COOK — Residents of three townships west and southwest of Cook can look forward to high-speed broadband internet in 2026.
Minnesota awarded a $3.9 million grant to Paul Bunyan Communications to expand all-fiber optic network to 420 locations in parts of Alango, Field and Sturgeon townships, according to a news release.
The company estimates the project will begin in the spring of 2026. It expects to develop plans over the next year and will contact locations along the expansion route once plans are finalized and before construction begins.
The money comes from the state's Border-to-Border broadband grant program. The Low-Population Density Grant funds up to 75% of costs for broadband expansion projects in remote or costly-to-serve areas.
The $6 million project is also funded by $400,000 from St. Louis County, $400,000 from the Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation, $1.2 million from Paul Bunyan Communications, $40,000 from Alango and Sturgeon townships and $17,800 from Field Township.
"(This grant) will bring symmetrical fiber-optic broadband to highly rural areas that are in critical need of it," said Leo Anderson, Paul Bunyan's chief technology officer.
"This will be a game changer for these residents and businesses."
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