|
|
John Tweist
After a long and exhaustive review of Arrowhead Cooperative’s application, Arrowhead received confirmation from the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) that it would receive funding, as of October 7, 2021, reported Arrowhead Cooperative CEO John Twiest.
Arrowhead Cooperative was selected to receive $18.4 million in federal funds that will be used over the next ten years to expand high-speed broadband services in the county.
The FCC announced it would authorize $163,895,636 to 42 provid- ers in the second round of funding for new broadband deployment through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. But not all winning bidders will take part in this round.
As part of that process, 85 winning bidders have chosen not to pursue buildout in 5,089 census blocks in response to letters that the FCC sent asking participants to review their bids in areas where there was evidence of existing service of questions of potential waste.
“More help is on the way to households without broadband, “said FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Roesenworcel. “This is an important program for getting more Americans connected to high-speed internet, and we are continuing careful oversight of this process to ensure that providers meet their obligations to deploy the areas that need it.”
As for Arrowhead Cooperative, Twiest said, “It is with great excitement for our community that we share this incredible news. What started as a concept among community leaders as far back as the mid-2000s has become a reality for all of us, and Arrowhead will now be installing fiber to the more remote areas of our community that have no utilities present. An opportunity that we are proud to lead.”
FCC funding is set up over a 10-year time. Arrowhead’s goal is to have the infrastructure installed in six years, providing materials and skilled workers are available. Arrowhead will be installing approximately 20-25 miles officiality per year over the next six years, hopefully starting before fall 2022.
Twiest said if all goes well, Arrowhead will install both broadband and electric utilities to places that currently have access to neither, completing a dream started in 2010.
In 2009 Arrowhead Cooperative received $11.3 million to connect broadband to its utility customers who wanted it. Early on, understanding the need for Broadband in Cook County, the county levied a one percent Cook County sales tax. A portion of that was to help fund a Broadband project. When Arrowhead Cooperative was awarded the grant, they soon realized that they would need an additional four million dollars to ensure all members of the community connected to the electric grid would be included in the bailout, including the City of Grand Marais. When the work was completed, Cook County became one of the first rural counties to receive high-speed Internet in the state of Minnesota.
It took five years of digging through (mostly) bedrock to lay the high-speed connection, but when Arrowhead Cooperative was done, about 70 percent of the county residents were hooked up to broadband.
Concerning the new effort, Twiest said, “We have many hours of preparation ahead of us and our staff is excited to bring new fiber to new members of the cooperative. We ask for patience from our community as we develop, share and execute the plans with all involved. We understand how important this is and will do our best to move safely and efficiently.”
In this funding wave, 42 broadband providers will bring fiber-to-the-home gigabit broadband to approximately 65,000 locations in 21 states over the next ten years. In addition, the Commission continues to closely review long-form applications of other winning bidders that we previously announced to ensure they meet the technical, financial, and operational capabilities to comply with program obligations.
Leave a Reply