The Office of Broadband Development recently announced that a Nobles County broadband infrastructure project in Senate District 21 will receive a $208,598 grant through the Department of Employment and Economic Development’s (DEED) Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant Program.

The Lismore Cooperative Telephone Company will establish and operate a Fiber to the Premise network aimed at bridging the digital divide in the rural City of Bigelow, Nobles County. The proposed project will cover approximately 4.16 miles of last-mile buried fiber and fiber drop cabling, serving 113 locations—19 of which are unserved and 94 are underserved.

“With our increasing reliance on high-speed internet for business and education, improving broadband access is essential,” Senator Bill Weber (R-Luverne) said. “Minnesota has made great progress in recent years, expanding coverage to unserved and underserved areas. The latest round of grants will connect even more residents to quality broadband. Thank you to the Nobles County internet service provider and its local partners for their efforts in securing this important funding!”

This grant program, created in 2014, funds the expansion of broadband services in areas of the state that are unserved or underserved. To date, DEED has awarded over $400 million in Border-to-Border or Low Population Density grants, providing broadband access to nearly 120,000 homes and businesses. Communities and internet service providers have contributed over $48 million in matching funds for this round of grants and over $400 million for all grant rounds combined.

A complete listing of the Border-to-Border Broadband Program grant awards and project descriptions is available, HERE.