The Office of Broadband Development (OBD) recently announced the first round of Broadband Line Extension Connection Program awards, which provides nearly $4.4 million to expand wired broadband throughout Minnesota. Internet providers carrying out the projects matched the state funding at $2.2 million, bringing the total investment to more than $6.6 million.
“This program has already led to the identification of more than 100 fiber infrastructure extensions in our rural areas that previously would not have received service without the program or they would have been on a construction list for several years due to the cost,” said David Arvig, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Arvig. “The Broadband Line Extension Connection Program gives customers the opportunity to share the specifics regarding the lack of service available at their location, identifying unserved customers with the most need for broadband service.”
This funding will deliver at least 100 Mbps download and 100 Mbps upload to 843 locations across 32 counties. Of these locations, 779 are residences and 64 are businesses–21 of which are in Senate District 9.
“Back in 2022, when I was in the House of Representatives, I served as the chief sponsor of legislation to establish the Broadband Line Extension Connection Program,” said Senator Jordan Rasmusson (R-Fergus Falls). “This is a cost-effective approach to closing internet gaps throughout the state. With the first round of funding now complete, I am thrilled to see so many households and businesses utilize this resource. The Office of Broadband will be facilitating more grant rounds in the future, and I look forward to seeing the continued success of this program.”
It is often expensive for broadband service providers to extend their fiber optic cables to underserved households and businesses, as they are mostly in rural communities. That is why the Broadband Line Extension Connection Program, which was established through Sen. Rasmusson’s HF3605, extends broadband service through a reverse auction process. This means OBD selects broadband provider bids that request the least amount of financial support to fund broadband line extension projects.
“The addition of the Line Extension program to DEED’s Office of Broadband’s tools for deployment of reliable broadband is directly improving people’s lives,” said Bree Maki, DEED Office of Broadband Development executive director. “The first round of awards supports 843 projects from 20 providers across 32 Minnesota counties, including 21 projects in District 9. Access to reliable, affordable broadband allows people to connect to people, information, and resources and we are excited to continue expanding Minnesota’s broadband coverage.”
A household or business can apply to the Line Extension Connection Program if it does not have wireline internet service of at least 25 Mbps Download and 3 Mbps Upload. For more information on the Program and to learn how to apply for the next round of funding, visit: http://mn.gov/deed/programs-services/broadband/extension.