Minn. Officials See More Broadband Work Ahead
Minnesota is seeking to end its digital divide with incoming support from NTIA’s broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program, said members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation and state government officials at a partially virtual workshop Wednesday. More money and state legislation will probably be required to finish the job, said local government and workers’ union officials on a panel.
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Sen. Amy Klobuchar is keeping the pressure on federal mapping efforts, the Minnesota Democrat said in prerecorded remarks. “I'm pushing to make sure that the administration releases these maps swiftly and meets its target date of June 30 for allocation of the grants,” she said. Klobuchar said she's optimistic at least $100 million per state from BEAD should make a difference in Minnesota: “If they can have broadband in Iceland, a country with active volcanoes that spew lava, maybe, just maybe we can get it in rural Minnesota.”
Minnesota’s broadband strategy was built on collaboration with localities, ISPs and federal government, said Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., in another video. "It's great that we're making progress, but we need to make sure that we have a national strategy and the money gets to the right places.” Broadband is “not just nice to have -- it's essential.” Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., sees “more to do, but we've gotten results.” Every American should have broadband in 2025, she said in a prerecorded video.
“Minnesota is moving aggressively and thoughtfully” to cover the state by 2026, Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Steve Grove said in another video. He estimated 240,000 households lack access in Minnesota. The state announced $100 million in funding in December through the state’s border-to-border grant program, and plans to distribute another $67 million this summer, said DEED Broadband Development Office Director Bree Maki. Gov. Tim Walz (D) and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (D) will seek another $276 million from the legislature this session, said Maki.
Minnesota is "leaps and bounds ahead of many, many, many other states,” NTIA BEAD Program Director Evan Feinman told workshop attendees. NTIA wants to "turbocharge" that progress through BEAD, he said.
Don’t let state legislators think more money isn’t needed in light of large federal sums, said Stearns County, Minnesota, Commissioner Tarryl Clark on a panel. “Time is of the essence,” said Clark, who chairs the National Association of Counties Telecommunications and Technology Policy Steering Committee. Rural communities should keep advocating for broadband support, said Bois Forte Tribal Government IT Director Randy Long: “I’m hoping this isn’t short-lived.”
"We can spend millions” but not spend it well, said Jeff Lacher, Communications Workers of America District 7 organizer. "We will have failed from the get-go if we're not providing quality jobs to actually build out the system.” State lawmakers should put requirements on funding recipients that go beyond NTIA guidelines, he said. Lacher suggested requiring subgrantees to have a directly employed workforce and in-house safety training. Under the Connect America Fund, the CWA representative said he saw companies spend cash on fiber to nodes but not all the way to residents. There’s no labor shortage, added Lacher: Some large companies have laid off workers locally.
Policymakers should hike speed requirements, said Nathan Zacharias, Association of Minnesota Counties technology policy analyst. A speed tier with 25 Mbps downloads and 3 Mbps uploads is “rapidly becoming antiquated” and it would be “naive” to think 100/20 Mbps won't soon seem outdated as well, Zacharias said: Aim for fiber with symmetrical speeds.
Lobbyists should adapt their messaging in Minnesota’s capital because the legislature now has more urban members and Democrats flipped the state Senate to form a blue trifecta (see 2211230062), said Amanda Duerr, St. Paul Chamber of Commerce vice president-public affairs. Rural broadband was previously the legislature's focus, but it might behoove advocates to talk more about adoption issues like affordability and language barriers, she said. Duerr also urged legislators to streamline “extremely difficult” state-level permitting processes, which she said are much slower than local government processes.