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Municipal Offices <br /> 7701 County Road 110 West <br /> Minnetrista, MN 55364-9552 <br /> Email: minnetrista@ci.minnetrista.mn.us <br /> <br />OFFICE: (952) 446-1660 FAX: (952) 446-1311 WEBSITE: www.cityofminnetrista.com <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />March 18, 2021 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />City of Orono City Council <br />2750 Kelley Parkway <br />Orono, MN 55356 <br /> <br /> <br />Re: Cooperative Effort for Broadband in Underserved Communities Outside the Metro <br /> <br /> <br />Dear Mayor and City Council, <br /> <br />The City of Minnetrista City Council has determined that increasing broadband and internet <br />services to our residents is a top priority in 2021 and beyond. With an increased need for <br />broadband exacerbated in the last year by COVID-19, our residents are needing internet services <br />now more than ever. <br /> <br />Like Minnetrista, Orono falls into the underserved areas of Minnesota. Our cities are right <br />outside the metro and are considered underserved, not unserved. The Minnetrista City Council is <br />asking the cities of Greenfield, Independence, Medina, Orono, St. Bonifacius, Tonka Bay, and <br />Victoria to join in our efforts. <br /> <br />Since our communities are on the edge of the Metro area, we are often overlooked when the <br />State of Minnesota is distributing funding and awarding dollars via their DEED Border-to- <br />Border Broadband Expansion Grant program. Typically, much more funding goes to rural and <br />outstate communities in Minnesota. <br /> <br />For example, of the 40 projects awarded by the Office of Broadband Development with the 2020 <br />DEED grants, Minnetrista is one of only two areas within the 7-County Metro area to receive <br />funding for broadband expansion. Also, both awarded communities are amongst the lowest <br />funded projects, overall. The Minnetrista City Council believes communities like ours should not <br />be over looked just because of our geographical location. The needs of our residents and options <br />for broadband services in our areas aren’t unlike those who live in rural and outstate Minnesota. <br /> <br />The Minnetrista City Council is asking that Orono City Council work cooperatively with us and <br />other elected officials in surrounding communities to seek help in directing more funding <br />towards our City’s broadband needs. Working together and directing requests to both County and