MARTIN COUNTY BORDER TO BORDER FIBER PROJECT On October 9, 2024 the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development’s (DEED) Office of Broadband Development announced Federated Rural Electric & Broadband as one of 26 recipients for Grant Round 10. Federated was awarded an $8 million Lower Population Density grant to establish a Fiber to the Premise (FTTP) Network in portions of rural Martin County. The grant includes the townships of Lake Belt, Tenhassen, Rolling Green Manyaska, Nashville, and Westford. The project involves 457 households, businesses and farms, including 431 unserved and 26 underserved addresses based on state speed goals. The project’s total cost is estimated at $10.6 million with Martin County, Lake Belt and Rolling Green Townships partnering and contributing $800,000. Federated will secure long-term loans for the remaining balance, similar to what is done for financing the electric distribution line system. The State of Minnesota announced grants totaling $51.9 million across 26 projects in the Round 10 Grant. This includes 18 Border-to-Border grants and eight Low-Density grants. Federated’s grant is funded under the Low-Density program. What do GIG-speeds provide? GIG - speed internet is incredibly fast and allows you to work remotely, take remote classes for high school or college, do telemedicine doctor appointments and stream television that’s 4K quality. GIG speed internet can help retain and attract young people to the rural lifestyle with the access to high-speed internet. These speeds are comparable to Twin Cities internet options with competitive pricing too. Drop your landline with voiceover internet (VoIP) or use WIFI calling for improved cell phone reception. Even if you do not presently use the internet, this fiber connection adds to your home’s resale value. What equipment is installed for a fiber optic connection? 1. In the event an underground fiber drop is used; our contractor will plow or drill the fiber line to your property. This means very little yard disturbance. 2. Where underground plant is used; a pedestal will be installed that will serve several homes. Where overhead plant is used, the drop will come directly from the pole. View a preliminary map for locations and fiber routes. 3. This 9" x 12" gray box (Network Interface Device or NID) would be installed on the side of your house. (Items #1-3 are all covered under the project cost and add value to your property.) DRAFT MAP: Border Fiber Lines (Click to Enlarge) Federated Broadband Fiber Packages Managed WIFI required with fiber connection. This saves you the hassle of buying a router & allows us to do trouble- shooting with you over the phone, saving you a service call fee. What’s available for those not in the target area? We are always open to questions regarding the Martin County border to border grant. If you want to learn more about this grant or how it can benefit you, please feel free to contact us anytime. We are happy to help you with any inquiries or concerns you may have. How do I sign up to receive a Federated Broadband fiber drop? A construction consent form will need to be completed and returned to Federated Broadband prior to any construction starting. You can find the form by visiting here. You can complete a paper version and mail it to our office at PO Box 69, Jackson, MN 56143, or you can email it to info@federatedbroadband.coop. You can also drop it off in the payment drop-off box outside our Jackson location. Consumers trust local Cooperatives 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 and in January 2022, Federated Rural Electric added Federated Broadband, formerly Back 40 Wireless, to our service offerings; the cooperative also is applying for grants to bring GIG-speed internet to all of its rural member- owners in Jackson and Martin Counties. Federated Broadband packages are listed with the basic fiber internet package starting at $70.00/month.