A cooperative project between Kandiyohi County and Charter Communications will bring broadband to more than 170 rural, unserved homes and small businesses in the county. Charter is investing more than $563,000, and the county has committed nearly $240,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding.
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WILLMAR—Over the past year, Kandiyohi County has been concentrating on bringing high-speed broadband to all corners of the county. The County Board has even pledged to use up to 75% of its American Rescue Plan Act coronavirus relief money to fund various broadband projects.
At the Feb. 15 County Board meeting, the commissioners approved a letter of support for a grant application being pursued by a party outside of Kandiyohi County. Vibrant Broadband from Litchfield is applying for a USDA ReConnect
WILLMAR—At their annual visit to the Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners, District 17 Senator Andrew Lang, R-Olivia, and District 17B Representative Dave Baker, R-Willmar, were on hand to not only give an update on what is happening in St. Paul, but to also take in the concerns and priorities of the board.
“We’re here today to listen,” Baker said.
The topic the group spent the most time on during Tuesday’s meeting was broadband. Since early 2021, the county board has
WILLMAR—Twenty-three homes along 30th Avenue Northwest in Dovre Township of Kandiyohi County might soon have access to high-speed broadband. A proposed Charter project would bring speeds up to 100 megabits download and 20 megabits upload to the area, which is currently considered unserved by the state.
“It is kind of isolated,” said Kandiyohi County Administrator Larry Kleindl at the Dec. 21 Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners meeting. “We are trying to get them some broadband
PRINSBURG—Approximately 500 residents of Prinsburg will soon have the option of purchasing high-speed broadband services. Following the construction of an 8.1-mile fiber network, the city will have access to speeds reaching one gigabit for residents and 10 gigabits for businesses.
“Arvig is committed to bringing the highest quality broadband services to rural communities like Prinsburg,” said Mark Birkholz, director of customer operations and southern markets at Arvig, in a news release
PRINSBURG, MN, November 8, 2021: On Tuesday, November 2nd, the Prinsburg City Council held a community broadband meeting at the Prinsburg Community Center to complete the next step towards a fiber-to-the home broadband project in partnership with Arvig. Over 40 people were in attendance, including community members and business owners, City representatives, Arvig Enterprises, Inc., and Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission Broadband Committee members.
Access to high-speed
WILLMAR—There has been a local, state and national push to expand broadband access into underserved or unserved areas, especially since the pandemic has shown how instrumental it is to have reliable high-speed internet. U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, in a visit to Willmar on Friday, joined a roundtable discussion about broadband to hear and learn about how broadband expansion is going in Kandiyohi County.
“I’ve been coming to Kandiyohi County to talk about broadband for a long time,”
NEW LONDON—The Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners continues to approve grants to broadband expansion projects, using the county’s American Rescue Plan Act allocation.
At Tuesday’s board meeting, the commissioners approved funding up to $185,828 to help pay for broadband upgrades in three neighborhoods located in New London Township and a small piece of Burbank Township.
“The (Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission) broadband committee has
PRINSBURG—As has been the common theme over the past 18 months, residents in Prinsburg have grown to learn just how important high-speed internet can be. And like so many communities, the city has found what the local providers have to offer isn’t enough.
“They are just not able to meet our needs,” said Roger Ahrenholz, Prinsburg mayor, at Tuesday’s Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners meeting.
Prinsburg is considered underserved by the Minnesota Department of Employment
WILLMAR—While the COVID-19 pandemic caused a lot of challenges, it has also made a few opportunities. One of those is the sudden rise in funding available for broadband projects, thanks to the American Rescue Plan.
The Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners has already decided to focus most of the county’s share of the federal funding to broadband, bringing a big lift to the work being done by the Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission broadband committee.
“They
