Nearly $2 million in Minnesota Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grants will move $6 million in broadband infrastructure projects forward in the cities of Corcoran and Rogers. These projects will enhance digital access for residents and businesses in these underserved areas of Hennepin County District 7.
The grants will defray some of the expenses to building out broadband infrastructure in rural areas, where lower population densities often make such projects cost prohibitive. The funding addresses not only unserved areas which do not have internet access, but also underserved customers which experience slow speeds that make using the internet difficult.
Hennepin County Commissioner Kevin Anderson along with the county’s Office of Broadband and Digital Inclusion successfully advocated for the funding from the Minnesota Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant Program. Grants have been awarded to Xfinity/Comcast Cable Communications LLC to expand the network in the cities of Corcoran and Rogers.
“I’m grateful to our city partners, county staff, Comcast, and the State of Minnesota for recognizing how vital broadband is to all households, businesses, and farms,” said Anderson. “Hennepin County faces many of the same challenges as other unserved areas in Minnesota with both suburban and rural communities in my district. I have worked hard to ensure every resident has access to reliable, high-speed broadband, and these projects go a long way in our unserved and underserved areas to deliver on that work.”
In Corcoran the total investment is $4.3 million with approximately $3 million in from the city, county and Comcast and $1.3 added from the awarded grant. The project will add a list mile of fiber that will provide or enhance service for:
• 197 unserved households and 253 underserved households
• Five unserved businesses and 30 underserved businesses
• Six unserved farms, and five underserved farms
In Rogers the total investment is $1.6 million with $964,584 from the city, county and Comcast and $643,056 in grant funds. Comcast’s existing network will be extended to:
• 86 unserved households and 66 underserved households
• One unserved business and one underserved business and
• 11 unserved farms
Speeds of 1.2 Gbps download and 35 Mbps upload will exceed Minnesota’s statewide speed goals.
Anderson’s district includes 15 cities in the western part of Hennepin County, and several are rural with unserved and underserved areas. Hennepin County has five planned projects scheduled for the 2023 construction season, which will provide an additional 225.7 miles of fiber anticipated to serve 2,724 households in areas that lack access to high-speed broadband.
The projects are funded through partnerships with internet service providers such as Midco and Comcast, the Hennepin County Office of Broadband and Digital Inclusion, and other intergovernmental entities.
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