Governor Walz Announces $53 Million to Expand Broadband to 8,900 Minnesota Homes and Businesses

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. Using the grant funding, providers plan to expand high-speed broadband – offering speeds of at least 100 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 20 Mbps upload—in 25 counties across Minnesota. The 24 grantees (sorted by county) are:

1. Anoka, Chisago Midco ($801,700)

2. Blue Earth, Faribault Easton Telephone Company ($435,838)

3. Brown, Cottonwood Hanson Communications ($395,138)

4. Chippewa, Renville Hanson Communications ($2,081,494)

5. Clay Red River Communications ($970,411)

6. Douglas Gardonville Cooperative Telephone ($223,521)

7. Fillmore Mediacom LLC ($33,863)

8. Isanti East Central Energy ($4,885,809)

9. Kandiyohi Federated Telephone Cooperative ($8,202,000)

10. Kandiyohi Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association ($590,709)

11. Mahnome Arvig ($326,111)

12. Mower Spectrum Mid-America, LLC ($414,699)

13. Pine, Aitkin Savage Communications Inc ($3,563,817)

14. St. Louis Consolidated Telephone Company ($2,292,790)

15. St. Louis Mediacom LLC ($961,102)

16. Stearns Albany Mutual Telephone Association ($7,123,175)

17. Goodhue Nuvera Communications, Inc ($1,884,429)

18. Kittson Wikstrom Telephone Company ($3,066,630)

19. Morrison Upsala Cooperative Telephone Assoc. dba Sytek ($3,689,967)

20. Mower Arvig ($3,129,412)

21. Pipeston Woodstock Telephone Company ($1,612,932)

22. Polk Garden Valley Telephone Company ($1,050,465)

23. Stearns Arvig ($910,537)

24. Waseca Bevcomm Inc ($4,385,444)