MN DEED announces the tenth round of broadband development grants
On October 9, the Minnesota Department of Employment
and Economic Development (DEED) announced the recipients for the tenth round of
MN Border-to-Border Broadband Development grants. East Central Energy is
fortunate to win two grants through this round of funding, totaling nearly $7
million. The grants will support the expansion of ECE Fiber in central and
northern Mille Lacs County.
“As a cooperative, we are grateful for the support
from entities like MN DEED. Their commitment to advancing the state’s broadband
connectivity has been a major contributing factor to the growth of ECE Fiber,”
says President/CEO Justin Jahnz.
Fiber construction plans are determined each year by
grant area specifications and amount of member interest gathered. Construction
will generally follow ECE’s power structure with both overhead and underground
lines being installed, taking place from ground thaw to ground freeze each
year.
“This is the third Border-to-Border grant that ECE has
received for Mille Lacs County this year,” Jahnz explains. “As we develop the
construction design for 2025, we are excited to expand into the county, which
is currently ranked 75 out of 87 in the state for broadband accessibility.”
East Central Energy will continue to submit grant applications to help with the expansion of ECE Fiber, and to keep costs affordable for members. ECE members that live in Mille Lacs County and surrounding areas are encouraged to visit ecefiber.com to express interest in service.