Category Archives: Vendors

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

Posted on by
Reply

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

Posted on by
Reply

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

Posted on by
Reply

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)

Posted on by
Reply

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

Posted on by
Reply

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.)

Midwest FiberPath to build multi-conduit long-haul backbone to support AI

Posted on by
Reply

Telecompetitor reports…

Midwest FiberPath says it will build a 1,200-mile multi-conduit long-haul backbone intended to support the increased traffic created by artificial intelligence (AI) in east-west and north-south directions in the Midwest. It will provide what it describes as next-generation carrier mesh diversity.

More details…

The long-haul topography will have three primary corridors:

  • Joliet, Illinois to Des Moines, Iowa to Council Bluffs, Iowa: This multi-conduit route will support hyperscale east-west traffic fabrics between Chicago interconnection ecosystems and numerous Iowa compute campuses.

  • Minneapolis, Minnesota to Des Moines, Iowa to Kansas City, Missouri: This corridor, also multi-conduit, will run north-south and enable regional mesh diversity and alternative long-haul routing across the central U.S.

  • Minneapolis, Minnesota to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Joliet, Illinois: This will be a diagonal extension reinforcing Iowa as a center-node aggregation point for multi-directional traffic exchange.

New: Diversity in Early-Career Tech Policy Roles: Surveying Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities in the Field

Posted on by
Reply

Public Knowledge has new research on Diversity in Early-Career Tech Policy Roles: Surveying Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities in the Field. Here’s the executive summary…

In 2021, Public Knowledge published the first iteration of this study, led by Tsion Tesfaye, which identified structural barriers to diversity in early-career technology policy roles: reliance on narrow networks, exclusionary job descriptions, inequities in compensation, and the absence of robust demographic data collection. These findings informed Public Knowledge’s own Equity Council, partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and adjustments to hiring practices.

In 2025, amid heightened political scrutiny and dismantling of Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, this updated study expands the scope and methodology. We surveyed 13 technology policy organizations and convened 17 early-career technology policy professionals. Key insights include:

Recruitment remains narrow. Job opportunities remain largely circulated within organizational websites and established networks, with limited outreach to Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), affinity groups, or community-based organizations, which continues to restrict access for underrepresented candidates.

On-ramps are improving but remain inequitable. Paid internships are now the dominant early-career on-ramp, but few organizations offer externships or other pathways, and financial barriers still shape who can participate.

Bias-reduction is partial. Structured interviews are widely used to reduce bias, yet practices such as blind resume reviews, scoring rubrics, and diverse interview panels are inconsistently adopted across organizations.

Policies outpace practice. Most organizations report having formal inclusivity policies, but the effectiveness of these policies in improving diverse hiring is mixed, and demographic data collection remains uneven.

Retention depends on clarity. Mentorship and sponsorship programs are the most common strategies for retention, though early-career professionals emphasized the need for clear promotion pathways, stronger onboarding processes, and opportunities to build policy-writing skills.

Leadership representation lags. Diversity in leadership and decision making spaces remains limited, with many early-career professionals reporting that their lived experiences are only sometimes recognized or valued.

The external climate is chilling. Organizations report mixed effects from the external political climate, with most seeing little impact but some noting that federal and state-level legal and regulatory backlash of DEI has created hesitancy around data collection and public commitments

Hiawatha Broadband Communications to bring fiber to Southeast MN (Winona, Goodhue, Wabasha & Dakota Counties)

Posted on by
Reply

TV News Check reports…

Hiawatha Broadband Communications (HBC) announced Tuesday it is expanding its multi-gig Flight Fiber internet service, offering symmetrical speeds of up to 5 Gig to residential and business customers across Southeast Minnesota.

The expansion makes HBC the only provider in the region capable of delivering such speeds, according to the company. The 2026 deployments are currently bringing multi-gig fiber to several communities, including Winona, Red Wing, Lake City, Farmington, Hastings and Empire.

The service, branded as Flight Fiber, provides symmetrical 2 Gig and 5 Gig options. The company said the increased capacity is designed to handle high-demand activities such as 4K streaming, online gaming, and large file transfers across multiple devices simultaneously.

Consolidated Telephone Company (CTC) expands broadband to Clinton Township (St Louis County)

Posted on by
Reply

Hometown Focus reports…

Consolidated Telephone Company (CTC) expanded its broadband fiber optic network to approximately 400 unserved or underserved locations in Clinton Township and adjacent areas, including homes, businesses and farms.

All locations have a minimum service offering available of 250 megabits per second download and upload, with services of 10 gigabits per second download and upload available. Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation (IRRR) supported the project with a $1,150,000 Broadband Infrastructure grant to CTC. The total project investment was $5,400,000.

Joe Buttweiler is CTC’s chief strategy officer. He explained that access to broadband is as imperative today as electricity was 75 years ago. A reliable fiber optic network is the backbone necessary to provide rural residents, small businesses, teleworkers and farmers with access to the benefits of unlimited bandwidth, cost efficiency and reliability.

Prior to this project, many residents in the Clinton Township area did not have access to quality or affordable internet service for everyday needs.

The project also received a $2,624,187 Border to-Border Broadband Development Grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and a $400,000 grant from St. Louis County.

Bluepeak to invest $35 million in FTTH in southwest Minnesota

Posted on by
Reply

Marshall Radio reports…

Bluepeak has announced a $35 million investment to expand and upgrade its fiber-optic broadband network in southwest Minnesota.

The project will overbuild the company’s existing infrastructure with Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) technology, providing internet speeds of up to 5 gigabits per second for residential customers and up to 10 gigabits per second for businesses. The expansion is intended to improve reliability and increase network capacity across the region.

Bluepeak has also expanded backbone capacity, upgraded key network components and strengthened overall infrastructure across its Minnesota footprint to support growing digital demands.

FCC approves Amazon Leo launch of 4500 more satellites

Posted on by
Reply

Fierce Network reports…

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) yesterday granted Amazon Leo the authority to launch 4,500 more satellites.

Recently, Amazon Leo asked the FCC for permission to extend its deadline to launch 3,232 satellites until July 30, 2028. The FCC hasn’t ruled on that request, yet, but it’s generally expected to approve it.

Now, with the FCC’s permission to launch 4,500 more satellites, Amazon Leo will potentially have a low-Earth-orbit (LEO) constellation of more than 7,700 satellites.

As for the 4,500 additional satellites, Amazon Leo must launch 50% of those by February 10, 2032, and the remaining half by February 10, 2035.

Mediacom completes network upgrade in Cedar Rapids (Iowa)

Posted on by
Reply

I know Cedar Rapids isn’t Minnesota, but networks are built on networks so always glad to see more. Broadband Communities reports…

Mediacom Communications on Tuesday said it has finished upgrading broadband speeds for more than 92,000 homes and businesses in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, bringing multi-gig and symmetrical service options to the city.

The company, through an announcement provided to Broadband Communities, said the work builds on its existing fiber-rich network and was completed without new digging or cable burial, a move it says allowed for faster, less disruptive upgrades for customers. …

The company also announced that network work is underway in other regions, including suburban Des Moines, parts of Maryland and Delaware, the Florida Panhandle, metro Minneapolis and the Quad Cities, with a stated goal of reaching 1 million households with enhanced services by the end of 2026.

NTIA clarifies BEAD rules for all providers, including satellite

Posted on by
Reply

Light Reading reports on the NTIA’s response to SpaceX’s search for BEAD rule exemption last week…

The NTIA released new guidance this week that seems to clarify that companies receiving BEAD awards cannot retroactively absolve themselves of certain program requirements. The clarification comes after a leaked rider that SpaceX reportedly sent to at least one state revealed that the company was attempting to circumvent certain capacity and performance requirements.

As per that proposed rider, originally leaked to Broadband.io late last month, SpaceX – which operates the low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite service Starlink – sought to absolve the company of certain requirements it agreed to during the BEAD bidding process. Those include, among others, that Starlink’s quality of service is not guaranteed if Starlink determines the customer’s “view of the sky is obstructed.” The rider also states that Starlink will offer free customer premises equipment (CPE) but not installation.

Additionally, the rider would exempt Starlink from the NTIA’s requirement that states “reserve sufficient capacity from the LEO provider to deliver broadband service that meets the BEAD performance and technical requirements to each BSL,” instead asking states to agree that Starlink “is not required to keep reserved capacity fallow where potential subscribers in the Project Area have not yet requested service.”

Broadband expanded to nearly 400 households, businesses and farms in Clinton Township

Posted on by
Reply

From the IRRR Ranger newsletter…

Consolidated Telephone Company (CTC) expanded its broadband fiber optic network to approximately 400 unserved or underserved locations in Clinton Township and adjacent areas, including homes, businesses and farms. All locations have a minimum service offering available of 250 mbps download and upload, with services of 10 Gbps download and upload available. Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation supported the project with a $1,150,000 Broadband Infrastructure grant to CTC. Total project investment was $5,400,000.

Joe Buttweiler is CTC’s chief strategy officer. He explained that access to broadband is as imperative today as electricity was 75 years ago. A reliable fiber optic network is the backbone necessary to provide rural residents, small businesses, teleworkers and farmers with access to the benefits of unlimited bandwidth, cost efficiency and reliability. Prior to this project, many residents in the Clinton Township area did not have access to quality or affordable internet service for everyday needs.

The project also received a $2,624,187 Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development and a $400,000 grant from St. Louis County.

“In today’s world, reliable internet connectivity has become almost as important as other forms of infrastructure,” said St. Louis County Commissioner Keith Nelson. “It represents access for businesses, students and everyone else seeking information or services online. So I’m pleased St. Louis County could dedicate ARPA funds in support of this project serving our residents in Clinton Township.”

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

Note: CTC is a member-owned cooperative established in 1952 and based in Brainerd, with additional offices in Baxter and Crosby. It has 16,000 residential and business members and 75 employees that serve as local support teams across northern Minnesota. It originated as a telephone service provider and has since added television and internet services for homes, businesses, cabins and apartment buildings throughout Minnesota. Learn more about CTC.

AT&T completes acquisition of Lumen’s consumer fiber business

Posted on by
Reply

Broadband Breakfast reports…

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.