Benton County was Among the Recipients of AMC’s 2023 County Achievement Awards!

Broadband Project Paves the Way for a Bright 2024 in Benton County, MN.

On December 5th, the Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC) announced that Benton County was among the winners of the 2023 County Achievement Awards. The award recognized excellence and innovation in Benton County with the creation and implementation of a recent broadband project. President and Ramsey County Commissioner Mary Jo McGuire presented the County Achievement awards at AMC’s annual conference.

AMC is a voluntary, non-partisan statewide organization that has been assisting Minnesota’s 87 counties in providing effective county governance to the people of Minnesota for over a century. The association works closely with the legislative and administrative branches of government in seeing that legislation and policies favorable to counties are enacted. AMC also provides legislative advocacy, plus educational programs, training, research, and communications for its member counties.

Benton County’s ‘Broadband for All’ Vision

Benton County started A Vision of Broadband for All in early 2021 after hearing about the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. At the time, large areas of Benton County had either very poor internet service or no service options at all. 

When the County Board members were informed of the allocation of ARPA funds, they set aside a majority of it for rural broadband. Creation of the broadband mission officially began in April of 2021.

To start off, a broadband committee of all possible stakeholders in Benton County was formed with the following mission: “In partnership with broadband providers, townships, cities, schools and the County, we strive to provide adequate and affordable internet service to unserved and underserved residences and businesses in Benton County.” The committee was chaired by Benton County Commissioner Jared Gapinski and included representatives from cities, schools, townships, the Benton Economic Partnership, and interested residents.

The County Board and broadband committee  pledged $3.1 million of its APRA funds for broadband plus provider equity to form the local match for $4.5 million in State of Minnesota Border-to-Border grants. This will ensure that all Benton County residents will have access to high-speed internet.

Work on Phase 1 of the broadband project began in the Spring of 2023, and Benton Communications is set to break ground on Phase 2 in the Spring of 2024. Fiber installation—at no cost to the homeowner—is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.

Stay Connected With the Benton Economic Partnership

We at the Benton Economic Partnership are so excited about this win for Benton County. We are committed to business retention and expansion, downtown redevelopment, workforce development, marketing the county, and quality of life initiatives in our region, so we deeply enjoy watching it progress over time. We look forward to seeing the broadband project change the lives of Benton County residents for the better.

As we strive to encourage and lead economic development efforts throughout the county, we invite individuals and businesses to join our efforts by becoming Benton Economic Partnership members. Contact us today for more information at (320) 968-6197 or aothoudt@bentonpartnership.org.