Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Office of Broadband Development outlines BEAD allocation, mapping and digital equity plans
Summary
The Office of Broadband Development (DEED) briefed the committee on broadband mapping, Border-to-Border grants, BEAD eligibility and the state's Digital Equity Act planning; officials cited remaining gaps, funding amounts and forthcoming subgrantee selection rounds.
The Minnesota Office of Broadband Development (DEED) told the Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee it has completed mapping updates, closed state grant site visits and is preparing to administer federal BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment) and Digital Equity Act funds.
Bridal Mackey, executive director of the Office of Broadband Development, summarized state and federal programs, eligibility counts and timelines. Mackey said December 2024 mapping showed about 143,000 homes and businesses without access to 25/3 Mbps and about 189,000 without 100/20 Mbps; under BEAD definitions roughly 81,000 locations were eligible for BEAD funding after a federal challenge process and subsequent refinement.
Mackey explained the state's Border-to-Border Grant program (up to 50 percent cost share on eligible locations) and the Low Population Density program…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
