Arvig, Redwood County to Collaborate on Fiber Project in Eight Cities, Looking for Public Support for Grant

Redwood County and Arvig will collaborate on a $4.4 million project to provide fiber internet services to eight cities in the county.

However, the project is contingent upon a successful application to the State of Minnesota  Border to Border Broadband Development Grant program. Having displays of community support will help the grant application to be approved.

The network, when complete in June 2025, will provide internet speeds up to 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps) for homes and up to 10 Gigabits per second for businesses in the cities of Belview, Clements, Morgan, Seaforth, Vesta, Wabasso, Walnut Grove and Wanda. In total, more than 1,870 structures will be served, or about 30 percent of Redwood County residents.  

Redwood County and Arvig are currently working on a joint application seeking $1.3 million for the project. Redwood County has provided a local match of $1.9 million, utilizing their American Rescue Plan dollars, and Arvig has committed to fund the remaining $1.2 million.

The addition of fiber in these communities helps fulfill a long-term priority for the Redwood County Economic Development Authority. Redwood County currently ranks 85 of 87 counties in the state with access to an internet speed of at least 100 Mbps download, and 20 Mbps upload speed (100/20 Mbps).

One of the Border to Border grant application requirements is to provide substantive evidence of community support for the project. Residents and businesses are encouraged to pledge their support, or draft a letter of support at https://redwoodcountyeda.com/broadband by July 29. Each response strengthens the application. For more information, contact the Redwood County EDA at [email protected] or 507-637-4016.