The Minnesota Senate today approved a comprehensive agriculture, broadband, and drought relief bill that invests heavily in expanding broadband access to unserved and underserved Minnesota communities.

“High-speed internet is no longer just a luxury, it is a utility as important as electricity,” Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller (R-Winona) said. “There are still gaps in Minnesota’s broadband coverage, particularly in rural communities, but we are making progress every year. This bill takes another big step forward in that ongoing effort.”

The legislation directs over $210 million, the bulk of which comes from federal funds, to improve Minnesota broadband access across the state. This is in addition to the $70 million in federal funds that the legislature directed last session. This includes up to $30 million for the Lower Population Density Pilot Program to connect hard to reach unserved areas, up to $15 million for the Line Extension Program to connect difficult to reach individual homes, up to $15 million for updated broadband mapping, and the remaining funds to the successful Border-to-Border Broadband grant program. 

Investments in the Border-to-Border Broadband grant program have become increasingly important to connect all Minnesotans to the modern economy. Roughly 240,000 Minnesota households are without reliable internet access including 25% of rural Minnesota households.