ST. PAUL, Minn. – The infrastructure bill passed by Congress late last week means Minnesota will receive at least 100-billion dollars to expand broadband access to underserved parts of the state.
East Central Minnesota Educational Cable Cooperative Executive Director Marc Johnson says the pandemic highlighted the gaps. Johnson says the need for high-speed internet service doesn’t go away when the pandemic does.
Around 171-thousand Minnesota households have little to no broadband access and another 240-thousand are considered to be underserved. The 100-billion dollar figure is considered the be a baseline. The federal funding could increase if the need is greater.
