Minnesota Broadband: Land of 10,000 Connectivity Solutions

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR)'s new report showcases the diverse range of approaches Minnesota communities and local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have taken to expand affordable, high-quality Internet access. It includes a series of case studies that detail how communities are meeting the connectivity challenges of a broken marketplace shaped by large monopoly service providers. The profiled projects include municipal networks, public-private partnerships, cooperatives, and private investment; they run from the most rural areas of the state to Minneapolis. "Minnesota communities and local ISPs have found creative and sustainable ways to build future-proof networks across the state, despite a broken marketplace and state barriers that favor slow-moving out-of-state monopoly providers clinging to outdated technology," said Ry Marcattilio-McCracken, co-author of the report and a Senior Researcher at ILSR. "Lawmakers must stand up for the cities and towns that sent them to the legislature, and remove the obstacles that prevent a more competitive market and local broadband solutions." The report illustrates that solving Minnesota’s connectivity challenges remains a fundamentally local issue. The majority of the fastest, most affordable networks in Minnesota have come from locally-rooted companies and a commitment to local communities rather than distant shareholders.

[Ry Marcattilio-McCracken is a Senior Researcher with the Community Broadband Networks Initiative for the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Christopher Mitchell is the Director of the Community Broadband Networks Initiative.]