A look at the Blandin Broadband Community cohort through the Mountain of Accountability Framework lens

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Blandin Foundation works with cohorts of communities to expand local broadband. The cohort works with a broadband coach (Bill Coleman) and has access to funding for small grants through a year and a half. After each cohort, Bernadine Joselyn does a deep dive analysis into the program using the Mountain of Accountability Framework.

Over the weekend, I’m going to pull out detailed summaries of each communities. I have been cataloging them in process, so the stories aren’t new but there’s great value in having the start to finish reports. Today, I’m going to inclusion the reflection segment, which actually is a look back on the last 15 years…

Reflections on Fifteen Years of Investment The occasion, in 2019, of the fifteenth-annual Blandin broadband conference, prompted staff to look back at the work through the lens of the objectives originally established for the program in 2003:

  1. Generate awareness among leaders about the need for action to improve broadband access and adoption.
  2. Increase rural business and residential use of broadband.
  3. Increase public and private investment in broadband.

Since 2003, Blandin has worked on broadband with 71 communities in 58 (out of 87) Minnesota counties in support of over 380 community projects.

Impacts on Internet Access: Of the 48 network feasibility studies Blandin has funded to date, 28 have been either fully built out, partially built, or are under imminent construction. Thirteen studies have been used to develop applications to the state’s broadband grant fund to build the network they envision; nine of these projects were funded in the most recent grant round in 2019. In addition, many of Blandin’s community partners have increased broadband access through adoption projects that make free public wifi available in public parks, laundromats, on school buses, and in local businesses and coffee shops. Impacts on Broadband Adoption: Since 2003, in collaboration with the computer refurbisher PCs for People, Blandin has resourced and supported our seventy-one community partners to distribute computers and subsidized internet connections to 2,300 income qualifying families. Blandin Broadband Communities also have launched a wide range of digital literacy training programs for residents and businesses.

Through this program, many communities have come to better appreciate the important role that libraries play in their civic and economic life. As a result, many have increased their financial support for libraries and their staffs, and for increased library hours.

Impacts of Broadband Use: Since adopting it in 2009 for the Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities program,  Blandin Foundation has used the Intelligent Community Framework with each of our forty-four partnering communities as a tool for helping them improve broadband access and adoption.

Using this framework, between 2004 – 2019 the fortyfour Blandin Broadband Communities designed and implemented a total of 409 projects that advance their technology goals.

Some projects – like this one sponsored by the Koochiching Technology Initiative – touch as many as four of the six elements of the Intelligent Community Framework: Broadband, Knowledge Workforce, Innovation, and Digital Equity:

“To increase broadband adoption and use by helping the International Falls Public Library expand its services in the community, including through improved Wi-Fi access at Smokey Bear Park, six LinkedIn Learning mobile internet subscriptions for checkout, expanded reference service to texting and LiveChat, and the addition of Adobe Creative Cloud software for use by patrons in the library’s new recording studio.”

For the purpose of the following analysis, staff has coded the 409 community broadband projects implemented since 2009 by up to two ICF model indicators. See Appendix B for the data table.

Summative Sorting of 409 Community Projects by ICF Element: Distribution and Intersectionality: To inform their broadband planning and investments, Blandin Broadband  steering committees conduct an analysis of existing community assets using the ICF elements and are encouraged to create projects that address gaps and opportunities they identify.

The 281 community projects that fit a single ICF category (68.7% of the total 409 projects) are distributed fairly evenly across the five ICF elements, suggesting communities saw opportunities in each. Digital Inclusion had the most projects, at eighty-two, followed by Advocacy with sixty-seven projects. Knowledge Workers and Innovation tied for third place at fifty-six projects each. The

twenty broadband infrastructure projects not paired with Digital Inclusion or any other element are mostly feasibility studies and community surveys.

Communities designed projects that paired the ICF elements of Digital Inclusion and Innovation with each of the other four elements. Advocacy was paired with three other elements; Broadband was paired with two.

The sixty-seven projects that pair Digital Inclusion with Broadband Infrastructure represent over fifty percent of the paired projects – nearly thirteen percent of the total 409 projects – and give a sense of the scope of the impact of these investments. Funded projects brought free public wifi to public parks and trails (27); school buses (6 districts); public housing (3); libraries (6); and twenty-eight public community spaces, like township halls, community centers, and downtowns.

Impact on the Level of Public and Private Investment in Broadband Access and Use: Since beginning the broadband program in 2003, Blandin Foundation has invested over $4.4 million dollars of grant funding and leveraged $65 million in community match and $5.8 million in investments by funding partners – for a total of $16.7 million in direct investments.

The Minnesota Border-to-Border Broadband Infrastructure grant program, launched in part as a result of the efforts of Blandin and our partners in the work, has to date invested $109 million in state funds, matched with $146 million in private and local dollars, in the form of 140 broadband expansion projects across the state.

Of the 140 grants made by DEED, 52 or 37% of the awarded communities, received technical assistance from Blandin in gathering data, ensuring the project reflected community input, and gathering community support.

Fortune recognizes that broadband is essential for all

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Many of us who eat and sleep broadband have thought for a while that is Want to solve America’s problems? Start with broadband. It’s sure nice to the Fortune Magazine feel the same with an editorial from Adrianne Benton Furniss…

We believe too many people in the U.S. have been left behind—because broadband networks don’t reach them, the service is unaffordable, or people don’t yet have the skills to make use of this powerful tool.

One reason for this? Broadband market concentration is stifling the benefits of competition for consumers. Nearly three out of four people in the U.S. are served by a broadband monopoly or duopoly offering Internet download speeds of 100 megabits per second and upload speeds of 10 Mbps. An estimated 35% of people have only one choice of broadband provider; another 37% have just two to choose from. Without competition, people—especially those with lower incomes or those who live in rural areas—are threatened with artificially high prices, lower-quality service, and little innovation. A Wall Street Journal report published last year found that low-income areas and high-income areas pay similar median monthly costs (about $66) for stand-alone internet, but poorer areas get 40% slower speeds for the price.

Wealthier communities are two to three times more likely to have more than two choices for broadband providers than are communities with lower-than-average household incomes. With limited competition, it is perhaps unsurprising that Americans pay the second-highest broadband prices among OECD countries. Yet when new competition is introduced in broadband markets, the benefits are demonstrable. Look no further than Kansas City, Kan.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Wilson, N.C.; and Longmont, Colo. for evidence that competition from a private or municipal broadband provider results in incumbent providers dropping prices and increasing speeds—but not in nearby areas the new competition didn’t serve.

So what can we do?

So, what can governments do? Right now, laws in 19 states restrict local communities from experimenting to increase broadband deployment. These laws should be revisited and repealed.

And when it comes to federal funding…

We believe Congress and the FCC should require, as a condition for funding this broadband deployment, true high-speed service at actually affordable prices—for instance, service rated at 50 Mbps for upload and download with unlimited usage for $10 per month to eligible recipients.

And

Affordable service is crucial.

Broadband Coming to Pennington and Strawberry Areas of Leech Lake Indian Reservation & SE Beltrami County

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Good news from Paul Bunyan…

Paul Bunyan Communications is expanding its all-fiber optic network to parts of Southeast Beltrami County in the Pennington area this year and recently was awarded a Border to Border Broadband Grant from the state of Minnesota to expand its fiber optic services to the Strawberry area in 2021. To see if a location is included in either expansion project go to https://paulbunyan.net/gigazone/availability-map/
As a result of the recently announced grant, the cooperative will begin expansion construction to the Strawberry area in the spring of 2021. This all fiber optic project will make advanced fiber-optic services available to over 200 locations. The project is estimated to cost $581,600, with the State of Minnesota Border to Border grant contributing $261,720 and Paul Bunyan Communications investing $319,880.
“This is a big deal for those who live in the Pennington and Strawberry area. Access to quality broadband service is vital to so many different facets of life including health care, education, business, and recreation. I applaud Paul Bunyan Communications and all those involved to secure the necessary funding and continue to expand to provide this essential service to more of our tribal members. We will continue to work with Paul Bunyan to secure additional grant funding to bring broadband to other parts of the reservation that remain without access” said Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Tribal Chairman Faron Jackson, Sr.
“We are excited to continue our expansion efforts to provide access to broadband Internet speeds to those without it in our region. Our cooperative has a long history of expanding to underserved areas but it has become increasingly challenging to go it alone without grant support. The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe was instrumental in supporting our grant application to make this project a reality. These areas will not only get Broadband access, they will go from slow satellite or dial up Internet to speeds of up to a Gigabit per second and become part of one of the largest rural Gigabit networks in the country!,” said Gary Johnson, Paul Bunyan Communications CEO/General Manager.
There are over 280 locations within the Pennington expansion planned for 2020 and those locations can sign up for services at any time. This is required in order to get the fiber optic network installed up to the location during construction and receive services once the work is completed. The cooperative expects to develop the expansion plans for the Strawberry area later this year. The Strawberry area expansion will start in the spring of 2021 and be completed by June 30, 2022.
“These projects impact people’s lives. High quality, high bandwidth internet services are critical to economic growth and new educational opportunities.” added Steve Howard, Paul Bunyan Communications Information Technology and Development Manager. “It is the local support demonstrated by the Leech Lake leadership that was essential in getting our plans selected in a highly competitive process.” said Howard.
“Lack of access to quality Internet service creates a lot of difficulties for students, businesses, and residents. I’m excited to see both of these projects move forward. All Minnesotans should be able to access fast, reliable internet service and the Border to Border Broadband Grant program is making a big difference in helping to do just that.” added State 5A Representative John Persell. “I salute the hard work of our elected officials who championed the Border to Border Broadband Grant Program including Rep. Ecklund, Rep. Sandstede, Senator Bakk, Rep. Persell, Senator Tomassoni, and Rep. Layman. I also want to thank the Office of Broadband Development that oversees the program. This is going to make a world of difference in so many ways to a lot of people right here in northern Minnesota!” said Johnson. The Cooperative’s services will become available once the network is operational including GigaZone service options like unprecedented Broadband Internet speeds of up to 1000 Mbps – a Gigabit, digital and high definition TV services, and low cost unlimited local and long distance GigaZone voice service. There is no membership fee to join Paul Bunyan Communications, membership is included by subscribing to either local phone service or GigaZone Internet service.

Southwest Minnesota Broadband Services (SMBS) talks small rural towns and broadband

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This week on the Community Networks podcast, Christopher Mitchell spoke with Travis Thies, General Manager at Southwest Minnesota Broadband Services (SMBS) about how small towns can work together to create a market opportunity…

The network started with funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and has continued to make improvements and upgrades to serve folks who were once stuck with antiquated Internet access. Before SMBS, several communities had been told by the incumbent Internet access provider that the best they could ever expect was dial-up service. Now, subscribers can sign-up for gigabit connections. With intelligent partnerships, they’re also able to provide service to farms and rural premises beyond town limits.

Travis and Christopher discuss the history of the project, the challenges that community leaders and network officials have faced and overcome, and how the area’s demographics have helped them determine the best ways to serve subscribers. They also discuss their partnership with a local fixed wireless Internet service provider and the how better connectivity has attracted people and businesses to the region.

OPPORTUNITY: 2020 Bush Prize for Community Innovation Applications due April 9, 2020

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OK rural Minnesota communities – I’m talking to you! And it seems like any BBC participants are likely candidates…

The Bush Prize for Community Innovation celebrates organizations with a track record of successful community problem solving. Bush Prize winners are extraordinary not only in what they do, but how they do it. They work inclusively, in partnership with others, to make our region better for everyone.

Winners receive a flexible grant of up to $500,000, media relations support, a case study and a short film sharing the story of their innovative work.

We will accept Bush Prize applications through April 9, 2020.
Apply now!

Federal Bipartisan E&C Bill to Improve Broadband Mapping Passes House

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Better maps at the national level will be a good idea all the way around since funding and strategic planning is often based on these maps. E&C reports…

 Today, the House passed the bipartisan Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act (S.1822) by unanimous consent,  which will improve efforts to collect more accurate internet availability data, boost connectivity, and make sure our limited resources are used to deploy broadband in communities that need it most. It passed out of the Senate in December 2019 and is now one step closer to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

Blandin on Broadband eNews: MN Monthly Recap (Mar 2020)

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FCC under reports unserved population
Broadband Now scrutinizes the FCC adoption rate estimates and finds that the FCC estimates 290,000 unserved in Minnesota and Broadband Now estimates 580,000. https://wp.me/p3if7-5NR

Two new tools look at state’s impact on broadband
Pew Research releases a report on state policies and plans that support better broadband deployment. Minnesota is featured as a leader in the report. https://wp.me/p3if7-5OC State Broadband Leaders Network (SBLN) has created an interactive map of broadband plans and initiatives by state. https://wp.me/p3if7-5Nv

MN Broadband Task Force at Land O’Lakes
The MN Broadband Task Force met at Land O’Lakes where they heard about precision agriculture applications farmers are already using in the field, at least where they have sufficient broadband. https://wp.me/p3if7-5Nd

Blandin on Broadband is looking for stories
We are looking for broadband stories from rural Minnesota to feature on the Blandin on Broadband blog. If you have a story, please contact us at atreacy@treacyinfo.com https://wp.me/p3if7-5P7

State Policy Issues (in reverse chronological order of post date)

Federal Policy Issues (in reverse chronological order of post date)

Vendor News

Local Broadband News

Brown County
Update on Nuvera’s MN Broadband grant project in Southwest Brown County https://wp.me/p3if7-5OT

Cherry Township
CTC hosts open houses in Cherry Feb 27-28 to discuss new USDA supported network expansion https://wp.me/p3if7-5Od

Duluth
Duluth appreciates economic boon with rural broadband https://wp.me/p3if7-5Lv

East Central MN
Broadband is transforming school thanks to groups like ECMECC that support the network https://wp.me/p3if7-5MT

Fillmore County
More on USDA ReConnect project with Harmony Telephone (Fillmore County) https://wp.me/p3if7-5LK

Hastings, Faribault, New Ulm, Buffalo, Cambridge and Minneapolis
Neonatal telemedicine comes to Hastings, Faribault, New Ulm, Buffalo, Cambridge and Minneapolis https://wp.me/p3if7-5NE

Iron Range
Iron Range 2020 predictions from 1998, includes technology plans https://wp.me/p3if7-5Pj

A look at broadband progress made and progress needed on the Iron Range https://wp.me/p3if7-5P0

Blandin Foundation funds Iron Range Tourism Bureau projects https://wp.me/p3if7-5MZ

Koochiching and St. Louis Counties
Update on Paul Bunyan’s MN Broadband Grant for portions of Koochiching and St. Louis Counties https://wp.me/p3if7-5O5

McIntosh
Broadband is a big part of the reinvention of McIntosh https://wp.me/p3if7-5P4

Red Wing
Red Wing Public Library now lending hotspots https://wp.me/p3if7-5Ls

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

We are looking to add MN broadband-related events to the Blandin on Broadband blog calendar. https://wp.me/P3if7-4yG If you have an event you’d like to add please send it to atreacy@treacyinfo.com

Stirring the Pot – by Bill Coleman

Community broadband leadership is front and center for me right now, stimulated by a recent orientation session for five new Blandin Broadband Communities and the task of creating content for an upcoming Community Broadband Leadership Workshop.  To clarify my thinking on the topic I have been online reviewing definitions of leaders and leadership.  The lists are all well and good and include many admirable qualities.   In my experience, teams of leaders are significantly more effective in community broadband development than lone rangers.  We also know that on every leadership team, there are extraordinary individuals that are instrumental to the success of the group.

Ultimately, it all comes down to people who are willing to do the hard work to move their community forward.  Our community broadband leaders do the investigations and learning to understand the challenge, then recruit and inform others to the issue.  They convince organizations to devote resources for finding and funding solutions.  They devote the time to going door-to-door to boost community survey completion. They join regional and state efforts that may or may not pay dividends for the local effort.  They recognize others’ contributions to the effort.  As Edison said, “success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.”

When meeting new community teams, I often try to anticipate who will step up into leadership.  I am often wrong and many times surprised.  Established community leadership needs to be open to these emerging leaders but that can be harder than it seems.  Some of the most effective leaders have no title or position or broadband expertise. You will recognize them over time – they show up, ask questions, volunteer for and complete tasks.

I was with one such leader this morning at

the Cherry Township hall where happy residents were signing up for new fiber to the home broadband service.  It was fun to see area residents shaking his hand and thanking him for his efforts while he deflected the praise onto others.  For a while my new favorite saying was that “every community needs a Kippy!” In retrospect, I think that every community already has one or more Kippy’s.  The leadership trick is to find them and allow them to serve your community.

Iron Range 2020 predictions from 1998, includes technology plans

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Aaron Brown (via Hibbing Daily Tribune) has an interesting series comparing to what’s happening now with a 2020 vision for the Iron Range published in 1998. (A lot has happened related to broadband on the Iron Range. I wrote about the early history in 2007. Aaron wrote about it more recently in 2018. The Blandin Foundation is still working with communities on the Iron Range!)  Aaron’s look is fun and will bring you back…

Other correct predictions: an older population that needs more care; huge demand for health care workers; and changing technology. Though it’s clear that the ‘98ers didn’t understand that technology very well.

For instance, it was adorable to read Frank Rajkowski’s March 8, 1998 story about how CD-ROM technology was going to revolutionize education. The last time I touched CD-ROMs was when my sons and I used them as wheels for rubber band cars in their science class. But the message behind the CD-ROM story still stands, if not the medium itself. Education now depends heavily on cloud computing and internet-based resources.

That technology knowledge gap provides the most frustrating factoid from the erstwhile “2020 Vision.” According to a Feb. 22, 1998 story by Christina Hiatt, Hibbing possessed one of the only small town high speed internet services in the state. In fact, Hibbing was one of the smallest towns in the country to have cable-to-the-door broadband.

“The Bridge” as it was then called, was a service of Range TV & Cable. But customers were slow to adopt the company’s innovative product. They wanted cheaper dial-up service. The Befera family sold the company to the international cable giant Mediacom which now charges more for internet than the Bridge did (as do all cable internet providers). Rural areas just outside Hibbing are just now getting high speed internet, but even yet coverage gaps remain.

“2020 Vision” details the story of six students at Nashwauk-Keewatin High School who developed the school’s first website using HTML coding. My friend Craig Hattam, now retired from teaching in the Hibbing Schools, talks about using the internet in his classroom, almost as though it were the Wild West.

Indeed, it was. But we now know Hibbing missed its chance to attract new telecom companies and software developers when it could have marketed its high speed internet advantage. And I’d attribute that mostly to the fact that no one with influence or capital knew enough about the technology.

Some, like former Hibbing mayor Richard Nordvold, talked about efforts to woo small tech firms. But it takes more than just a few public officials to make that happen. It takes a knowledgeable private sector and young entrepreneurs. We lacked those people then. Arguably, we still fall short in that sector, though there exist many more resources for those we do have.

Indeed, when it comes to Hibbing’s early internet advantage, we were apes with iPads. By the time we figured it out everyone else had passed us by. Did we learn anything from this? Let’s hope so. That’s the nice thing about the future. There’s always more of it.

Meet Lt. Governor Flanagan at Broadband Day on the Hill – March 12

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Fun update for MN Broadband Day on the Hill…

Good morning everyone. We are just 10 days away from 2020 Broadband Day on the Hill. The Coalition has learned that Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan will deliver remarks and host a meet and greet with Broadband Day on the Hill attendees on Thursday, March 12. We are very excited to have the Lt. Governor join us and urge you to sign up for the event today using this link.
The agenda for the day has been finalized! As you can see below, we have a full day of speakers and meetings. This is a perfect opportunity for you to join fellow advocates to network and let your legislators know the importance of ubiquitous broadband access across the state. The House and Senate will create their budget targets—including how much funding will be available for broadband—on March 23. Legislators need to hear from you so they can make an informed decision on a supplemental budget.

MRBC Day on the Hill 2020
Thursday, March 12
8:00am-2:00pm
State Office Building Room 300N
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
Saint Paul, MN 55155

McIntosh MN: Part of their Reinvention is broadband (Polk County)

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KAXE Radio featured the revitalization of McIntosh…

Twelve years ago, McIntosh, Minnesota’s downtown was a row of shuttered storefronts on dilapidated buildings. Today it looks much different and it’s all because of one woman with big ideas, the gumption to follow thru with them and the ability to inspire others to get on board with a new way of  thinking.

The story include profiles of locals; one spoke of the importance of broadband…

Katie Roed never thought she’d move to a rural community after she graduated from college.  Successful in the marketing and communications sector, she traveled extensively visiting clients across the United States, fulfilling their marketing needs.  In a somewhat surprise twist, Katie found herself in rural McIntosh.  Thanks to high-speed internet, she was able to start her own marketing firm from her home on Lake Sarah.  Today, she works with clients on both coasts and does it from the comfort ease of rural living, able to balance family and work at a pace that works beautifully for both.  Her company, SugarBrooke Creative, caters to high end clients including Microsoft, Dun & Bradstreet, and Digi-Key.  Her marketing prowess helped navigate the progress of the new downtown McIntosh and she couldn’t be more excited about the new life breathed into her community.

EVENT April 7-9: Net Inclusion 2020

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This is always a great conference…

Net Inclusion welcomes digital inclusion community practitioners, advocates, academics, Internet service providers, and policymakers to discuss:
  • local, state and federal policies and policy innovations impacting digital equity,
  • sources of financial and programmatic support of digital inclusion programs,
  • and digital inclusion best practices from across the country.

Net Inclusion 2020 will begin Tuesday, April 7th with workshop events in the morning and Digital Inclusion Site Tours in the afternoon. The Site Tours are included in the cost of registration of Day One. Wednesday, April 8th will be a full day of interactive sessions. Thursday April 9th will be a half day of interactive sessions and will conclude at 1:30 PM.

The Alliance for Technology Refurbishing and Reuse (AFTRR) Annual Meeting takes place on April 5-7 in Portland. AFTRR members meet, share, and learn from fellow nonprofit refurbishers. Admission is free. For insight into the technology refurbishing world, Net Inclusion participants are welcome to join the AFTRR Annual Meeting.

Learn more!

Got an MN broadband story of success and frustration – please share!

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We are looking for broadband stories from rural Minnesota. If you have a story, please contact us at atreacy@treacyinfo.com

We love hearing about stories of success! So if you were able to get a degree online, start a business, stay in your home longer with illness or otherwise live a little better because you had the device, skills and broadband to make it happen, please let us know.

We are also open to stories of frustration. Have you had difficulty selling your house, not able to work from home, have to tell the kids to finish up their homework now so you can join the work video conference or another story of burden? Let us know.

Our plan is to post them on the Blandin on Broadband blog and perhaps to collect as a report and share with community leaders and policymakers.

Or want to tell a quick tale, feel free to use the form below. Thanks for your help!

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Update on Nuvera’s MN Broadband grant project in Southwest Brown County

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New Ulm Journal reports…

While no money was authorized for border-to-border grants for broadband development by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development in 2019, for 2020, Nuvera was awarded $730,000. It is contributing an additional $1.2 million, for a total of $2 million in local community investments. Some $1.1 million will be used to build fiber connections in a rural Southwest Brown County area near New Ulm. These projects will be scheduled in the spring.

Nuvera constructed multiple fiber overbuilds to enhance customer services. As part of its commitment to investing in communities, fiber was constructed in rural areas of Sleepy Eye, Hutchinson, Mazeppa and Aurelia, Iowa. An enhanced fixed wireless solution was also installed in rural New Ulm by St. George. Fiber overbuilds were completed in four housing development areas in Prior Lake.

Commercial fiber overbuilds began in the Industrial Park areas of North Front and North Broadway Streets and downtown New Ulm for completion in 2020. Four commercial areas in Prior Lake were also targeted.

Nuvera has 11 public Wi-Fi sites in New Ulm, and 20 in all exchanges.

Broadband on the Iron Range – progress made and progress needed

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Hometown Focus reports…

Currently most of northeastern Minnesota is considered either unserved or underserved by broadband service. However major efforts are underway to overcome the most significant barrier, which is the high cost of deploying broadband infrastructure to rural communities. Beginning in 2015 Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation financially supported broadband infrastructure to households through two large grants to Clinton and Balkan townships, and in 2019 through a grant to Aitkin County. In 2016 and 2019 the agency partnered with Blandin Foundation and St. Louis County to help fund the Blandin Broadband Communities (BBC) program to support initiatives in communities throughout the region. The BBC (still in action) spurs access to broadband and increases the number and sophistication of users across the region.

One hundred and one small projects resulted from BBC, everything from installing Wi-Fi on school buses, in parks and campgrounds; launching tourism apps; checking out portable hot spot devices at libraries; community websites; business technology centers and co-working spaces; feasibility studies to strengthen federal and state grant applications; and, donating refurbished computers to people. The 101 projects were geared to increase internet use because increased internet use drives private companies and rural co-ops to invest in broadband utility infrastructure.

The providers responded and massive infrastructure projects have either occurred or are on the very near horizon. Private providers in the region include Paul Bunyan Communications, CTC, Frontier, Century Link, Mediacom, SCI Broadband, Mid Continent, NESC, Consolidated Telephone, True North Broadband, Zito Media, HughesNet, ViaSat, Emily Telephone Cooperative, Cooperative Light & Power, and Arvig.

The Iron Range (traversing Aitkin, Cass, Itasca, Koochiching and St. Louis counties) is lucky to have two foundations to help lead and support broadband effort but it also takes local champions and willing providers.

Senator Klobuchar’s rural broadband goal and Minnesota’s broadband model get nod from Virginia

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Roanoke Times reports on all of the presidential candidate’s rural plan; turns out the report on Senator Amy Klobuchar reads like

Rural broadband. This is something everybody is for, Democrats and Republicans alike, so nobody gets points for mentioning rural broadband. That’s a given. Most candidates don’t even bother to mention the dirty details — getting broadband to rural areas is expensive. Warren and Buttigieg have the temerity to offer a pricetag — she says $85 billion; he says $80 billion. By contrast, Trump is in the process of allocating $20 billion, so you can get some sense of scale. Lo, in some ways Klobuchar actually has the boldest rural broadband plan of all. She doesn’t offer a dollar figure but does vow to connect every home to the internet by 2022. That vow would be more credible if she offered a dollar figure — it’s embedded in a larger infrastructure program she prices at $1 trillion — but is still a more specific goal than any other candidate has proposed. Who would have guessed that Klobuchar, who has pitched her moderation as a selling point, would actually be the most radical on rural broadband?

Klobuchar’s 2022 date may be either a stroke of technological daring — or a copy-and-paste job. Her home state has set a 2022 goal for making sure everyone in Minnesota has rural broadband. Minnesota’s ambitious rural broadband goal has been a model for other states — Ralph Northam cited it during his 2017 campaign for governor. For Minnesota, the “broadband for all” program is part of an economic development strategy backed by both parties to try to turn the state into a technology capital. Now, here’s the problem: That’s a lot easier to do in flat Minnesota than in, oh, let’s say, the mountains of Appalachia. Klobuchar’s 2022 date would be a stretch, but let’s give her points for her moonshot approach (assuming, of course, some staffer simply didn’t steal Minnesota’s goal without thinking through the details).

It’s a nod to the work done in Minnesota and to Senator Klobuchar’s priority on broadband. I might offset the challenge of mountains with the challenge or size. Virginia at 42,775 miles squared is about half the size in Minnesota (86,943 miles squared). Every state has a different set as assets and challenges! We see that even regionally in Minnesota from sturdy terrain of aptly named Rock County, to the Northern Woods to the challenge of 10,000 lakes.