Broadband in Minnesota
MN DEED has subcommittees specifically created to plan projects and award funds to help rural areas build broadband connections, and map broadband connectivity. They have been successful in connecting rural areas with fiber, and hope to give all homes in MN adequate internet access by 2022. The Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant Program was their most recent program. It was meant to help fund and encourage broadband infrastructure construction in rural Minnesota. 20 million dollars was allocated and granted last year, and they are currently awaiting legislation to be passed which will continue the program.
Minnesota currently outlaws municipal networks in cities that may compete with local ISPs. This is a problem, because if ISPs underserve an area, many families will be left without an adequate internet connection. Municipal networks allow a community to build their own network to suit their needs, and reach target areas that ISPs may not want to build in. There are currently 22 states in the U.S. that ban municipal networks, and there has been recent legislation to make it illegal across the U.S.