One Mission: Connect Every Minnesotan to Digital Opportunity

“Every Last Mile” chronicles the dramatic challenges faced by local cable crews working to bring broadband to rural, unserved communities.

While much of America enjoys the endless opportunities that come along with high-speed internet access, many rural and harder-to-reach communities across the country – including here in Minnesota – remain unserved.

Fortunately, thousands of projects in rural communities nationwide are underway, and broadband crews are making tremendous progress to bridge the digital divide. These crews overcome obstacles at every turn, braving extreme conditions and venturing into the country’s most remote regions.

A new documentary, “Every Last Mile”, chronicles the untold story of connecting rural and remote America. The film follows three broadband construction crews, including one in Saint Louis County’s Lakewood Township, and the immense challenges they face while building this critical infrastructure.

Spotlight: Connecting Lakewood Township

Nestled in the northeast corner of the state on Lake Superior, Lakewood Township boasts a close-knit community of just over 2,000 residents, of whom approximately 20 percent lacked video-call quality internet.

“Every Last Mile” documents a local Mediacom crew prioritizing the installation of a new fiber project in the township before harsh winter weather conditions shut down work for the season. The team’s dedication and commitment resulted in the completion of the 70-mile fiber-optic cable installation project in spring 2024, connecting nearly 1,160 homes.

The premiere of “Every Last Mile” coincides with an unprecedented national effort to expand internet access to unconnected Americans, including over ten million who live in rural areas. The “Internet for All” initiative includes the historic allocation of $42.45 billion in federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funds, set to be distributed to states this year.

Minnesota alone will receive about $650 million in BEAD funding to expand broadband access across the state. This funding complements the $2.1 trillion in private capital invested since 1996 to build and upgrade America’s broadband networks.

America’s Cable Industry: Doing What it Takes to Get the Job Done

America’s cable industry employs over 1 million highly skilled professionals and has a long, proven track record of success in building the networks Americans rely on in rural and urban communities. Between 2022 and 2023, the cable industry connected 1.3 million new rural homes and businesses and increased gigabit speed access to 5.4 million homes and businesses.

For more information and stories about NCTA’s mission to connect every American to every last mile of the nation’s broadband network, visit: everylastmile.film