Some Koochiching County homes and businesses are closer to getting high-speed internet thanks to a $2,562,916 grant recently announced by the State of Minnesota Office of Broadband Development. The Paul Bunyan Communications – North Central Minnesota Fiber Project will upgrade approximately 914 unserved and 439 under-served locations in parts of the Leech Lake Indian Reservation and rural portions of Cass, Itasca, Koochiching and St. Louis counties. “Service is expected to be available in all of these areas by the spring of 2022” says Steve Howard, Paul Bunyan Information Technology and Development Manager. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota, Minnesota Iron Range Resource & Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB), Koochiching… Read More
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KTI Allocates Funding for 12 New Community Technology Projects
Blandin Foundation Grants Totaling $75,000 Given to Kooch County Groups in Past Year Koochiching Technology Initiative (KTI) recently completed allocation of $75,000 in grants for local technology-related projects through the Blandin Broadband Community (BBC) program, funded by the Blandin Foundation. The group allocated almost $25,000 to 6 projects in May, 2019, and the remainder to 12 grantees in December. “Since its inception, KTI has had two goals: getting broadband internet to all of Koochiching County and allocating the grant funding we received as a Blandin Broadband Community,” says Ted Saxton, KTI steering committee member. “While we have made great progress on the first goal, I am particularly proud of our… Read More
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Koochiching County Establishes Benchmark with Intelligent Community Report
Results Will Help County Track Progress Koochiching Technology Initiative (KTI) recently received a report outlining the county’s performance in key areas that determine competitiveness and quality of life in today’s digital economy. Developed by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), a global organization that helps communities effectively adapt to the demands of the broadband economy, the report compares Koochiching County to other communities large and small in urban, suburban and rural areas. “Our main goal in working on the ICF evaluation was to establish a benchmark,” says KTI steering committee member Jim Yount. “We are laying the groundwork for substantial improvements for our community as a whole.” Communities are scored on… Read More
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Past Projects Funded by KTI and BBC
Koochiching Technology Initiative (KTI) is accepting grant applications for digital technology projects until December 13. This is the second round of funding that encourages community vitality by addressing the six Intelligent Community pillars of: Broadband; Knowledge Workforce; Innovation; Digital Equality; Sustainability; and Advocacy. Funding is provided by the Blandin Foundation through their Blandin Broadband Community (BBC) program. The BBC program favors requests around $5,000 or less, with a limit of $25,000. The group’s steering committee is available to help project leaders bring their ideas to fruition by facilitating a strong application for BBC and other funding sources. Past projects which have already received KTI/BBC funding include: Public wifi in Smokey… Read More
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Accomplishments of our Community
BBC Application, Part 3e Accomplishments of our Community Describe any work done previously or currently underway around the six Intelligent Community Indicators intelligentcommunity.org How you can help: Add your examples directly into the 6 categories or into the Unsorted list at the bottom. Move unsorted examples to where you think they fit best. Rewrite examples for better phrasing. They should be no longer than 3 sentences. Sort the best examples to the top of each category. Add a web like if it’s specific to the example. Brainstorm with others. Six Intelligent Community Indicators: Broadband infrastructure and services development Littlefork received a Border to Border grant from the… Read More
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