Bridging the Geographic Divide: Broadband

by Jane Peck and Caren Stelson

Who can deny the misunderstandings of the rural/urban divide in our country? Authors Peck and Stelson suggest a conversation between the two to understand how our geographic environments shape our viewpoints, even within one article. They are Minnesota writers who have both urban and rural living experiences. Peck now lives on a farm near Lanesboro in southeast Minnesota. Stelson lives in a Minneapolis inner-city neighborhood.

Screen Shot 2021-04-12 at 2.33.56 PM.png
Screen Shot 2021-04-12 at 2.34.09 PM.png

Up First: Broadband in Our State

No matter where we live has brought Minnesotans face-to-face with the necessity for accessible and affordable broadband service. According to BroadbandNow,  Minnesota is 20th nationwide when it comes to broadband speed, accessibility and affordability. Minnesota state government aims at statewide 25/3 MB per second broadband access (Mbps) with 92% residents already connected. Only 18% of these residents have the service at an affordable rate of $60 per month or less.  The 25/3 rate is now out-of-date, with 100mbps or faster  needed for today’s tasks. Only 68% of Minnesotans are connected at that speed. Fiber optics broadband connections (up to 950 Mbps) provide what is needed for both school and work video meetings in one home, but only 23% of Minnesotans have access to it. How does that look from a geographic perspective?


Urban Broadband Viewpoint

In urban Minnesota broadband issues, like many other issues, concern equity, cost, and inclusion. For example, BroadbandNow’s research for Minnesota determined 99% of residents in Hennepin County have access to inexpensive satellite internet service of 25/3 mbps, though it’s far less dependable than wired internet.  Approximately 6,000 of the same residents have no access to the more dependable wired internet of at least 25/3 mbps. Wired internet is also more expensive.

Consider this: Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 2018, 38% of Minnesotans making $20,000 or less are without internet service, compared to 4% of Minnesotans making $75,000 or more. A neighborhood may be wired with high-speed internet, but that doesn’t  mean all neighbors in that area can afford the monthly fee.  Only 15% of Minnesotans have access to low-cost plans of $60 or less, compared to 51.5% nationally.

In my highly diverse Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis, I often see young immigrants surfing the internet on their smartphones as substitutes for a home computer and internet access. During the Reagan administration, Congress passed “Lifeline” a monthly $9.25 subsidy to assure low-income Americans access to phone and 9-1-1 emergency services. The subsidy now applies to wireless smartphones. Smartphone usage certainly helps lower income Minnesotans without home computers or internet, but small screens and slow speeds make school homework and  video conferencing nearly impossible.

The Minnesota State Legislature has established clear goals for universal broadband by next year, 2022. Making fast broadband affordable will help low-income urban Minnesotans stay connected.


Rural Broadband Viewpoint

From the rural view, the biggest problem with broadband is getting physical access. If a company is digging to put in fiber-optic cable it is clearly more efficient to dig house to house in a neighborhood than one mile between farmhouses.  Who can blame companies for balking on laying rural cable?  Many farms did not get electricity until President Roosevelt began the 1936 Rural Electrification Project. At that time most cities and towns already had 40 years of electrical comfort behind them.

Roughly 2/3 of all counties in Minnesota are predominantly rural. This includes small towns. As of 2020, 83% of rural areas have met the goal of statewide 25/3 MB access. However, access is not evenly spread across the map. There are 16 small towns where only 70% or fewer residents have broadband at all. Ones town has only 25%. This includes businesses who need broadband to survive. In my own Fillmore County, only 68% of residents have access to wired 25/3mbps broadband. We know 125,000 Minnesotans have no wired internet access at all and 440,000 people have internet that falls below the 25/3 Mbps minimum.  Only 39% of Minnesotans have the optimal fiber optic access. We need to get the full state upgraded to fiber optic broadband for maximum economic and educational opportunities. How can this be done?

Minnesota state government has invested $126 million into rural MN internet providers. Federal money is appreciated, but it must allow state and local choice of providers.  A plan from the Federal Communications Commission in December 2020 has hired one Midwestern contractor for much of rural Minnesota. This contractor has most experience with fixed wireless or towers, which cannot provide fiber optic. The contractor has several states to service but is not a large company. Many rural areas already have shovel–ready plans with local contractors which could be quickly implemented. Some can provide the needed fiber optic cables. Even better, hiring local contractors puts the money into the local economy. This federal program from the last administration will interfere with local plans and slow progress.  Rural business and education depends on us getting this right, and now!

Through the quarantine we’ve learned that broadband is a 21st Century basic utility, like running water and electricity. What to do with Minnesota’s April stimulus money from Washington?  Let’s wire all of Minnesota with affordable fiber optic for economic growth, inclusive education, and telemedicine. 


Referenced Links

DemocracyLWV Minnesota