Aitkin County has for years been known as one of the lowest-ranked Minnesota counties for broadband development and usage.

The city of Ely has faced reliability issues - and in some areas - a total lack of broadband. 

But that could be changing through a partnership between the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB), Blandin Foundation, and St. Louis County.

Aitkin County, Ely, Hibbing, Bois Forte Reservation/Orr/Cook, Mountain Iron and Chisholm will over the next two years receive broadband planning, technical support and assistance to advance local technology initiatives through the Blandin Broadband Communities program. The program has assisted 18 other rural communities across the state with broadband planning. 

“We’re excited about this on a couple levels because of the opportunities it can bring to our institutions and the things it can do to increase access to broadband,” said Ross Wagner, Aitkin County economic development and forest industry coordinator. “And if this can bring along the same kind of technology that other communities have like Wi-Fi hot spots and Wi-Fi in school buses, it would be great.” 

Development of high-speed broadband is critical to economic development, education, health care, small business growth, and quality of life, said IRRRB Commissioner Mark Phillips.

IRRRB has in recent years assisted broadband development in several portions of its service area. 

“The assistance from Blandin is definitely going to help our success with broadband planning,” said Harold Langowski, Ely city clerk/treasurer. “Some of the key pieces for us are reliability and lack of service. We have banks and other businesses where the service has pretty much froze.  And we know there are a lot of students in the district who have dial-up or nothing.”

Assessments of each community’s current broadband access and use will be performed by the Blandin Foundation followed by a series of public planning meetings in early 2017.

View a Blandin Foundation video of each community’s goals.  

Pictured above: Terry Soderberg, a Morse Township supervisor, listens at the Nov. 30 Blandin Broadband Communities Program kickoff in Grand Rapids.