Tag Archives: ReConnect

Senate votes for agriculture bill with $109 million for rural broadband

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Broadband Breakfast reports…

The Senate voted 60-40 Monday to pass a continuing resolution that would reopen the government, plus some appropriations bills. One of the pieces of legislation would provide about $109 million for rural broadband programs.

The Department of Agriculture’s ReConnect program would see $50,750,000 of that. The bill would direct the funding to rural areas in which at least 90 percent of households lack access to speeds of 25 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 3 Mbps upload, provided there isn’t an existing state or federally funded deployment already planned. Recipient ISPs would have to deploy 100 * 20 Mbps.

Another $40,767,000 would be made available for distance learning and telemedicine grants, also managed by the USDA.

Paul Bunyan Communications completes broadband expansion in Sandy Pike, & Wuori Townships (St Louis County)

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From Paul Bunyan Communications…

Paul Bunyan Communications has completed expanding its all-fiber optic network, the GigaZone®, to areas of Sandy, Pike, and Wuori Townships that included over 680 homes and businesses. Those who have signed up for service are being contacted to set up service installation.
“We remain fully committed to bringing all-fiber optic gigabit broadband to the underserved areas in our region. Reliable Internet is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity, and we’re proud to now serve Sandy, Pike, and Wuori Townships.” said Chad Bullock, Paul Bunyan Communications CEO/General Manager.
“This is a major upgrade for both residents and businesses,” said Leo Anderson, Chief Technology Officer at Paul Bunyan Communications. “With our all-fiber optic network now offering Internet speeds up to 10 Gig, things like remote work, distance learning, telehealth, and streaming are not only possible, but they are seamless. It is a true game changer for these communities.”
Anyone interested in getting connected to the all-fiber optic broadband network in these areas can still sign up for service. The cooperative will return to bring the network up to locations with no construction fee when feasible.
There is no membership fee to join Paul Bunyan Communications, membership is included by subscribing to either local phone service or GigaZone® Internet service.
To check to see if a specific location is within an expansion area and learn more about the expansion construction process, visit http://www.gigazone.com
This project was made possible through the USDA ReConnect 3 Grant Program. This project is estimated to cost $13,588,555 with the USDA grant contributing $10,191,416. Paul Bunyan Communications investing $3,381,112, and Wuori Township contributing $16,026.

Lismore Telephone and Nobles County kick of FTTP project funded by ReConnect and MN State Grants

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The Worthington Globe…

Many local companies are working together to bring enhanced broadband services to underserved, rural Nobles County residents, using approximately 637 miles of fiber to provide high-speed internet to 1,550 households and sites.

Bill Loonan, general manager of Lismore Cooperative Telephone Company, met with Nobles County commissioners and other project stakeholders Wednesday morning in Bigelow to kick off the Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) project.

They are working on a project in the area…

[Nobles County Board Chairman Gene] Metz said Nobles County invested $4 million into this project — money set aside from wind production tax revenues the county received.

“Our counties decided to spend their production tax to bring that service to everybody in the rural area,” Metz said.

Total project costs amount to $27.4 million. Funding for the project consists of 50% loan and 50% grant, with $13.7 million requested through grants and $5.7 million requested through loans. An additional $8 million is a cash substitution amount for the loan portion.

Lismore Cooperative applied for and received a grant of $19.4 million from the Rural Development Broadband ReConnect Program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Another grant was received through the Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant program. In all, $208,598 was awarded specifically for the FTTP project in Bigelow.

More details…

The total FTTP project cost for Bigelow alone adds up to $695,328. The project area encompasses about 4.16 miles of buried fiber that will serve 113 locations, of which 19 are unserved and 94 are underserved.

Nobles County has awarded $35,000 toward the Bigelow project and the City of Bigelow has funded $15,000. The FTTP network is aimed at bridging the digital divide in the rural city of Bigelow.

US House moves to restore ReConnect Funding for 2026

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Broadband Breakfast reports…

A rural broadband program had its funding restored by a House Appropriations subcommittee on June 4.

The ReConnect Loan and Grant Program, which provides funding for broadband infrastructure in rural areas, received a proposed $90 million for Fiscal Year 2026 in a recent bill released by the House Appropriations Committee.

Although President Donald Trump proposed eliminating ReConnect program funding in his FY26 budget proposal (p. 140), House lawmakers  chose not only to continue the funding, but more than double the program’s FY25  budget of $44 million. The bill still needs to be approved by the full House.

More info on MiEnergy’s ReConnect broadband funding in Fillmore and Winona counties

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The Winona Post reports...

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director for Minnesota Colleen Landkamer recently announced MiEnergy Cooperative as a recipient of a $14.1 million dollar grant from the ReConnect Program.

The $14.1 million grant, matched with a $14.1 million loan, will help the cooperative bring fiber to 2,255 people, 55 businesses, and 235 farms in Fillmore and Winona counties. The area includes unserved areas surrounding the city of Spring Valley in Fillmore County. In Winona County, the area includes unserved locations east of the city of St. Charles, surrounding the city of Utica, east and south of the city of Lewiston, and locations south of Interstate 90. Maps of the locations for this award can be seen by visiting www.rus-services.rd.usda.gov/s/public-searchable-database, selecting the program ReConnect, and searching for MiEnergy.

More info on Red River Communications’ ReConnect broadband project in Clay County

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InForum reports…

Red River Communications received a $5.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to install fiber optic broadband for more than 80 square miles of rural Clay County. The Abercrombie, N.D.-based telecommunications cooperative received the funding through the agency’s ReConnect Program, which provides funding for new and improved broadband infrastructure in rural communities.

The company will make improvements in sparsely populated parts of southwest Clay County, including rural Comstock and rural Sabin.

The area has around two locations that need broadband access per square mile, Red River Communications CEO Tom Steinolfson said. Installing the infrastructure without funding could cost $30,000 per subscriber in the most rural areas served.

“So without adequate funding, there’s just not a business plan that’s able to be made to make sure these people have broadband that other parts of Minnesota, as well as North Dakota, already enjoy,” Steinolfson said.

On the specific funding…

Of the total project cost, the federal grant covers 75% of costs, matched by a 25% investment from Red River Communications, he said.

More info on the ReConnect broadband awards in Crow Wing & Morrison, Fillmore & Winona and Clay Counties

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I wrote about the award earlier (so no new money) but nice to see the Minnesota Star Tribune mention it…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is sending more than $44 million in grants to Minnesota to help people in rural communities access high-speed broadband.

The funding, which Sen. Tina Smith helped secure through her work on the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, is expected to give more than 5,000 Minnesotans, especially in rural areas, high-speed broadband access across the state. It’s also projected to help at least 139 businesses and 368 farms, Smith’s office said.

The latest investment comes when as many as 136,000 homes and businesses across Minnesota are said to lack high-speed broadband access.

As part of the investment, the USDA awarded Consolidated Telecommunications Co. $11 million to connect as many as 600 homes and dozens of farms and businesses to broadband in Crow Wing and Morrison counties. …

MiEnergy Cooperative was awarded more than $28 million to provide high-speed broadband to 55 businesses and 235 farms in Fillmore and Winona counties. That investment is expected to help as many as 2,255 Minnesotans.

Additionally, Red River Rural Telephone Association was awarded more than $5 million to help 17 businesses and 55 farms and a school access high-speed broadband in Clay County. That aid is expected to help as many as 482 Minnesotans.

More info on CTC’s ReConnect broadband project in Brainerd

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The Minnesota Star Tribune reports...

High-speed internet is coming to farmers, rural homeowners and businesses in Crow Wing and Morrison counties.

Consolidated Telecommunications Co. in Brainerd, a rural broadband cooperative, was awarded a $5.5 million loan and $5.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service. Federal officials visited Brainerd this week to announce the funding as part of $313 million awarded nationwide through President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda and USDA’s ReConnect Program.

Andy Isackson, the co-op’s chief marketing officer, said nearly 600 homes will be connected to broadband with the funding. That includes 2,831 people, 67 businesses and 78 farms, the USDA said.

Three MN communities get ReConnect funding for broadband (Crow Wing & Morrison, Fillmore & Winona and Clay Counties)

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Senator Tina Smith announces...

Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) announced three grants from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide high-speed, reliable internet to residents in rural Minnesota. Over 5,000 people will benefit from these awards. Recipients include 139 different businesses and 368 farms across the state.

“Internet access is not just a luxury in the 21st century, it’s a necessity,” said Senator Smith. “In Minnesota and across the country, people in rural areas, small towns, and Tribal communities need access to reliable, high-speed internet. Investing in broadband infrastructure with the ReConnect Grant Program will help connect communities in every part of the country to high-speed internet and I am proud to have helped bring this funding back to Minnesota.”

Three organizations across Minnesota were awarded money:

  • Consolidated Telephone Company – The investment will be used to deploy high-speed fiber optics to 67 businesses and 78 farms in Crow Wing and Morrison, and 2,831 people will benefit. They received $5,510,933 as a grant, and $5,510,933 as a loan.
  • MiEnergy Cooperative – The investment will be used to deploy high-speed fiber optics to 55 businesses and 235 farms in Fillmore and Winona, and 2,255 people will benefit. They received $14,122,353 as a grant and $14,122,353 as a loan.
  • Red River Rural Telephone Association – The investment will be used to deploy high-speed fiber optics to 17 businesses, 55 farms, and one school in Clay County, and 482 people will benefit. They received $5,166,742 as a grant.

The investment comes from USDA Rural Development’s ReConnect Loan and Grant Program and totals $44,433,314 for all three awards. ReConnect provides loans and grants to bring high-speed internet to rural areas that lack access to broadband.

Pine County gets $5.5 million ReConnect grant to build broadband

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Patriot News reports...

U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-MN) and Representative Pete Stauber (R-MN08) announced a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide high-speed, reliable internet to 38 businesses and 147 farms in Pine County. Over 1,000 people in socially vulnerable communities will have direct access to the internet with modern fiber optics running right to their front door. …

The investment comes from USDA Rural Development’s ReConnect Loan and Grant Program and totals $5,576,250. ReConnect provides loans and grants to bring high-speed internet to rural areas that lack access to broadband. 

President Biden signs Farm Extension Bill, which support extended broadband funding

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Telecompetitor reports…

President Biden signed an extension to the Farm Bill on Thursday as part of a new appropriations package aimed at averting a government shutdown.

The bill that Biden signed is commonly referred to as stopgap funding because it extends funding for some government programs through January 19 and for others until February 4 of 2024….

What does that mean?

Oveson and Keber confirmed with Telecompetitor that key broadband deployment programs in the current Farm Bill are the Broadband Loan and Grant Program, the Community Connect Program and the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program.

According to WTA, those programs are slated to get the same level of funding specified in the current Farm Bill, which, on an annual basis, is:

  • $3 million for the Broadband Loan and Grant Program
  • $35 million for Community Connect
  • $70 million for the Distance Learning & Telemedicine Program

The ReConnect Program, also administered by USDA, is not part of the Farm Bill, but is temporarily funded through January 19 at the current level of approximately $379 million on an annual basis, Keber said. That program makes grants, loans and grant/loan combinations to cover some of the costs of rural broadband deployments.

Farm Bill Wish List

Both NTCA and WTA would like to see the ReConnect program moved into the Farm Bill when the bill is updated. Because Farm Bills are normally updated every five years, this would eliminate the need to reauthorize ReConnect funding every year.

“We want to get ReConnect properly authorized so it’s a longer-term program, rather than relying on appropriations each year,” said Keber. He added that WTA wants to make sure that ReConnect rules require funding recipients to deploy service at speeds of at least 100 Mbps symmetrically in keeping with the rules that have been in place for the last two years.

NTCA has noted that it would not like to see ReConnect give preference to certain types of providers.

According to Oveson, stakeholders have until September 2024 to negotiate an updated Farm Bill.

USDA announces $700M in broadband awards including almost $20M in Nobles County

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The USDA reports…

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced nearly $700 million in grants and loans to connect thousands of rural residents, farmers and business owners in 22 states and the Marshall Islands to reliable, affordable high-speed internet through the ReConnect Program, funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This program is uniquely designed to fund the most difficult high-speed internet projects in the nation, which are the most rural, remote and unserved communities. …

Today’s high-speed internet investments are part of the fourth funding round of the ReConnect Program. Many residents and businesses in rural areas would not have high-speed internet service without the ReConnect Program, as the program is a key part of the Administration’s Internet for All initiative to connect everyone in America to high-speed internet by 2030. Today’s announcement includes $667 million in USDA investments in Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and the Marshall Islands.

Lismore Cooperative received an award to deploy broadband in Nobles County…

ReConnect Loan and Grant Combination
Lismore Cooperative Telephone Company
grant: $13,688,114
loan: $5,723,996

This Rural Development investment will be used to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network to provide high[1]speed internet. This network will benefit 3,839 people, 127 businesses, 679 farms and one educational facility in Nobles County in Minnesota. Lismore Cooperative Telephone Company will make high-speed internet affordable by participating in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Lifeline and Affordable Connectivity Programs.

Reforms in ReConnect to help more broadband providers access funds to serve rural areas

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There’s a push in the US Senate to offer resources to help rural communities get broadband funding by offering opportunities to help smaller providers, cooperatives, local governments and nonprofits…

U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Ted Budd (R-N.C.) introduced the Connecting Our Neighbors to Networks and Ensuring Competitive Telecommunications (CONNECT) Act of 2023 to reform the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) ReConnect Loan and Grant Program. The CONNECT Act makes it easier for small providers to apply to this program, and ensures federal funding reaches rural communities faster by shortening required permitting deadlines. ??U.S. Representatives Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.) and Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.) will introduce companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives. …

Specifically, the CONNECT Act would:

  • Establish an Office of Technical Assistance to aid eligible providers with application forms;

  • Create a Mini-Grant Program offering grants up to $20,000 for small providers;

  • Prioritize applications from local governments, nonprofit organizations, or cooperatives;

  • Designate rural areas that receive broadband service via non-wireline technology as eligible for ReConnect funding;

  • Shorten certain permitting deadlines for USDA-funded broadband projects from 270 to 180 days;

  • Create an interagency Broadband Council to recommend uniform speed and application requirements for federal programs; and

  • Expand federal easements for certain electric utilities to enable them to lease existing fiber capacity.

Senator Smith visits Rushford to talk about broadband

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News 8000 reports…

Minnesota Senator Tina Smith visited Rushford, Minnesota Thursday to tout funds that will go towards expanding broadband access in rural areas.

Senator Smith helped acquire 13.6 million dollars from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Office’s ReConnect Loan and Grant Program.

The funds will go towards the construction and improvement of facilities needed to give rural areas broadband access.

While touring Mienergy cooperative, the senator explained why it is important for everyone to have access to broadband.

“Broadband isn’t just nice to have, it’s necessary for your job, your education. Many people are working remotely. People want to live in this part of America, but they’ve got to have broadband to be connected.” said Senator Smith.

Update on State and Federal Broadband Funding in Kandiyohi County

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West Central Tribune reports…

The United States Department of Agriculture announced June 12 an approximately $19 million ReConnect round four grant to Meeker Cooperative Light and Power Association for a fiber-to-the-premises project covering portions of Meeker, Kandiyohi and Stearns counties.

It was announced on June 28 that a nearly $2 million Border-to-Border Broadband Development grant was awarded to Meeker Co-op by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Office of Broadband Development for fiber-to-the-premises projects in Harrison, Lake Elizabeth and East Lake Lillian townships of Kandiyohi County.

“After successfully receiving a Border-to-Border grant in partnership with Federated Telephone Cooperative serving portions of Arctander, Dovre, Mamre and St. Johns townships in December 2022, we are thrilled to see continued momentum securing federal and state dollars for broadband infrastructure development in Kandiyohi County,” said Sarah Swedburg, business development manager for the EDC.

Covering 76.4 square miles with 155 households, the ReConnect grant will benefit 458 people, 16 businesses, 124 farms and one educational facility in Kandiyohi, Meeker and Stearns counties, according to the USDA ReConnect webpage. Meeker Co-op will make high-speed internet affordable by participating in the Federal Communications Commission Affordable Connectivity Program.

In Kandiyohi County, the ReConnect grant provides funding to connect residents in the most rural townships of Burbank, Roseville and Irving. The EDC Broadband Committee will continue to explore additional projects in those townships in partnership with Meeker Co-op.

The most recent Border-to-Border grants will cover all unserved and underserved premises in Harrison, Lake Elizabeth and East Lake Lillian townships. Lake Elizabeth and East Lake Lillian townships are being funded by the Low-Density Pilot Program of the Office of Broadband Development to build out broadband infrastructure in the most rural areas of the county.