Federated Broadband Brings Fiber Optic Internet to Loon Lake Federated Broadband is proud to announce that we have been awarded a grant from the Minnesota Broadband Line Extension Connection Program to extend our fiber optic network to unserved locations north of Loon Lake. This project will bring fast, reliable, and affordable internet service to more than 29 households and businesses in the area, with the project soon to start in April 2024. What is the Minnesota Broadband Line Extension Connection Program? The Minnesota Broadband Line Extension Connection Program is a new initiative by the Office of Broadband Development (OBD) to connect residents and businesses that lack access to broadband internet service to service providers, and then assist in the expense of extending broadband to those locations. The program aims to award grants for the extension of existing broadband infrastructure to unserved locations, which are defined as locations that do not have a wired broadband service of at least 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload. How does the program work? Residents and businesses that are unserved can apply for the program by entering their information into the Line Extension Connection portal or by calling 651-259-7610 and requesting a paper application or by talking to someone at OBD who will complete the application on their behalf. Every six months, OBD will send the list of addresses to each broadband provider offering service in Minnesota. Providers then have ten days to notify OBD that they can provide service at any of the addresses on the list. OBD will then contact those people to let them know the name of the broadband provider that can offer them service and any discounted pricing plans available. For those addresses that are not served by a provider or in an area that will be built with an already awarded Border-to-Border Broadband grant project, OBD will hold a 60-day reverse auction where broadband service providers can bid to extend service to one or more of the addresses on the list. In their bid, providers will identify the grant amount requested to extend the broadband service. Within 60 days of the auction closing, OBD will select the bids that request the least amount of financial support from the state and that are a cost-effective expenditure of state resources. OBD will then enter into line extension agreements with each winning bidder. Winning bidders will have one year from the date the contract is signed to complete the broadband line extension. The winning bidder must build broadband service that offers speeds of at least 100 Mbps download and 100 Mbps upload. For more information regarding the program visit https://mn.gov/deed/programs- services/broadband/extension/ Why did Federated Broadband apply for the program? Federated Broadband is a local internet service provider that has been serving rural communities in Minnesota and Iowa since 2012. We offer high-speed internet service plans with speeds up to 40Mbps download and 3Mbps upload for fixed wireless services and symmetrical speeds up to 1GIG for our fiber optic services. Federated Broadband has over 100 tower sites across Jackson and Martin Counties, along with Cottonwood, Nobles, Murray and Brown in Minnesota, and Osceola, Dickinson and Emmet Counties in Iowa. We are committed to providing fast, reliable, and affordable internet service to our customers, and we are always looking for ways to expand our coverage and improve our network. We applied for the Minnesota Broadband Line Extension Connection Program because we saw an opportunity to bring fiber optic internet to unserved locations north of Loon Lake, where we already have some existing customers. Fiber optic internet is a broadband connection that runs on light signals from fiber-optic cabling, delivering multi-gig upload and download speeds. Fiber has low latency, so it’s also great for gaming and video conferencing. And it’s the only type of internet in which users are able to get “symmetrical” upload speeds, meaning the uploads are just as fast as downloads. We believe that fiber optic internet is the future of broadband, and we want to bring it to our customers as soon as possible. That's why we submitted a bid to extend our fiber optic network to 29 locations north of Loon Lake, requesting a grant amount of $62,263.25 from the state. We are happy to announce that our bid was selected by OBD as one of the winners of the program, and we are ready to start the project in April 2024. What equipment is installed for a fiber optic connection? The primary install will be an underground fiber drop from the pole you currently receive your electric services from. A contractor will plow or drill the fiber line to your property. This means very little yard disturbance. This gray box (Network Interface Device or NID) would be installed on the side of your house. DRAFT MAP: Loon Lake (Click to Enlarge) A national poll recently showed that electric cooperative’s values give consumers faith that a local co-op would do a better job of providing reliable, affordable broadband services than big telecommunications companies. This is due to the local ownership, community infrastructure and reliability. Federated Rural Electric has served our member since 1935 providing safe, reliable and affordable electric services. We are excited to bring fiber optic internet to Loon Lake and we hope you are too. Join us today and experience the difference that fiber optic internet can make for your home or business. Federated Broadband - fast, reliable, affordable internet service provider with high-speed internet service plans available. Delivering the speed and quality you need to keep you connected.