Minnesota Broadband: Land of 10,000 Connectivity Solutions

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR)’s new report showcases the diverse range of approaches Minnesota communities and local internet service providers (ISPs) have taken to expand affordable, high-quality internet access. It includes a series of case studies that detail how communities are meeting the connectivity challenges of a broken marketplace shaped by large monopoly service providers. The profiled projects include municipal networks, public-private partnerships, cooperatives, and private investment; they run from the most rural areas of the state to Minneapolis. The report illustrates that solving Minnesota’s connectivity challenges remains a fundamentally local issue. The majority of the fastest, most affordable networks in Minnesota have come from locally-rooted companies and a commitment to local communities rather than distant shareholders.

By Ry Marcattilio-McCracken and Christopher Mitchell