Federated Celebrates Groundbreaking of Martin County Fiber Grant

Federated Broadband officially kicked off mainline construction for its latest Border-to-Border Fiber Optic grant project in rural Martin County with a groundbreaking ceremony held today in Welcome. The event gathered local county and township officials, contractor crews, vendors, Economic Development staff, and Federated staff to celebrate the beginning of another momentous undertaking to help bridge the digital divide in rural Minnesota.

This Round 10 Border-to-Border grant, awarded by the Minnesota Office of Broadband Development, will extend high-speed fiber optic internet services to over 450 households, businesses, and farms. The affected properties are located in the townships Lake Belt, Tenhassen, Rolling Green, Manyaska, Nashville, and Westford. The project carries an estimated total cost of $10.6 million, with $8 million awarded from the State of Minnesota and the remaining balance covered through partnerships involving Federated, Martin County, and those townships.

At the event Tuesday morning, Steve Blaufuss of Northrop, MN, spoke about the positive impact that Federated Broadband’s fiber optic internet service has brought to the community. Steve also noted how much of a difference it makes to small rural communities when service providers not only provide a high-quality service but have a reachable and timely customer support team. 

From a statement by Executive Director Bree Maki from the Office of Broadband Development, “Minnesota has long been recognized as a national leader for reliable, high-speed broadband internet development. State and local leaders recognize that statewide broadband infrastructure investments help thousands of Minnesotans connect to jobs, education, healthcare and their communities, and helps make Minnesota the best state for families, workers, and businesses.” Federated is proud to be a part of this development and provide these critical services to its members and customers.

Residents within the grant area will soon see utility location marking flags in rights-of-way as mainline construction advances. Construction is slated to begin in the northern part of the project area, south and east of Truman, following the finalization of an archaeological study. Property owners are reminded to submit construction consent forms to Federated to ensure a drop can be brought directly to their homes and businesses. These forms are conveniently available on the Federated Broadband website, www.federatedbroadband.coop, or can be requested by mail by calling the office.