WASHINGTON, July 30, 2026 – Minnesota has notched a milestone: the state’s first signed BEAD deal. The state's Office of Broadband Development announced an executed contract and approved environmental review for East Central Energy’s fiber project expected to connect 3,750 locations between Minneapolis and Duluth. OBD must get its remaining initial projects under contract by October 8, 2026. ECE also built a track record with state broadband funders well before this BEAD award. Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development, which operates the state’s broadband office, awarded the cooperative its fifth Border-to-Border grant in March 2024 worth nearly $5 million.