Through our Broadband Initiative, we partner with others to work towards achieving a Broadband Vision for Minnesota.

This is important work.   Broadband is revolutionizing  business, government, education, work and lifestyles.  By opening markets, it creates new jobs and gives new focus and hope to communities in transition.  By making possible the export of services and skills, broadband puts workers into wage and skill competition with people around the globe.  Absent adequate broadband access and technologically literate populations, rural communities will be unable to take advantage of the extraordinary benefits that ultra high-speed, next-generation broadband can provide.

Since 2003, the Broadband Initiative has:

• Convened a strategy board of public and private leaders to guide the Initiative.
• Published the Community Guide to Broadband Development to help local leaders across Minnesota learn more about broadband and explore their options for increasing broadband service and use.
• Brought our Get Broadband--Keeping Communities Competitive program to 29 rural Minnesota communities.
• Dedicated $250,000 to support the "Get Broadband" program in local communities and raised more than twice that amount in additional public and private sector support.
• Initiated the "Light Speed" and "Feasibility Fund" programs.
• Published Open Access Networks: Keeping Minnesota Communities Competitive.
• Received federal stimulus funding for Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities, a multi-partner initiative to enhance broadband capability in rural Minnesota.