How Did North Dakota Become the Crown Jewel of the Internet in the Midwest?

Why is broadband access in North Dakota as good as it is? First, the federal government helped. The US Department of Commerce's Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) invested significantly in North Dakota’s broadband infrastructure. The BTOP created a state broadband program office within the North Dakota Information Technology Department, paid to install hundreds of miles of high-speed fiber cable, and connected several universities in North Dakota to a broader network of high-speed “anchor networks.” But North Dakota’s internet surge has an additional explanation, and this one is easier to reproduce. Rural cooperatives, or co-ops, made up of local service providers are major internet players in North Dakota.