Category Archives: Vendors

Paul Bunyan Communications expanding fiber to more than 600 more locations in 2026 in St Louis County

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From Paul Bunyan Communications…

Paul Bunyan Communications will be expanding its all-fiber optic network, the GigaZone®, to over 600 more locations in Itasca and St. Louis County this year across five townships.
This project includes areas south and west of the city of Cook including parts of the following townships: Alango, Carpenter, Field, Sturgeon, and an unorganized township east of Carpenter.
Once the new all-fiber optic network is operational, homes and businesses can get fast, dependable GigaZone™ Internet and WiFi built to keep every device connected. Voice services, including unlimited local and long-distance will also be available. Business customers will gain access to Managed IT Business Services like VOIP, Disaster Backup and Recovery, and Network Management. In addition, Paul Bunyan Communications is an authorized DIRECTV dealer and certified Apple Service Center. There is no membership fee to join the cooperative. membership begins when you subscribe to GigaZone™ Internet or local phone service.
Construction will take place over the summer with services expected to be available by winter. To get connected, residents and businesses need to sign up for service before construction leaves the area. Sign up online, over the phone, or in person at our Grand Rapids Customer Service & Technology Center. To check to see if a specific location is within an expansion area and sign up for services, visit https://paulbunyan.net/
“Expanding our all-fiber optic network into more rural areas around our current service territory reflects our long-standing commitment to the region,” said Chad Bullock, CEO and General Manager of Paul Bunyan Communications. “Access to reliable, high-quality internet is essential for economic growth, education, and quality of life. As a cooperative, we continue to invest in our region to bring more homes and businesses have the connectivity they need to succeed.”
“Our 2026 expansion marks another important step in extending the reach of our all-fiber optic network,” said Leo Anderson, Chief Technology Officer of Paul Bunyan Communications. “By delivering fast, reliable connectivity with the capacity to scale for future needs, we’re making sure residents and businesses have the tools they need to thrive, today and for years to come.”
This project is made possible through the State of Minnesota, Department of Employment & Economic Development, Low-Density Population Broadband Infrastructure Development Grant Program. This project is estimated to cost $7,810,355, with the State of Minnesota’s Low-Population Density Program grant contributing $3,924,157, Paul Bunyan Communications investing $2,203,928, Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation (IRRR) investing $1,000,000, St. Louis County investing $583,250, Alango Township $41,200, Field Township $17,800, and Sturgeon Township $40,000.

Bluepeak expands fiber to East Grand Forks

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From KROX radio...

Bluepeak, a leading provider of high-speed fiber internet across Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Texas, and Wyoming, is proud to announce its expansion into East Grand Forks, Minnesota. This investment brings next-generation Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) internet to homes and businesses, strengthening the city’s digital infrastructure and supporting its growth in an increasingly connected world.

Mereo Fiber acquires Data Stream Incorporated and Xcelerate Networks

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Some industry news from NewsWire…

Mereo Fiber, a leading national provider of bulk connectivity solutions for multifamily communities, today announced the completion of two strategic acquisitions that further expand its national platform and strengthen its position as one of the industry’s premier at-scale bulk connectivity and infrastructure providers.

The company acquired Data Stream Incorporated, a Minnesota-based provider of managed Wi-Fi and streaming content services, in early February 2026, and Xcelerate Networks, a managed connectivity provider serving multifamily and senior living communities across the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Texas, and the Southeast, in March 2026.

This milestone solidifies Mereo Fiber’s role as a pure-play bulk connectivity platform delivering reliable, high-performance internet infrastructure to multifamily, single-family-for-rent, HOA, and senior living communities nationwide.

Willmar Council to consider agreements for Willmar Connect initiative on March 16, 2026

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The West Central Tribune reports…

The Willmar City Council will consider two agreements for the Willmar Connect initiative during its meeting on Monday, March 16.

Other items on the agenda include approval of several capital improvement projects and two land agreements.

Willmar Connect is the city initiative to construct a more than $25 million city-wide, city-owned fiber optic network. Hometown Fiber has been contracted to manage the network and various internet service providers will pay fees to operate on the network. It is expected that the fees will pay the debt service and interest on the bonds issued by the city for construction of the network.

The council will consider an amendment to the Willmar Connect construction services contract with Bolton & Menk, expanding the existing agreement to address additional professional service needs as the project transitions into construction.

The council on Oct. 7, 2024, approved a professional services contract with Bolton & Menk for phase one of Willmar Connect and amended that contract April 21, 2025, to assist with right-of-way easements in specific areas. The total spent for those services was $503,000.

According to the March 16 agenda materials posted on the city website, the amended contract adds developing contract documents and revisions, construction services, GPS services as the project is constructed and recording the plans at a cost not to exceed approximately $520,000, for a total cost of a little more than $1 million.

The second agreement related to Willmar Connect is a professional services agreement with Hometown Fiber for construction oversight, technical consulting and Network Operations Center planning services for phase one of the project at a cost not to exceed $400,000.

According to the agenda materials, capital improvement projects to be considered by the council on Monday are replacement of the Blue Line Arena roof at the Willmar Civic Center at a cost of approximately $264,000, reconstruction of the Iverson Park lift station at a cost of approximately $549,000, approving plans and specifications for the reconstruction of Fourth Street Southwest and the purchase of a dump truck and snow removal equipment at a cost of approximately $298,000.

The council will also consider approving a professional services agreement with Donohue and Associates for the Jennie-O Turkey Store nutrient removal project in the amount of $99,755. The project includes the design of nutrient removal using biology to remove phosphorus in the industrial clarifier instead of chemicals. This is a more efficient process in the industrial treatment conducted by the Willmar Wastewater Treatment Plant and also provides long-term cost savings for the city.

Two providers are looking at expanding to Eagles Nest Township (St Louis County)

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The Timberjay reports on the Eagles Nest Township annual meeting…

[Supervisor Brian] Harrington also reported progress on broadband expansion, with two providers approved to bring new service to the township. IBT Group plans to install high-speed wireless service, described as approaching fiber speeds, that would cover the entire township rather than targeted areas. The service is not expected to be available until early 2027, pending regulatory approvals.
The second provider is Frontier, now operating as a Verizon company. Harrington was less optimistic about that option. He said customer service calls gave him no confidence that the company’s performance has improved, and that Frontier’s fiber deployment timeline ranges from 2027 to as late as 2030.

Fidium and Flexential partner up for data centers in MN and TX

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Light Reading reports…

Fidium will extend its reach within Flexential’s data centers in Dallas and Plano, Texas, and Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota. The agreement builds on Fidium’s expanding national data center footprint.

Fidium, a leading provider of high-capacity fiber network solutions, today announced an expanded relationship with Flexential, a premier provider of data center colocation and hybrid IT solutions. Through the Flexential Marketplace, part of the recently launched FlexAnywhere® platform, Fidium will extend its reach and visibility within Flexential’s data centers in Dallas and Plano, Texas and Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota, enabling enterprises, carriers, and hyperscalers to scale connectivity faster than ever before.

Willmar City Council offers contact to build community network to third option Kramer Group

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I posted this news earlier this week, but always interesting to get another local perspective, this time from Lakeland Media (KWLM 96.3fm in Willmar)…

The Willmar City Council Monday awarded a bid of 8.2 million dollars to Kramer Service Group of Wisconsin to do Phase One of the Willmar Connect broadband project. 10 companies initially bid on the project last December…the lowest bidder withdrew their bid after realizing they left out certain costs, and the second lowest bidder, NC3 of Clearbrook Minnesota, had their bid rescinded after they informed the city they no longer had the financial and operational capacity to do the project. So Kramer, which was the third lowest bidder, gets the job. Willmar Operations Director Kyle Box says Kramer has experience in doing this type of work.

Kramer’s bid is slightly higher than the engineer’s estimate of 8 million dollars, but Box says that estimate will likely go down because the industrial park portion of the project may be financed through a grant. Next month they will sell bonds in the amount of 9.2 million dollar.

Arvig expands broadband service to Twin Cities with connection to Eagan Data Center

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Business Insider reports…

Arvig is expanding its Twin Cities network footprint after finalizing an agreement to interconnect with a new data center currently under construction in Eagan, Minn.

Under a partnership with Centra, Arvig will lease co-location space and construct diverse fiber routes into the MSP1 data center, using the facility’s multiple entry points. This Tier III+ facility, engineered for low-latency connectivity and AI-ready infrastructure, is set to go online in the summer of 2026.

With this data center investment, Arvig establishes a strategic new point of presence (PoP) for its 18,500 route-mile network, which currently includes nearly 300 PoPs throughout the state. The Arvig network has diverse routes throughout the Twin Cities, including business-grade bandwidth of up to 400 Gigabits per second.

Google plans to open a large data center in Hermantown

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The Minnesota Star Tribune reports…

Google expects to open a second large data center in Minnesota, this one in Hermantown, the northeast Minnesota town where residents have pushed back on both the project and the secrecy that’s enshrouded it for months.

The technology giant announced March 3 that it plans to build a data center in a rural corner of Hermantown under an agreement with Minnesota Power. It will also work with Twin Cities-based developer Mortenson on its proposed 1.8 million-square-foot campus.

The city of more than 10,000 “is a natural fit for this project,” with a climate that supports air cooling as opposed to water, along with a “resilient power grid and a dedicated and motivated workforce,” Kate Franko, Google’s regional head of public affairs for data centers, said in a statement.

Concerns for the environment and potential use of Lake Superior’s coveted stores of water have been central to controversy about the data center, to be built on more than 200 acres in the city next to Duluth.

Paul Bunyan Communications finishes broadband expansion in Great Scott and unorganzied Township in St. Louis County

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From Paul Bunyan Communications…

Paul Bunyan Communications has completed construction of its all-fiber optic GigaZone® network, bringing fast, reliable Internet access to more than 350 homes and businesses in Great Scott Township and an unorganized township north of Great Scott in St. Louis County. The completed expansion includes the areas surrounding Dark Lake, Clear Lake, Lake Fourteen, and Lake Leander. Residents and businesses who have signed up for service are now being contacted to schedule installation.
“This project represents more than new infrastructure, it’s about delivering Internet and WiFi for the way people live and work today,” said Chad Bullock, CEO and General Manager of Paul Bunyan Communications. “Completing this all-fiber optic expansion ensures residents and businesses in these areas have the dependable, high-speed connectivity they need for everyday life, economic opportunity, and staying connected to what matters most.”
Paul Bunyan Communications’ all-fiber optic network delivers both upload and download speeds up to 10 Gig, supporting the growing demands of modern households and businesses.
“With an all-fiber network, customers experience consistent, reliable performance across everything they do, whether that’s remote work and learning, telehealth visits, running a business, or streaming entertainment,” said Brian Bissonette, Marketing Supervisor at Paul Bunyan Communications. “This level of connectivity truly changes how people can live, work, and stay connected.”
The project was made possible in part through a $400,000 St. Louis County Broadband Grant and a $217,000 Broadband Grant from the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation (IRRR).
Homes and businesses within the completed expansion area that have not yet signed up for service may still do so. When feasible, the cooperative will return to bring the network to additional locations with no construction fee.
There is no membership fee to join Paul Bunyan Communications. Membership is included when subscribing to either local phone service or GigaZone® Internet service.
To check whether a specific location is included in the expansion area and to learn more about the construction process, visit www.paulbunyan.net

Broadband expanded to more than 100 households in Great Scott Township and Mountain Iron

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The IRRR Ranger reports…

The GigaZone is currently available to more than 60,000 locations in Minnesota and serves over 36,000 customers across rural and often sparsely populated areas.

“Broadband has become a cornerstone for regional economic growth, remote education, telehealth services and numerous other community initiatives in northern Minnesota,” said Craig Boyer, PBC’s chief financial officer. “The Great Scott project served an area that likely would not have received basic broadband service without external assistance. The grant from IRRR enabled the project to move forward, along with additional funding from St. Louis County.”

The locations now have access to fiber optic fast GigaZone internet and WiFi, digital voice services and Managed IT business services. The PBC cooperative is also northern Minnesota’s certified Apple Service Center and an authorized DIRECTV dealer. Anyone interested in getting connected to the all-fiber optic broadband network may sign up for service. People may sign up online or by phone. To check if a specific location is in the project area and to sign up for service, visit www.gigazone.com.

Email Whitney Ridlon or call her at 218-735-3004 for Broadband Infrastructure grant information.

Willmar Council rescinds contract offer to NC3 and goes with the Kramer Group to build network for community broadband

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The West Central Tribune reports…

After learning NC3 is not able to fulfill the scope of work for phase one of the Willmar Connect project, the Willmar City Council in a 5-3 vote approved awarding the bid to the next lowest bidder.

The Willmar City Council on Monday unanimously approved rescinding the bid award to NC3 for Willmar Connect phase one and in a split 5-3 vote approved awarding the bid to Kramer Service Group.

Willmar Connect is the city’s initiative to build a city-owned fiber-optic broadband network on which multiple internet service providers can lease space to provide internet services. Network fees from the providers operating on the open-access network will be used to fund the construction debt.

The motion to award the bid to Kramer Service Group was made by Councilor Tom Gilbertson and seconded by Councilor Vicki Davis. Both voted in favor of the motion, along with Councilors Audrey Nelsen, Justin Ask and Carl Shuldes. Voting against the motion were Councilors Rick Fagerlie, Stephen Gardner and Tom Butterfield.

Those three council members had also voted against awarding the bid to NC3 on Jan. 20.

Staff at that time determined that NC3 had demonstrated the responsibility, qualifications and financial capacity sufficient to complete the project in accordance with the bid specifications and contract requirements, according to the memo in the Jan. 20 packet of meeting materials.

“Over the last two weeks, NC3 has informed the city that it has bid on additional work and no longer has the financial or operational capacity to complete the Willmar Connect project as originally proposed,” said Willmar City Operations Director Kyle Box.

They are looking at another option…

Box informed the council that Kramer Service Group has been contacted and has confirmed that it is still willing to be a contractor for this project under its original bid price. …

He explained that Kramer Service Group is a well-known contractor within the industry and has completed similar types of projects in size and cost for a number of cities, including Buffalo, Minnesota, and it will be constructing phase two of the open-access network being constructed in Superior, Wisconsin, this summer.

“The considerations that the council should be aware of is that this bid is approximately $570,000 higher than the bid award to NC3,” Box added.

ImOn Communications to expand fiber to Duluth MN and Superior WI

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Telecompetitor reports...

ImOn Communications, a leading provider of high-speed Internet services across the Midwest, is expanding its 100% fiber Internet network to Superior, Wisconsin, and Duluth, Minnesota, bringing multi-gig speeds to the Great Lakes region for the first time.

The new fiber Internet network provides homes and businesses with the fastest, most reliable Internet technology available, supported by a dedicated local team based in the Great Lakes region. It introduces upload and download speeds up to 5 Gbps for homes and 10 Gbps for businesses, as well as fiber-based phone service.

Construction begins in both Superior and Duluth this spring, pending favorable weather conditions, and will continue throughout 2026. …

ImOn collaborated with city officials during the early planning phase and network design. The ImOn team will communicate with residents when work begins in their area.

Breitung Township Board get broadband update: some areas up by mid-summer, take rate is good (St Louis County)

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The Timberjay reports…

Breitung Township Board Chair Matt Tuchel gave an update on broadband internet at the township’s monthly meeting held Feb. 17.
Tuchel reported that he recently met with representatives from CTC, Lake Country Power, IRRR, CBDG, and representatives from other local municipalities, and that the new internet connections installed last summer will be up and running for Breitung residents along McKinley Park Rd. by mid-summer. He said that just under 50 percent of residents chose to connect to the service, a higher percentage than other townships.
Tuchel said that there are 250 poles within Breitung Township that need to be replaced as part of the broadband project. The current poles can’t handle the addition of the new fiberoptic lines. This is in areas where the broadband cables cannot be buried due to ledge rock, for example. Lake Country Power will not pay for pole replacement but will be stringing the fiber lines on the new poles.
A study, with an estimated cost of $175,000, will be needed to determine pole replacement. IRRR will cover 50 percent of the cost, and three townships — Greenwood, Beatty, and Breitung — would share the remaining cost. Bois Forte is planning to apply for a NTIA grant to cover the cost for pole replacements and other costs to complete this broadband expansion. Total funding needed may be as high as $6 million.
The places identified that need poles are Echo Pt. Rd., Carol Ln., Swamp Rd., and Echo Narrows Ln. The other areas that weren’t addressed that still need service will have fiber laid underground, including McKinley Park Acres Rd., Miettunen Plat Rd., and a portion of Echo Pt Rd.
Tuchel said that broadband service will be discussed further at the township’s annual meeting and invited residents to weigh in on the issue.

A look at fiber consolidation in MN, especially the Twin Cities

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Twin Cities Business reports…

Minnesota is once again directly experiencing big changes in the tech sector. In addition to data center construction (and controversy), the state has become a major-league playing field for fiber optic industry consolidation.

In February, AT&T made itself a major fiber player in the Twin Cities metro by closing on its acquisition of Quantum Fiber, the consumer fiber business operated by Louisiana-based Lumen Technologies. (Lumen also is the parent company of telecom provider CenturyLink, which continues to operate.)

AT&T acquired Quantum Fiber via Gigapower, a joint venture it established in 2022 with New York-based BlackRock, the world’s largest institutional asset manager. (BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners subsidiary acquired Duluth-based electric utility Allete last October.)

This deal follows on the heels of two other fiber company acquisitions. In January, Verizon purchased Dallas-based Frontier Communications, which offers fiber connectivity in the Twin Cities region and elsewhere in the state. And last September, Indiana-based Metronet acquired Minnetonka-based U.S. Internet (USI), which provided high-speed internet to about 140,000 commercial and residential customers in and around the Twin Cities. At the time of its USI purchase, Metronet also delivered fiber connectivity to parts of the metro, along with customers in Owatonna, Faribault, and Rochester. Like Gigapower, Metronet is a joint venture between a telecom and a large investment firm—in this case, T-Mobile and KKR, respectively.

It’s happening all over the state…

Indeed, parts of Greater Minnesota are further along in developing high-speed fiber networks. “I have a number of members that have completed fiber-to-the-premises installations already,” says Brent Christensen, president and CEO of the Minnesota Telecom Alliance, a Madelia-headquartered trade association that represents 40 Minnesota telecommunications companies, most of which are smaller providers in Greater Minnesota. “And the vast majority are either done or just about done building out fiber.”

It’s not only small-town telecoms that are installing fiber. This month, the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe in northern Minnesota began construction on a fiber optic expansion project intended to connect more than 2,000 Tribal residents. (Also in the Great North: Iowa-based ImOn Communications recently announced plans to build a fiber network in Duluth. This would be ImOn’s first foray into Minnesota.)