Otter Tail County MinnesotaWith over 1,000 lakes and a mix of farmland, small communities, and seasonal tourism activity, Otter Tail County is representative of high-cost, hard-to-reach service areas, where terrain, distance, and seasonal population fluctuations all influence planning, funding strategies, and deployment efficiency winding around its scenic lakes.
North Fergus & East Otter Tail Border to Border Projects
Match scenario for North Fergus Project
Data analysis to determine underserved agricultural communities in Otter Tail County
Project #1:
Otter Tail Telcom, LLC – North Fergus Falls – GRANT $3,381,661
This last mile project will serve a total of 1,186 locations comprised of 495 unserved households; 334 underserved households; 245 unserved businesses, farms, and community anchor institutions; and 112 underserved businesses, farms, and community anchor institutions in the North Fergus Falls area of Minnesota. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota, Otter Tail County, and 5 townships, Otter Tail Telcom will improve unserved/underserved levels to 1 Gbps download and 1 Gbps upload, exceeding Minnesota's 2026 state speed goal. Building a fiber-to-the-premise network that provides advanced, high-speed broadband services to households, businesses and farms in the proposed grant area improves access to critical school e-learning applications while also making agricultural operations more efficient and enhancing crop production through enabled precision agriculture tools. The broadband network will improve access to rural healthcare resources and will stimulate a more robust local area economy.
Total eligible project cost is $8,454,152
Local match is $5,072,491
State grant is $3,381,661
“These projects are big wins for Otter Tail County’s critical infrastructure and its residents. We were successful because of the collaboration and partnership between our local providers, Otter Tail County, and several townships who contributed $281,384 to these projects.”
$2,800,000 allocation from Otter Tail County
Project #2:
Arvig (East Otter Tail Telephone Co.) – Otter Tail County Area Fiber Build – GRANT $1,140,705
This last-mile project will reach 171 unserved and 100 underserved households, farms and businesses in the southeastern portion of Otter Tail County near the rural parts of Battle Lake, Henning, Parkers Prairie and Urbank. Thanks to a funding partnership with Otter Tail County and with the State of Minnesota, Arvig will be able to extend its growing fiber network to these structures with internet speeds from 100 Mbps / 20 Mbps up to 10 Gbps / 1 Gbps, meeting and exceeding Minnesota's 2026 state speed goal of 100 Mbps / 20 Mbps. The all fiber-to-the-premise construction will begin as soon as the grant is awarded and will be completed before June, 2025, allowing these customers to receive the internet service they need and deserve. With the completion of this project, these Otter Tail County residents will be able to run their at-home businesses and farms, or work from home, more efficiently, they can continue or pursue their education online with confidence, they will have better access to telehealth services, and they will simply be able to access more entertainment and stay connected with their friends and family.
Total eligible project cost is $2,851,762
Local match is $1,711,057
State grant is $1,140,705