By Brian Ojanpa
Free Press Staff Writer
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Southwestern Minnesota has latched onto a broadband bonanza — a $12 million federal stimulus award to upgrade Internet service in the Windom-to-Jackson area.
The money will pay for a 120-mile fiber optic installation through nine communities, ranging from 3,500-population Jackson to the 60-resident hamlet of Wilder.
“This is going to bring these other towns into the 21st century,” Windom Mayor Kirby Kruse said of the project.
The fiber optic network will be an extension of one installed in Windom several years ago. The city of Windom will provide the service to the other communities.
“This will help our telecommunications system by giving us more customers,” Kruse said.
Jackson Mayor Mitch Jasper said although that city has high-speed Internet service, many in the community aren’t happy with it because it slows during certain times of the day.
Jasper hopes the new system will attract business and jobs to the community.
The southwest Minnesota broadband project is one of only two in the state to receive federal construction money that was sought by more than 50 communities.
The other locale awarded, Norman and Polk counties in northwestern Minnesota, received $6.5 million.
Jack Geller of Mankato, who has served on Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s Ultra High-Speed Broadband Task Force, said the upgrade will mean more than just mere speed-up of data.
“It will help provide better access to health care services, local businesses can expand their marketing areas. At the end of the day it means they’ll have state-of-the-art telecom services,” Geller said.
Geller questions whether vanguard Internet service increases a community’s economic development, but said towns no longer can sustain themselves economically without it.
“The Internet is expanding into every facet of our lives. I suspect it won’t be long that in many parts of the nation it will be a way of engaging our democracy,” Geller said.
“It may give politicians the heebie-jeebies, but Internet voting may not be that far off.”
Federal Rural Utilities Service administrator Jonathan Adelstein said one reason the southwest Minnesota project was awarded is because it will build on an established business, Windom’s telecommunications enterprise.
Kruse said the implementation of Windom’s high-speed fiber optic system five years ago was a revelation.
“I’m kind of behind the times myself, and I never thought I’d need anything faster than dial-up,” he said, adding that he eventually learned he was wrong.
“The high-speed we have now is unbelievable.”
Project construction is expected to start this spring.
