Aitkin County

2017 – SCI – Shamrock Township Broadband Expansion – GRANT $148,503

2016 – MILLE LACS ENERGY COOPERATIVE FTTP PROJECT – GRANT: $1,757,640

2020 – Emily Cooperative Telephone Company – Round Lake Fiber Project – GRANT $376,000

2020 – Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative (MLEC) – MLEC Phase 3 FTTH Project with CTC – GRANT $1,253,955

2020 – SCI Broadband (Savage Communications Inc.) – Glen Township Broadband Expansion Project – GRANT $195,848

Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative (MLEC) – Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative Phase 4 FTTH – GRANT $198,607. This fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) project will serve 80 unserved and five underserved locations along the southeast side of Farm Island Lake in Aitkin County. Through a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota, MLEC will bring 1 Gbps speeds to 84 homes and one business on the fiber route, exceeding the State’s 2022 and 2026 speed goals.

2023

• 2023: SCI – Aitkin County Broadband Expansion – GRANT $794,822
• Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative, $1,231,818.00
• Paul Bunyan Communications, $3,052,120.00 (also serves Itasca and Louis)
• $4.8 million block grant McGrath Project that is scheduled to be completed by fall 2023

2024

• Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative MLEC Fiber – Cedar Lake
  Grant: $1,808,768
  Local Match: $2,266,272
  Total Budget: $4,075,040
  The MLEC Fiber – Cedar Lake project will see continued collaboration between Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative (MLEC) and Consolidated Telecommunications Company (CTC) to expand fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) to a significantly unserved area in Aitkin County. The project will expand off the existing MLEC Fiber network to bring vital communications to help with distance learning, remote working, and telemedicine needs in Aitkin County at 421 locations, including 317 unserved and 104 underserved residential and season homes, small farms, and home businesses. Aitkin County has pledged $25,000 to this project.