More than 20 percent of Kandiyohi County households lack access to broadband service at speeds matching Minnesota’s current goals
Meeting underscored the importance of border-to-border broadband access for Minnesota’s economy
ST. PAUL, MN – Today, Lt. Governor Tina Smith convened a meeting in Willmar focused on the importance of ensuring that Minnesotans have reliable, affordable broadband internet access. In 2015, MVTV Wireless Middle Mile received an
$808,080 broadband grant to improve broadband access and speeds for more than 3,000 farm-related businesses and 6,000 rural residents across 20 counties in Southwestern Minnesota. However, more than
20 percent of Kandiyohi County households still lack access to broadband service at speeds matching Minnesota’s current goals.
To help businesses and families like those in Kandiyohi County all across Minnesota, Governor Dayton and Lt. Governor Smith have proposed a
$100 million state investment to expand rural broadband internet access this year. This funding would leverage additional local and private resources to significantly expand access across Minnesota.
“Broadband isn’t just nice, it’s necessary if we want Minnesota's economy to work for everyone, everywhere in Minnesota. We need the bandwidth for Minnesota's regional centers and rural economies to support innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Lt. Governor Tina Smith. “In partnership with communities and broadband providers, we can make progress for Minnesota. If we don’t, 244,000 Minnesota households will continue to lack basic access to high-speed internet. We can, and must, do better than that.”
Expanding Minnesota’s broadband internet infrastructure to ensure border-to-border access for every Minnesotan could cost an estimated $900 million to $3.2 billion. The Governor and Lt. Governor’s $100 million investment would jumpstart our expansion efforts to move Minnesota towards an innovation economy that works for everyone, everywhere in our state. And based on past grant funding, this investment would leverage at least $100 million more in private and local sources.
Basic Infrastructure for a 21st Century Economy
Ensuring that every Minnesotan has access to affordable, reliable, broadband internet is essential for an innovation economy that works for everyone, everywhere in Minnesota. Learn more about how broadband access makes a difference for Minnesota communities below.
· Innovation Infrastructure – Minnesota entrepreneurs export their ideas and innovations to customers across the country and around the world, and they rely on affordable, reliable broadband internet to make it happen. Border-to-border access will help ensure that all Minnesotans get a fair shake and help build an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthy few.
· Supporting Good-Paying Jobs – High-speed broadband enhances educational outcomes, workforce training opportunities, and private sector development. As a result, broadband infrastructure is crucial for our future prosperity and for Minnesota businesses competing in a global economy.
· Revitalizing Minnesota Main Streets – Now more than ever, rural development is closely tied to the effective use of new and emerging information technologies. Communities with a poorly developed information technology infrastructure will be unable to generate new business expansions and retain existing businesses and residents.
FACT SHEET: Broadband: Connecting to the 21st Century Economy [
Link]
