Who We Are
The Minnesota Rural Broadband Coalition is a membership group of local units of government, elected officials, economic development agencies, educational institutions, healthcare organizations, telecommunications organizations, non-profits and individuals who advocate at the State Capitol for better broadband in rural Minnesota.
Access to high speed broadband is important for a sustainable rural economy in Minnesota. All sectors and corners of Minnesota need robust broadband connections: education, agriculture, main street businesses, manufacturing and health care. Members of the Minnesota Rural Broadband Coalition are experienced in the challenges and opportunities to bring broadband to all sectors and corners of Minnesota.
Minnesota’s Governor’s Task Force on Broadband consistently recommends funding the Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant Program. The 2017 Report recommends $71.48 million per biennuim, in on-going funding over the next four years. This will provide broadband internet speeds of 25 Mbps/3Mbps to the 252,000 households that currently lack such service – and be poised to help Minnesota achieve its statutory broadband speed goal of connecting all Minnesotans with broadband internet speeds of 100 Mbps/20Mbps by 2026.
History of the Coalition
The Minnesota broadband vision created in the fall of 2015 at a “Border to Border Broadband: Better Together” conference hosted by Blandin Foundation and the MN Office of Broadband Development, prompted the formation of the Minnesota Rural Broadband Coalition. Our vision is that 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.
