2021-MRBC-Fact-Sheet_Logos-and-Listing Minnesota Rural Broadband Coalition
Fact Sheet 2021
Goal: The Minnesota Rural Broadband Coalition requests 92nd Legislature to fund the
Border- to-Border Broadband Development Grant program with $120 million in ongoing
funding in the 2022-2023 biennial budget to help achieve the state’s 2026 broadband
speed goal of 100 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 20 Mbps upload.
Consistent and stable funding of the grant program is important to allow economic
development agencies, local governments and others to be creative and collaborative
in their approach to providing broadband services to these areas.
Background: The Legislature funded the Grant Program at $40 million in the 2020-21 biennial budget, the largest multi-year
investment in the state’s history. However, 157,000 households across the state are still unserved. COVID-19 has only amplified
the need for broadband.
The Governor’s Task Force on Broadband 2020 Report recommends $120 million per biennium in ongoing funding. This level of
funding will provide minimum broadband internet speeds of 25 Mbps/3 Mbps to the households and businesses that currently
lack such service—and will help Minnesota achieve its statutory broadband speed goal of connecting all Minnesotans with
broadband internet speeds of 100 Mbps/20
Mbps by 2026.
Broadband and internet speeds are improving
across Minnesota. What we’ve achieved is a
patchwork of highly successful areas, leaving
behind many rural areas that are underserved
and will have difficult time reaching the goal
without state assistance grants. Many states
across the country look to Minnesota as a
national leader on rural broadband development.
Despite all the good work that we’ve done, there
is still much more to be done to ensure everyone
has access.
“Everyone in Minnesota will be
able to use convenient, affordable
world-class broadband networks
that enable us to survive and
thrive in our communities and
across the globe.”
-The Minnesota Rural
Broadband Coalition’s vision
Minnesota Rural Broadband Coalition Members
Arrowhead Health
Arrowhead Regional Development Commission
Association of Minnesota Counties
Barbara Dröher
Chisago County HRA/EDA
Citizens Utility Board of Minnesota
City of Winthrop
Clay County
Cloquet Valley Internet Initiative
Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities
CoBank
Community of Minnesota Resorts
Community Technology Advisors Corp
Consolidated Telephone Company
Cooperative Lights
Cooperative Network
Cooperative Network Services
Development Services, Inc.
East Central MN Educational Cable Cooperative
East Central Regional Development
Commission
Economic Development Association of Minnesota
EssentiaHealth
Federated Rural Electric
Finley Engineering
Fond du Lac Tribal Communications
GPS 45:93
Great River Energy
Greater Minnesota Partnership
Growth and Justice
Hay Creek Township
Headwaters Regional Development Commission
Hiawatha Broadband Communications
IMPACT 20/20
Institute for Local SelfReliance
Iron Range Economic Alliance
Isanti County
ISD 317 Deer River
Jody Kramer, CPA
Kanabec County EDA
Kandiyohi County Economic Development
League of Minnesota Cities
Leech Lake Tribal Telecommunications
Le Sueur County Broadband
Coalition
Lincoln County EDC
Meeker Cooperative
Meeker County EDA
MidMinnesota Development Commission
MiEnergy Cooperative
Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative
Minnesota Association of Professional County Economic Developers
Minnesota Association of Small Cities
Minnesota Association of Townships
Minnesota Corn Growers Association
Minnesota Farm Bureau
Minnesota Farmers Union
Minnesota Library Association
Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association
Minnesota Public Broadband
Alliance
Minnesota Rural Education Association
Minnesota Rural Electric Association
Minnesota Soybean Growers Association
MN Association of Community Telecommunications and
Administrators
MN River Valley Education District
MN Rural Counties Caucus
MN Telecom Alliance
MVTV Wireless
Neighborhood National Bank
Nemadji Research Corporation
Nobles County Economic Opportunity Network
North Region Health Alliance
North Star Township
Northeast Service Cooperative
Northland Foundation
Northwest Minnesota Foundation
NW Regional Development Commission
PCs for People
Project FINE
Range Association of Municipalities and Schools
Redwing Ignite
Redwood County
Region 5 Regional Development Commission
Region Nine Development Commission
Schools for Equity in Education
Sherburne County EDA
Sourcewell
Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar
Cooperative
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation
Southwest Initiative Foundation
Southwest Regional Development Commission
SPIRE Credit Union
Treacy Information Services
Turtle Island Communications
Upper Minnesota Valley Regional Development Commission
West Central Initiative
Winthrop EDA