Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced Minnesota's Digital Opportunity Plan has been accepted by the US Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

One week after funding 24 projects to expand broadband infrastructure in Minnesota, the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced it is accepting applications for another $50 million in broadband development grants. This grant round is the 10th time DEED has released funding through the Border-to-Border Broadband Program.

The Minnesota Department of Employment of and Economic Development (DEED) is celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Office of Broadband Development (OBD) and the ten grant rounds that followed.

Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) announced over $50 million in grants to expand broadband access to an estimated 8,900 homes and businesses throughout Minnesota. Twenty four broadband expansion projects will receive grants from the Department of Employment and Economic Development's (DEED) Office of Broadband Development, helping deploy new broadband infrastructure around Minnesota.

After two rounds of historic investments in 2022-2023, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) launched its latest effort to provide high-speed broadband to Minnesota homes and businesses that need it. DEED has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to award $50 million in broadband grants to providers across the state.

Ahead of an important April 30 deadline, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is encouraging Minnesotans to apply for its Line Extension Program to connect homes and businesses to high-speed broadband. The DEED Office of Broadband Development's Line Extension Program connects internet service providers to residents and businesses that lack high-speed broadband.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development's Office of Broadband Development (OBD) is developing a digital equity plan to create improvements in internet affordability, access to internet-enabled devices, and ways to provide digital skills training. We want to hear from Minnesotans most impacted by the digital access and skills gap to ensure our digital equity plan reflects the goals and needs of all Minnesotans. This plan will help us determine how to spend federal funding coming in 2024 aimed at increasing digital access and skills.

Improvements in our state broadband mapping data and related resources has revealed that we have more households and businesses without access to broadband than understood in 2021 (>198,000 with no service or insufficient service @ 25/3 and >291,000 @ 100/20). As the new Federal Communications Commission "fabric map" updates coverage through a challenge process, it is expected this number will reveal further deficits in coverage.