Progress continues as the city of Prinsburg stays vigilant in their quest to bring Broadband to its residents for faster and more reliable internet access.
After a meeting held with Rep. Tim Miller (R-Prinsburg) earlier this year resulted with learning valuable information to move forward with their need, at the July regular monthly Prinsburg City Council meeting held July 13, council members held a Zoom meeting with Broadband planning consultant Connie Schmoll, CMCS Superintendent Jon De Groot
The Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners is seriously considering giving most of the county’s American Rescue Plan allotment, more than $8 million, to several high-speed broadband projects across the county. At Tuesday’s board meeting, the commissioners began that process by committing $1.3 million to a project that will expand high-speed broadband into four townships.
Read the full story at the West Central Tribune.
Kandiyohi County is exploring the possibility of using economic relief from the federal government to fund its longstanding and much-needed border-to-border high-speed internet project.
“Kandiyohi County has been actively seeking and trying to improve broadband for the citizens of Kandiyohi County,” said Larry Kleindl, county administrator, during a Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners work session concerning broadband internet on Tuesday.
The County Board held the work session in
WILLMAR—The Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission has found its next business development manager and didn’t have to look far to find her.
Current Willmar City Planner Sarah Swedburg has accepted the position and plans to start around May 6. She is replacing Connie Schmoll, who is retiring at the end of May.
Schmoll has worked for the EDC for just over seven years. Lately she has been focusing on expanding broadband through the county, business development
WILLMAR—Expanding high-speed broadband to all corners of Kandiyohi County has been a dream and challenge for many for more than two decades.
“This is an ongoing issue. It is a task we are constantly struggling to fix,” said Kandiyohi County Administrator Larry Kleindl, during a work session of the Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners. The meeting Tuesday was specifically about broadband issues in the county.
With the passage of the American Rescue Plan, the $1.9 trillion economic stimulus
WILLMAR — Any township in Kandiyohi County that decides to bring high-speed fiber broadband to its residents, or expand a system already in place, is eligible to receive $25,000 from the county to assist with the project.
The Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners, at its meeting Tuesday, approved a resolution approving the $25,000 investment for each township that is part of a broadband deployment project. If every township took the county up on its offer, it would cost $600,000.
The board’s
Kandiyohi County continues to move toward its goal of border-to-border high speed internet access with dial-up speed.
On Tuesday, Connie Schmoll, Business Development Manager of the Kandiyohi County & City of Willmar Economic Development Commission (EDC), gave a presentation before the Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners – which included newly-elected commissioners Steve Gardner and Duane Anderson – about the county’s status in achieving border-to-border high speed Internet.
“We
WILLMAR—One of the lessons learned so far during this pandemic is how important internet accessibility is, especially when so much of life is being done from home. Remote work, distance learning and entertainment have all jumped online and those households with slow internet, or in some cases no access at all, have found themselves struggling to keep up and stay connected.
“This is important, people need it to work from home, connect with family members, do school work,” said Connie
Many rural Kandiyohi County residents still remain without access to high-speed broadband and the many benefits that come from having such access. The situation has never been more apparent than in the past months of social distancing, working from home and distance learning.
The Broadband and Advanced Technology Committee of the Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission (EDC) is a committee focused on securing high-speed broadband for all people in our county. The
WILLMAR—Nearly half of respondents to a broadband survey taken in Dovre, Mamre and St. Johns townships in Kandiyohi County said they would be willing to spend on average $61.47 a month for high-speed broadband service.
“There is a demand for high-speed broadband and people are willing to pay,” said Connie Schmoll, business development manager with the Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission.
The survey, completed by the EDC and Compass Consultants, was sent
