TOWER- The Tower-Soudan area is the newest member of the Blandin Broadband Communities (BBC) on the Iron Range program. The program is an intensive, two-year partnership between rural Minnesota communities and the foundation.

The Tower Economic Development Association submitted the successful application to be one of the four new communities in this year’s program. They are hoping to attract other area communities to be part of the process, including surrounding townships, Bois Forte, area schools, medical providers and assisted living facilities, DNR offices, and the state park.

“Our area has been anxiously awaiting more technological growth for quite some time,” wrote Joan Broten, TEDA Vice-Chair. “To be able to entice more businesses, families and tourism with world-class internet access would give us the edge we need to grow and sustain our local economies.”

“We have some amazing, well-educated, hard-working, fun-loving individuals ready to help with promoting and developing our area,” she wrote. “The Iron Range BBC would provide us with the stepping stone we have needed to promote our area.”

Selected communities work through a proven process to define their technology goals, measure current levels of broadband access and use, and seek technical assistance and resources to meet their goals.

Each BBC has the opportunity to apply to Blandin Foundation for matching grants (around $75,000) for locally developed projects that advance community-identified technology goals over the two-year project period.

In addition, Broten said, Blandin does provide a smaller grant to help with administrative expenses during the planning period.

Broten said TEDA is working to form a committee to lead the program in Tower-Soudan.

TOWER- The Tower-Soudan area is the newest member of the Blandin Broadband Communities (BBC) on the Iron Range program. The program is an intensive, two-year partnership between rural Minnesota communities and the foundation.

The Tower Economic Development Association submitted the successful application to be one of the four new communities in this year’s program. They are hoping to attract other area communities to be part of the process, including surrounding townships, Bois Forte, area schools, medical providers and assisted living facilities, DNR offices, and the state park.

“Our area has been anxiously awaiting more technological growth for quite some time,” wrote Joan Broten, TEDA Vice-Chair. “To be able to entice more businesses, families and tourism with world-class internet access would give us the edge we need to grow and sustain our local economies.”

“We have some amazing, well-educated, hard-working, fun-loving individuals ready to help with promoting and developing our area,” she wrote. “The Iron Range BBC would provide us with the stepping stone we have needed to promote our area.”

Selected communities work through a proven process to define their technology goals, measure current levels of broadband access and use, and seek technical assistance and resources to meet their goals.

Each BBC has the opportunity to apply to Blandin Foundation for matching grants (around $75,000) for locally developed projects that advance community-identified technology goals over the two-year project period.

In addition, Broten said, Blandin does provide a smaller grant to help with administrative expenses during the planning period.

Broten said TEDA is working to form a committee to lead the program in Tower-Soudan.