Connect Minnesota on mapping plans

Connected Minnesota received approximately $1.2 million for broadband data collection and mapping activities over a two-year period and almost $500,000 for broadband planning activities over a five-year period in Minnesota, bringing the total grant award to approximately $1.7 million. Connected Minnesota has already done some mapping. The new project will consist of the following activities:

1.Updating and maintaining the broadband availability map for at least two years

2.Gathering speed data by provider

3.Identifying and assessing the level of connectivity at each of the state's "community anchor institutions" (government offices, schools, libraries, hospitals, emergency services operations centers, etc).

4.More robust on-the-ground availability data validation

5.Research on broadband use and barriers to broadband adoption at the county level and benchmarking that research on a yearly basis for five years

6.Launching a new, more user-friendly interactive broadband mapping application called BroadbandStat, which will allow greater flexibility and customization