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Broadband
Blandin Foundation stands with Minnesota’s rural leaders and communities as they create and claim futures that are resilient, vibrant and connected.
Broadband has revolutionized business, government, education, work, and lifestyles. Without robust broadband access and fully technologically literate populations, rural communities will be unable to take advantage of the extraordinary benefits that ultra high-speed, next-generation Internet can provide.
Since 2003, the Blandin Community Broadband Program has engaged at local, state and federal levels to ignite and sustain policies that support rural access to robust broadband. Guiding this work is a strategy board of public and private leaders to guide the initiative, and a 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.
Scroll down for information about our broadband community cohorts and available grants.
Learn More About Broadband
Research and reports, past broadband conference materials, tools you can use and success stories.
Community Broadband Resources: Accelerate!
Broadband Discussion Series
Blandin Broadband Communities Program
Community Broadband Resources Program
Arrowhead Intelligent Region
From the Blandin on Broadband Blog
Gov Walz signs agriculture funding bill – including funding for broadband
May 27
WCCO reports… Gov. Tim Walz signed an agriculture funding bill Thursday that includes drought relief for farmers, investments in rural broadband and support for beginning farmers. The Legislature passed the bill Sunday in the closing hours of the 2022 legislative … Continue reading
Cooperative recipe for building a private wireless network for precision ag costs $50,000 per farm and $6,000 annually
May 26
Telecompetitor reports… A new report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange Division estimates the upfront cost of deploying a private wireless network to support precision agriculture at $50,000 per farm if deployed through one of the nation’s farm supply cooperatives. The annual … Continue reading
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Rural communities and organizations with broadband access thrive and grow.