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Blandin Community Broadband Program: A Look Back At Impact
After twenty years of working with rural communities to build broadband-powered, future-forward communities, there’s one thing we know to be true – it all comes down to local leadership!
Strong, dynamic networks of leaders, forged across geographies, sectors and ideologies, have come together over the decades with the aspiration of bringing border-to-border broadband to Minnesota. Behind every network built, every connection made, are hundreds of rural Minnesota leaders who have put in countless hours door knocking, holding meetings and trainings, and deal-making to make this moment happen. Historic resources are coming to our small towns and Minnesota is ready because of the trove of local leadership across the state. We’re honored to have played a supporting role in Minnesota’s broadband story.
The Blandin Community Broadband Program (BCBP) was created to boost rural leaders’ ability to pull together diverse action teams, collaboratively set a broadband-powered technology vision for their community and have access to knowledge partners and resources to work toward that vision. When BCBP began in 2003, 27 percent of surveyed Minnesota households reported having broadband and awareness of broadband’s potential impact was just starting to grow. Today, 62.46 percent of rural Minnesota households have access to wireline broadband at 100 megabits per second download and 20 megabits per second upload; 94.97 percent has access to wireless broadband. Advocates no longer need to build the case that broadband is essential. There’s agreement from decisionmakers at every level and ideology that broadband access and the skills to use it are critical to the future survival of rural places.
These victories are made up of many smaller wins along the way; people, programs and providers who stepped up to move rural Minnesota places forward. The timeline below explores some of the milestone moments in our broadband programming, and in Minnesota’s broadband story, that helped us collectively realize our broadband vision – 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.
2006
Twitter is created.
2007
The State of Minnesota, through the Office of the Attorney General, grants Blandin $750,000 to advance broadband adoption in southwest Minnesota, the service area of Alltel. The state recovered the funds from Alltel as public benefit compensation in an anti-trust settlement to mitigate consumer harm resulting from Alltel’s acquisition of Midwest Wireless Broadband.
Blandin on Broadband Blog is created to share information about broadband with Minnesotans working for better access and use.
2010
Blandin Foundation is awarded $4.8 million from the National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA) for the Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities (MIRC) Program, delivered in partnership with nineteen statewide partners and eleven “Demonstration Communities:” Benton County, Cook County, Grand Rapids Area, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Stevens County, Thief River Falls, Upper MN Valley RDC, Willmar, Windom, Winona, Worthington.
Blandin Foundation adopts the Intelligent Communities Forum Model of community broadband development into its programs.
2015
Blandin Broadband Communities Program cohort II launches (2015-2016): Carlton County, Central Woodlands (east central Minnesota), Chisago County, Martin County, Nobles County, Redwood County, Red Wing, Renville/Sibley Counties, Resilient Region (Region 5 in north central Minnesota), and Sherburne County.
Blandin Foundation Broadband team convenes founding meeting of what becomes the Minnesota Rural Broadband Coalition.
2016
Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) and St. Louis County fund Blandin to bring the Blandin Community Broadband Program to six Iron Range communities: Aitkin County, Bois Forte Reservation/Cook/Orr, Chisholm, Ely, Hibbing, and Mt. Iron-Buhl.
Minnesota Legislature updates the state’s broadband goals to 1) 25 megabits per second download (Mbps) and 3 Mbps upload by 2022 and 2) 100/20 Mbps by 2026 for all Minnesota businesses and homes.
2017
PP&E partners with the nascent Minnesota Rural Broadband Coalition to design and host the state’s first “Broadband Day on the Hill” event for rural broadband advocates.
Blandin Foundation publishes a set of case studies looking at the value of broadband based on its collective economic impact in a community.
Community Milestone: RS Fiber offers services in Renville and Sibley Counties.
2018
IRRRB awards Blandin Foundation a second contract to fund four additional Iron Range Broadband Communities (IRBCs) and to fund additional broadband grants in the six alumni communities.
The four new Iron Range Communities are: East Range Joint Powers, Laurentian Chamber of Commerce, Tower Economic Development Authority, and Iron Range Tourism Bureau.
2018
Blandin Foundation selects four additional Blandin Broadband Communities: Cannon Falls (school district), Koochiching Technology Initiative, Rock County, and Swift County.
Blandin Foundation publishes a report looking at two projects funded through Connected America Funding (CAF II) to raise the issue of effective public funding for broadband access.
90.77% of Minnesota households have access to broadband at the 2022 state speed goal of 25/3 Mbps. 74.11% have access at the 2026 goal of 100/20 Mbps.
2019
Blandin Foundation led a delegation of rural Minnesota broadband champions to the Intelligent Community Forum Global Summit in New York City.
In conjunction with the 15th anniversary of the Blandin Community Broadband Program, Courageous Leadership Awards were awarded to 12 individuals, organizations and communities to celebrate the impact made through early and sustained leadership in rural broadband access and use.
2020
Four statewide BBCs selected, with $25,000 in funding support from West Central Initiative Foundation: Chisago Lakes Area, Le Sueur County, Otter Tail County, White Earth Nation.
Minnesota Rural Broadband Coalition holds fourth annual Broadband Day on the Hill, one of the last in-person events before the state shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020
The annual broadband conference was held entirely online via Zoom during the month of October due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Broadband 2020: Connected We Stand began week 1 with three hours in programming over three mornings, continued with two optional sessions per day for another two weeks, and ended week 4 with another three hours of programming over three mornings. The online format allowed for higher profile speakers, including Thomas Friedman of the NY Times.
2020
Staff and IRRR began work on the third iteration of the partnership – the Arrowhead Intelligent Region (AIR) initiative. AIR used the Intelligent Community framework to identify and implement projects across the Arrowhead Region in 2021-22.
Phase 1 – concluded May 2021 with $224,950 in grants awarded to AIR projects. Phase 2 – concluded November 2021 with $260,000 in grants awarded to AIR projects.
2021
Community Broadband Resources (CBR): Accelerate! program is launched. The program provides convening and consultant resources for communities to increase rural leaders’ ability to stimulate broadband infrastructure investments in their communities.
Cohort I communities included Aitkin County, Kanabec County, Pine County, and Mille Lacs Tribal Economy. Cohort II communities included Benton County, Todd County, Cloquet Area and Redwood County.
2021
Blandin receives $560,000 from The Margaret A. Cargill Foundation to fund six new Blandin Broadband Communities for 2021-2023. BBC’s selected: Warroad Area, Mahnomen County, Pine County, Big Stone County, Lincoln County, and Austin Area.
