Many Minnesotans still don’t have reliable access to the internet, and even if they do, the rates are often just not affordable, advocates for statewide broadband said Tuesday at an event marking ten years of work in high-speed internet expansion.
As of November, about 162,000 Minnesota households didn’t have access to internet with download speeds of 25 megabits per second and upload speeds of 3 megabits per second, which the state had hoped everyone would have by 2022.
While gaps in coverage certainly exist, Minnesota was still touted as one of the leaders in broadband development as it celebrated the Office of Broadband Development’s creation.
Presenters and attendees at the event in Brooklyn Center included broadband advocates from rural communities, internet service providers in those areas, and state leaders who have been involved in broadband development since as far back as 2008. The gathering was hosted by the Department of Employment and Economic Development.
In a keynote speech, Kathryn de Wit, the project director for the Broadband Access Initiative, highlighted Minnesota as a leading state in the development of broadband.
De Wit’s work with the initiative is part of The Pew Charitable Trust’s research to figure out how different state’s were approaching the broadband issues and where it was working.
“I’m sure this will come as no surprise that many people directed us to Minnesota,” she said. “We learned quite a bit about Minnesota and the unique way that y’all have approached the digital divide.”
She referred to it as the “Minnesota model,” which is made up of four tenants: strong leadership from executive and legislative branches, a focus on data and mapping, continuous policy improvement and sustained relationships.
Minnesota established its Office of Broadband Development in 2014 under former Gov. Mark Dayton. Since then, a task force has focused on the issue and used grant programs like the Border-to-Border and Low Population Density grants to help fund projects.
Over the past decade, these grants helped nearly 112,000 homes and businesses receive access to broadband. Earlier this month, Gov. Tim Walz announced another round of funding for such projects — with $50 million in available grants.
De Wit said Minnesota set higher goals for broadband than the federal standard. In 2016, the state set a goal of all Minnesota businesses and homes having access to at least one broadband provider with download speeds of 100 megabits per second and upload speeds of at least 20 megabits per second by 2026.
The state of broadband now
As of November, about 229,000, households lacked access to the internet speeds that the state set for its 2026 goal, according to a presentation the Office of Broadband Development gave to the Legislature in February.
Other presenters at Tuesday’s event included people who work on the ground to increase access to technology and internet, including Tim Gerlach, who works with the American Connection Corps.
Gerlach lives in Koochiching County, which spans over 3,000 square miles and has a population of 12,000 people, which he described as a “remote and isolated place.” Internet access has been, and continues to be, an issue for people there.
He shared a story about how he helped a man who got injured and therefore was out of a job and struggling to make ends meet. Gerlach signed him up for the Affordable Connectivity Program, and he started receiving free internet service. The Connection Corps also surprised him with a refurbished laptop, so that he could video chat with his children who had moved away.
Federal dollars for projects
A big topic for attendees was the nearly $652 million that Minnesota will be receiving as a part of the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program. The state put forth a proposal for how it hopes to use the funds to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration in December, though many stakeholders are concerned about limitations the federal agency may put on the projects.
Another worry among some attendees, including Diane Wells, the deputy director for the Office of Broadband Development, is that the federal agency may propose major changes to the proposal, which could potentially prevent internet service providers from applying for the funding.
“What was submitted upholds the DNA of the Border-to-Border program, which has been successful for the last 10 years in deploying broadband to these areas. So the closer that we can remain to the … border program, the more successful we’ll be,” said panelist Melissa Wolf, the executive director for the Minnesota Cable Communications Association.
Wells said that the state plans to hold its ground on some of the things and that she’s less concerned about getting the funding by a certain timeline, especially because the state has its own funding that recently opened.
“If we have to just hold the line and wear them down and try to be successful to keep it as close to Border-to-Border, we’re willing to do that,” Wells said. “Because if we don’t, and we don’t have anybody interested in applying because of all of these things that have to be done, because we didn’t try and move the line, then we don’t end up with any shovels hitting the ground anyway, which defeats the whole purpose.”
Ava Kian
Ava Kian is MinnPost’s Greater Minnesota reporter. Follow her on Twitter @kian_ava or email her at akian@minnpost.com.
