Minnesota Line Extension Funding: Local Providers Are the Big Winners

Three local providers were the big winners in the latest round of Minnesota’s Line Extension Connection broadband funding program. Two larger companies—Mediacom and Midco—also won funding in this round of the program, which awarded a total of almost $4.4 million. Mediacom won $190,501 to extend service to 37 locations and Midco won $166,800 to extend service to 21 locations. The three local providers that won the most funding were Hiawatha Broadband, which won over $1.3 million to extend service to 205 locations; Consolidated Telephone Company (not to be confused with Consolidated Communications), which won over $1 million to extend service to 282 locations; and Arvig, which won over $842,500 to bring service to 118 locations. Arvig’s awards were made to six different entities that the company owns. IArvig noted that it will contribute a total of $217,419 toward project costs. Other companies winning funding were Bevcomm, Farmers Mutual Telephone, Federated REA Cooperative, Federated Telephone Cooperative, Johnson Telephone, Otter Tail Telecom, Paul Bunyan Telephone, Sytek Communication, and Wiktel. The awardees will contribute a total of over $2.2 million toward total project costs of over $6.6 million.