.
  • About Bois Fort – when complete, will it serve everyone?
    Yes – although there are members who live off the reservation so that’s a factor we are working on.
  • For PB: what’s the impact of demise of ACP?
    We did work hard on it. It was hard to send the letter about the demise and it hurts the trust between. The lack of trust is bigger than lost of broadband. A terrible collateral damage.
    Cost of ACP was $5-7M per month. We might make recommendations for a State program.
  • Terrain is an issue in NE MN for buildouts. What do you do to mitigate it?
    It’s not impossible. It’s expensive. You just have to know the costs. If you think 30 years out instead of 5 years, the math is easier.

11:15am-11:25 a.m. Break

 

11:25 a.m. –11:40 a.m. Broadband Equity, Access and Development Program (BEAD) Update

Bree Maki, Executive Director, Office of Broadband Development – Diane Wells, Deputy Director, Office of Broadband Development

  • Vol 1 approved in May
  • Challenge process is closing. There were 12,300 challenges made. Deadline is Wednesday. Providers have 30 days to rebut.
  • Vol 2 is still being cured. NTIA is hoping to approve all Vol 2s by Fall. Then we’ll have 365 days to award subgrantees. So, we’re hoping for 3 rounds of funding in 8 months.
  • Original vols are available online and OBD tries to keep recent versions online. There was interest from providers to sit down and go through the volume in detail. We are working on setting up something like that.
  • At end of subgrantee selection, we need to have a plan to serve everyone in Minnesota. If you decide not to apply in your area, we will have to select someone else.
  • OBD has weekly office hours (Thursday 2-3pm).

Q: How do you feel about 12,000 challenges?
It’s lowering that we were anticipating. Most are from providers. Last round MN grants is part of the process. ARPA was never captured by OBD so we’re seeing some of that now. Also seeing fixed wireless going from licensed to unlicensed.

11:40 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. Digital Opportunity Update

Bree Maki, Executive Director, Office of Broadband Development – Hannah Buckland, Digital Equity Program Lead

 

11:50 a.m. – 12:05 p.m. Office of Broadband Development Overview – Bree Maki, Executive Director, Office of Broadband Development

  • DEED and OBD is in a State audit review. Going well.
  • Working on statewide plans for permitting
  • We have concern about $652M reaching everyone – we are having to recognize that fiber won’t go everywhere.
  • Working with Dep of Labor on certification programs required after last MN Legislative session
  • We are working on awarding Round 10 funding. We’re aiming on early fall. We’re trying to coordinate with ReConnect and BEAD.
  • Line Extension continues. Round 1 needs to be done this year. Round 3 is in process

12:05 p.m. – 12:20 p.m. Sub-Group Discussion in preparation for Broadband Task Force Annual Report – Affordability & Digital Equity; Mapping, Funding, & Policy; Economic Opportunity & Workforce

Affordability & Digital Equity

  • They are looking at plans for MN version of ACP. Looking at what data might be useful.
  • Looking what feds are doing with Lifeline
  • Adding digital navigation to 211 – but thinking it goes into United Way

Mapping, Funding and Policy

  • Community planning efforts
  • Recruit workforce
  • Increase statutory speed goals
  • Continuation of digital equity
  • Continuation of Line Extension

Q: How can Lead for America help? Is it though orgs or communities?
TBD

Economic Opportunity & Workforce

  • Data review of past broadband projects, especially success
  • Current workforce doing broadband deployment? What’s the forecast when all states want those types of employees?
  • What is State currently doing to prepare people for jobs in broadband deployment?
  • CWA and CTC have joint apprenticeship programs. Might be nice to hear more about it.

12:20 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. Other Business, September 24th Meeting Plans, Wrap-up

  • We will talk more about how subcommittees prepare for the yearend report in future meetings.

Any open comments?

  • Rep from small town outside of Duluth (Northstar Township)– we need help. We have 238 places that need broadband. We have 275 voters. We are 7.33 miles away from broadband. We can’t afford broadband.
    They were part of a Border to Border grant that was disqualified due to RDOF.
    Need to makes sure those addresses are challenged if need be.
  • Paul Peltier from RAMS. What can local folks do to help policymakers? We have 13,000 square miles – they don’t all have broadband. We’ve worked with local providers. We have households that would still need to go to McDonalds for internet access. Do you folks recognize that building broadband is only getting more expensive. Rural broadband is going to change rural America.
    Pay attention to the challenge process.
    As draft reports are coming out – we could have in depth conversations about where the gaps are and try to build coalitions. Good questions.
    We need to make the right recommendations. Concrete examples are helpful.
  • Tom Karst at NTIA: Getting involved in the Challenge process is key.

2023 Federal Broadband funding Report: how does your MN county rank for subscriptions?

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NTIA just released their 2023 Federal Broadband Funding Report. It shows fiscal year (FY) 2022 data reported by 13 agencies across 70 programs making investments in broadband.3 As you can see from the county bullet list below, the map tracks a number of factors.

I like that they look at broadband access and subscription. I wish the data were up to date; I wish their definition of broadband was 100 Mbps down and 20 up (100/20) or faster. They track access to 25/3. With those factors in mind, I pulled out the Minnesota information by county to look at a few things:

How does your MN county rank for subscriptions?

county Households with a broadband subscription Subscription Rank
Washington 93.4 1
Scott 93.2 2
Carver 92.6 3
Dakota 92.4 4
Anoka 92 5
Sherburne 91.5 6
Hennepin 90.6 7
Chisago 90.4 8
Cook 90.2 9
Wright 90 10
Ramsey 89.8 11
Winona 89.7 12
Rice 89.5 13
Olmsted 89.4 14
Isanti 87.9 15
Dodge 87.8 16
Blue Earth 87.7 17
Goodhue 87.7 18
Le Sueur 87.6 19
Pennington 87.4 20
Benton 87.3 21
Lyon 87.3 22
Stevens 87 23
Stearns 86.8 24
Nicollet 86.4 25
Clay 86.2 26
Steele 86.1 27
Rock 85.5 28
Polk 85.4 29
Becker 85.3 30
Crow Wing 85.3 31
McLeod 85.2 32
Beltrami 84.9 33
Kandiyohi 84.8 34
St. Louis 84.7 35
Houston 84.6 36
Hubbard 84.6 37
Lake 84.6 38
Martin 84.5 39
Meeker 84.4 40
Jackson 84.3 41
Mower 84.2 42
Brown 84.1 43
Big Stone 83.7 44
Douglas 83.6 45
Wabasha 83.6 46
Cass 83.5 47
Mille Lacs 83.3 48
Marshall 83.2 49
Grant 82.9 50
Itasca 82.9 51
Waseca 82.9 52
Yellow Medicine 82.7 53
Koochiching 82.4 54
Freeborn 82.2 55
Otter Tail 82.2 56
Kanabec 82.1 57
Pope 82.1 58
Pipestone 82 59
Chippewa 81.9 60
Clearwater 81.7 61
Lac qui Parle 81.7 62
Nobles 81.7 63
Fillmore 81.6 64
Kittson 81.5 65
Morrison 81.4 66
Wadena 81.2 67
Cottonwood 81 68
Pine 81 69
Carlton 80.9 70
Faribault 80.9 71
Lincoln 80.9 72
Sibley 80.7 73
Redwood 78.9 74
Murray 78.8 75
Aitkin 78.5 76
Red Lake 78 77
Swift 77.9 78
Mahnomen 77.7 79
Norman 77.3 80
Watonwan 77.2 81
Renville 77 82
Traverse 76.9 83
Wilkin 76.6 84
Roseau 75.7 85
Todd 73.4 86
Lake of the Woods 67.4 87

Below is more info on the state and individual counties. I will include this info on each post related to this topic. (Just because I hope it make the info more accessible and usable.) (Access table of rankings.) Continue reading →

MN OBD Office Hour notes and video: Tour of BEAD map and portal – July 18, 2024

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Today the Office of Broadband Development gave an online demonstration of the BEAD portal and map. They are planning a part two next week on Thursday at 2pm. It’s a great space to learn and ask questions or to learn from the questions of others. I have the video and screenshots from the presentation, my notes on the questions and transcript from the chat:

Questions: Continue reading →

MN Office of Broadband Dev Update: BEAD Challenge Info sessions start next week

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An update from the Office of Broadband Development…

Broadband Matters: Office of Broadband Development Updates

  • Save the dates! BEAD Challenge informational sessions happening across the state
  • Preparing for BEAD: Getting CostQuest licenses for Fabric IDs
  • OBD, Out of office!
  • Digital Opportunity: E-rate Cybersecurity Pilot Program
  • DEED is hiring, apply today

Save the dates! BEAD Challenge informational sessions happening across the state

OBD will hosting informational sessions before the BEAD Challenge window opens to share resources with eligible entities interested in participating in the BEAD Challenge process, as well as those who would like to learn more about the process and eligibility for BEAD funding. In-person events happening around the state include:

  • Tuesday June 25th, 1:30-3:30pm, Detroit Lakes, at the CareerForce Center, 803 Roosevelt Ave, Detroit Lakes MN, 56501
  • Wednesday June 26th, 10am-12pm, Chisholm, at the State of MN Office Building on the Minnesota Discovery Center campus, 1003 Discovery Drive, Chisholm, MN 55719
  • Wednesday July 10th, 3:30-5:30pm Rochester, at the Wood Lake Meeting Center, 210 Wood Lake Drive SE, Rochester MN, 55904
  • Thursday July 11th, 1:30-3:30pm New Ulm, in room 203 at the New Ulm Civic Center, 1212 N Franklin St, New Ulm, MN 56073
  • Friday July 12th, 10am-12pm, Lower Sioux Indian Community, Tribal members only

OBD will also be releasing dates for online webinars that will go over these resources, as well as offer recurring office hours. Information as that becomes available will be posted to the Office of Broadband Development website.

We are committed to providing equal access to these sessions for all participants. If you need alternative formats or other reasonable accommodations, please contact anna.norcutt.preuss@state.mn.us for June events by 3pm Friday June 21st and July events by 3pm Wednesday July 3rd.

Preparing for BEAD: Getting CostQuest licenses for Fabric IDs

The NTIA Tier D & E licenses support a broader range of purposes, including administration of the BEAD program, participation in the BEAD eligible entity Challenge processes, and reporting requirements associated with the Broadband Funding Map and the BEAD program. There is a no-cost license option available to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to access the Fabric IDs.

The Tier D and E licenses are intended for: qualified or presumptively qualified prospective direct recipients or indirect subrecipients; awarded direct recipients or indirect subrecipients; and challengers to participate in Federal Broadband Granting Agency’s (FBGA) broadband grant programs through either a challenge process, by applying for an award of available funds, or by reporting on an awarded grant/loan (including reporting related to the Broadband Funding Map authorized by IIJA § 60105).

The Tier D license is available upon request. CostQuest will coordinate the approval of Tier E licenses with individual State Broadband Offices and NTIA. This coordination is to ensure that the delivery of the Licensed Materials coincides with the state challenge process.

For more information visit NTIA’s webpage on CostQuest Licensing.

You can make a license request using these websites:

If you have any questions, CostQuest can be reached directly by emailing IFAsupport@costquest.com.

OBD, Out of office!

In the past month, staff from OBD have had the opportunity to visit sites with state grant program funding and attend groundbreaking ceremonies. This has included:

A groundbreaking ceremony on a last-mile project in Stillwater, MN. A Comcast-Xfinity – Comcast Washington County project broke ground that received a $2,908,829 grant from the state. This last-mile project will bring gigabit broadband service to 1,075 households, businesses and farms in Grant, Hugo, and Stillwater Township that currently receive inadequate speeds at an average of 10Mbps/1Mbps.

A site visit to an Otter Tail County project to learn about current Line Extension projects. Staff began the visit at the Arvig headquarters in, Perham, MN and learned about progress, challenges, and successes on projects before traveling up to Detroit Lakes and Frazee where Line Extension projects are being built.

A field validation visit to the Benton Communications Borgholm Township Border-to-Border Round 7 project. OBD met with ISP staff to review project status and conducted speed testing, all while learning about structural designs and the project’s positive impact on residents and businesses. The visit highlighted the community benefits of increased broadband access and strategies for future service improvements to continue to reliable, fast, broadband to Minnesotans.

A visit to check on the progress of the Hanson Communications-Pope County East broadband grant project. The Border-to-Border broadband grant is covering 40% of the $10 million project, with Pope County covering approximately $1 million and Hanson covering the remaining costs. The project will cover 3 towns and 10 townships once completed, and when finished will connect hundreds of residents, businesses, and farms in Pope County.

A groundbreaking ceremony in Jackson, MN for a Capital Funds Project (CPF). This low-density project is the State’s CPF funded project with a $7,068,222 grant. This Federated REA project will serve 480 households, businesses, and farms in Jackson County, exceeding the 2026 state speed goal.

A visit to Hanson’s Lamberton-Revere project with Border-to-Border grant funding. This grant covers $920,000 of the $2.3 million project, which will provide broadband service when completed to 529 locations covering two towns and two townships. The project is using all-Minnesota constructions crews to install the fiber.

Digital Opportunity: E-rate Cybersecurity Pilot Program

On June 6, the FCC voted to launch a new Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program to address the increasing frequency with which K12 schools, public libraries, and tribal libraries are targets for cybersecurity attacks. The program provides up to $200M over three years for eligible schools/libraries to defray the cost of cybersecurity equipment and services. This fall, applications will open for schools and libraries interested in participating in the first year of the pilot.

More information is available through USAC.

DEED is hiring, apply today

The posting for the Senior Associate General Counsel – Staff Attorney 3 position is open and accepting applications until Tuesday, June 25th. For external candidates, visit 77692 | Senior Associate General Counsel – Staff Attorney 3, or Apply Here.

MN Broadband Task Force June 2024: update on Grants, Staff and BEAD

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The MN Broadband Task Force today learned about how the annual task force report has been written in the past. They got updates on BEAD, State grants and staff updates from the Office of Broadband Development. And heard from ConnectMN and their work understanding Digital Navigators.

Below are screenshots and notes from the meeting Continue reading →

Sign up for Ice House Seasonal WiFi

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I’m working on something entirely different when I ran across this offer from Lakeside Networks…

Ice House Seasonal WiFi

We are now offering seasonal packages for high-speed Wi-Fi directly to your ice house! Join the list below to register your interest for the program. This service will be sold as a package seasonally from December-March.
It was just too much fun not to share. If you are or have a provider who also provides internet access to an ice house or snow fort, please let me know and I’ll add you to the list.

Sen Klobuchar visits Southwestern MN to discuss issues such as broadband

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Senator Klobuchar’s website reports…

 U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) is in Southwestern Minnesota Sunday, June 9th, through Monday, June 10th, to meet with local leaders and businesses in Pipestone, Murray, Rock, Nobles, and Cottonwood counties. At each stop, Klobuchar discussed infrastructure and economic development priorities. These visits are part of Klobuchar’s annual 87 county tour.
“It is great to be in Southwestern Minnesota to meet with leaders and residents to discuss the importance of supporting local economies and businesses in these communities,” said Klobuchar. “Whether it is increasing access to affordable child care, taking steps to strengthen our workforce, or expanding access to broadband, I am working to ensure rural communities across our state are thriving and able to unlock more opportunities for families and businesses.”

Office of Broadband Development Updates: update, new staff, conference

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From the Office of Broadband Development…

Updates From the Office of Broadband Development

The following updates are available from the Office of Broadband Development:

  • Register now! Connecting One Minnesota Summit, Tuesday March 12th 2024
  • Governor’s Task Force on Broadband, February meeting recap
  • Digital Equity Act Update
  • Welcome to our new staff in the Office of Broadband Development!

Register now! Connecting One Minnesota Summit, Tuesday March 12th 2024

The Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development (DEED) Office of Broadband Development is hosting the Celebrating 10 Years of Connecting One Minnesota-Broadband Event on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. This hybrid event will bring together people in Minnesota from Internet Service Providers, the federal, state, tribal, local governments, and advocates from across the state. Connecting people to people, people to information, and people to resources in Minnesota is critical to our economic stability and digital opportunity.

Visit the Connecting One Minnesota-Broadband webpage for full information on the agenda, session and speaker biographies, and reserving a hotel room. Please note: Reservations made in the room block must be made by Tuesday February 27th, 2024, at 11:50 PM CST. 

Registration to attend in-person or virtually is available here.  

Governor’s Task Force on Broadband, February meeting recap The Task Force met at the Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC) in St. Paul, MN on Thursday February 15th to highlight AMC and the counties Legislative platforms, provide an overview of Minnesota’s Legislature and Timelines, go over BEAD and Digital Opportunity updates, and give updates on Task Force Subgroups. The agenda is available, as are minutes from previous Task Force meetings on the Broadband Task Force webpage.Digital Equity Act UpdateOn February 15, Maine became the first state to have its federal digital equity plan accepted by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). This milestone starts an important clock: NTIA has 30 days from the date of the first plan’s acceptance to issue the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) and application materials. The Digital Equity Capacity Grant program is funded at $1.44B and enables states to implement their plans. OBD is awaiting NTIA’s acceptance of Minnesota’s Digital Opportunity Plan and looks forward to sharing more information once the NOFO is released.Welcome to our new staff in the Office of Broadband Development!Ace Wesselmann, GIS Analyst Ace is a United States Air Force veteran who has over 10 years of experience working with geospatial data. He has experience working with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency as well as other federal agencies utilizing GIS. Ace has a bachelor’s degree in business management from Bemidji State University and a GIS and Geospatial Technology Certificate from UCLA. Most recently, he has also been studying for and obtaining certifications in Cyber Security. In Ace’s free time he enjoys traveling and the outdoor recreation opportunities that Minnesota offers.