$53 million in DEED grant money for broadband access announced

Governor Walz has announced $53 million in funding grants from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) to help expand and offer greater broadband speeds to thousands of Minnesotans.

Walz says the funding will help approximately 8,900 homes and businesses in the state. The grants will go to 24 broadband expansion projects in 25 counties across Minnesota.

The money comes from two DEED programs: $33.3 million from the Border-to-Border Broadband Program and $19.7 million from the Low Population Density Program.

The Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant Program was created in 2014 through state legislature. It provides funding for building broadband infrastructure in unserved or underserved parts of Minnesota. Last year, state lawmakers appropriated $50 million to this program for 2024 and another $50 million for 2025.

The Low Population Density Program provides grants to companies building broadband services in areas of the state with low population densities and high broadband deployment costs.

Later this month DEED will open applications for another round of $50 million of broadband grant money.