ST. PAUL – Rep. Bud Nornes, R-Fergus Falls, issued the following statement regarding Tuesday's announcement from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development of 39 broadband grants totaling more than $26 million to bring broadband access to unserved and underserved parts of the state. Some grants leveraged funding from the Connect America Funding (CAF) from the federal government, helping stretch funding from the state.
According to a press release from DEED, Otter Tail Telcom will receive $173,683 to bring access to unserved and underserved households and businesses north of Fergus Falls. The grant is being matched by private funding.
“This is another step toward eliminating black holes of internet coverage in our area,” Nornes said. “Families and businesses depend on stable connections to function in today’s society and the Legislature has been working to develop more reliable coverage. It is good to see some of the funding we provided will be put to use in the Fergus Falls area.”
The Republican-led Legislature approved $20 million in grants for the Border-to-Border Broadband program during the 2017 legislative session.
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