RS Fiber: Fertile Fields for new Rural Internet Cooperative

Date: 18 Apr 2016 | posted in: MuniNetworks, Press Release | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

21ST CENTURY FARMS REQUIRE 21ST CENTURY CONNECTIVITY. Denied Access by telephone and cable companies, they created a new model. Winthrop, MN — A new trend is emerging in rural communities throughout the United States: Fiber-to-the-Farm. Tired of waiting for real Internet access from big companies, farmers are building it themselves. Communities in and around Minnesota’s rural … Read More

Local Communities Still Committed to RS Fiber Cooperative

Date: 9 Feb 2015 | posted in: MuniNetworks | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Green Isle and nine other communities have reaffirmed their commitment to the RS Fiber Cooperative, reports the Belle Plain Herald. The project began in 2010 as a collaboration between a number of local county and municipal government entities in south central Minnesota. Local residents rallied behind the project, which was designed to connect both towns and … Read More

Local Communities Still Committed to RS Fiber Cooperative

Date: 9 Feb 2015 | posted in: MuniNetworks | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Green Isle and nine other communities have reaffirmed their commitment to the RS Fiber Cooperative, reports the Belle Plain Herald. The project began in 2010 as a collaboration between a number of local county and municipal government entities in south central Minnesota. Local residents rallied behind the project, which was designed to connect both towns and … Read More

New Report Details Local Government Efforts to Improve Minnesota Connectivity

Date: 30 Sep 2014 | posted in: MuniNetworks | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In our latest report, All Hands On Deck: Minnesota Local Government Models for Expanding Fiber Internet Access, we analyze how local governments in 12 Minnesota communities are expanding 21st century Internet access to their citizens. In 2010, the Minnesota legislature set a goal for 2015 – universal access to high speed broadband throughout the state. Even … Read More

Catching Up with the RS Fiber Coop in Minnesota – Community Broadband Bits Podcast #99

Date: 20 May 2014 | posted in: MuniNetworks, Podcast | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In the nearly two years since we launched this podcast with an interview from Minnesota’s rural Sibley County, the project has evolved significantly but the need for better Internet access remains a constant. Today, we interview Coop Vice-Chair Cindy Gerholz and Winthrop Town Manager Mark Erickson to get an update on the fiber-to-the-farm project. The Renville-Sibley … Read More

Multiple Minnesota Projects Submit “Expressions of Interest” to FCC

Date: 7 May 2014 | posted in: MuniNetworks | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

We reported in February that the FCC sought “expressions of interest” from entities that want a share of Connect America funds. The agency sought feedback on the need and desire for projects across the country from entities that have not traditionally received universal service funds. The FCC received over 1,000 expressions of interest. Minnesota leads the … Read More

Minnesota Local Governments Advance Super Fast Internet Networks

Date: 19 Mar 2014 | posted in: information, MuniNetworks, Press Release | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

As in much of rural America, communities in Greater Minnesota struggle with connectivity. Some areas have no choice at all, forced to rely on dial-up or slow DSL. Others have an incumbent cable provider. A few local community leaders in Minnesota, conscious of the need for broadband to save public dollars, encourage economic development, and get … Read More