Governor Tim Walz announced that the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) will award grants totaling $20,645,425 to 39 projects in the sixth year of the Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant program. State grant dollars are matched by $33,695,279 in local funds, for a total investment in broadband infrastructure of $54,340,704.
 “The pandemic this past year has made it crystal clear that fast, reliable broadband access is critical for people living in Greater Minnesota – for everything from education and health care to business operations and telecommuting,” said Governor Walz. “These grants continue this vitally important work toward our goal of ensuring that every Minnesotan has high-speed internet access by 2022.”
  The projects will bring high-quality broadband access to underserved and unserved areas of Minnesota, providing fast, reliable internet access for 6,922 businesses, homes, and community anchor institutions. The funding, which was approved during the 2019 legislative sessions, goes to broadband providers to build out wireline broadband infrastructure to unserved and underserved locations across the state. The following is a brief description of each of the grant projects awarded this round:
BEVCOMM (Blue Earth Valley Telephone Company, Easton Telephone Company & Cannon Valley Telecom) – Rural Faribault County and Martin County Fiber Expansion Phase 2 Project – GRANT $1,182,818This last mile project will serve approximately two unserved households, 203 underserved households, 46 underserved businesses, and 181 underserved farms in portions of Faribault and Martin counties. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota, Faribault County EDA and Martin County EDA, BEVCOMM will provide fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) at speeds of up to 1 Gbps symmetrical, exceeding the 2022 and 2026 state speed goals. Broadband access will provide home-based business options, stimulate economic growth, and spark innovation and investment in the project area.
Total eligible project cost is $2,957,043                     Local match is $1,774,225
 Winnebago Cooperative Telecom Association – SE Faribault/W Freeborn County FTTP – GRANT $953,842This last mile fiber optic project will bring service to 319 unserved locations, including 289 homes, 16 businesses, 11 farms, and three community anchor institutions in the townships of Clark, Foster, Kiester, Seely, Alden, Carlston, Manchester, Mansfield, and Pickerel Lake located in Southeastern Faribault and Western Freeborn counties. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota, Winnebago Cooperative Telephone Association (WCTA) will bring 1 Gbps download and 1 Gbps upload service capabilities to this very rural part of southern Minnesota, exceeding the 2022 and 2026 state speed goals. As a result of this project, those served will have access to the broadband they need to adapt to the rapidly changing needs of business, employment, education, and social applications.
Total eligible project cost is $3,179,381                     Local match is $2,225,539
This is the sixth year of the Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant program. The grants announced today bring the number of homes and businesses provided broadband access through the grant program since 2014 to a total of over 56,800.