Welcome to the Scandia Internet Website
Hosted by Steve Kronmiller, Scandia City Councilmember

When I ran for City Council in 2016, I learned lack of reliable internet was a concern for many in Scandia.

In April 2017, I formed the Internet Focus Group, an informal group of computer experts in Scandia to figure out how to get everyone in Scandia access to internet. Our goal was to recommend a plan to the City Council to ensure everyone in Scandia has access to reliable, cost-effective, high-speed internet. Charter members of the Focus Group were:
  • Steve Kronmiller (Founder and Chair)
  • Andy Brogan
  • Chris Frymire
  • Christopher Johnson
  • Aron Larson
  • Liz Mohr
  • Kristen Novak
  • Jesse Pereboom
We talked with Frontier and MidCo about expansion, and was told they had no plans to expand services in Scandia. We worked with representatives at DEED, and leveraged parcel data from Washington County, to successfully map internet speed availability for every address in Scandia. We now knew 40% of Scandia had access to gigabit internet speeds and the other 60% barely had any internet at all.

In March 2018, we reached out and recieved a grant from the Blandin Community Broadband Resources Program for 30 hours of free consulting services. Bill Coleman, a well respected broadband consultant, was assigned to help us understand what could be done. With help from Bill and the Blandin Foundation, we launched a Community Survey, performed a Feasibility Study to determine the potential cost of expansion, and sent an RFP out to 8 ask internet service providers asking for expansion proposals.

Initially, only Frontier and CTC sent in responses. MidCo did not. So, I met with MidCo at State Representative Bob Dettmer's office in St Paul. With help from Rep. Dettmer and Bill Strusinski, we convinced MidCo to submit a proposal.

After getting elected, Patty Ray and her partner John Carney joined the Focus Group in 2019. Patti aragued to select MidCo's Fixed Wireless and Hybrid Coax proposal, with no committment to serve the whole City. The other members wanted to learn more about CTC's proposal to serve the whole City with a Fiber to the Premise solution that was very expensive.

I liked CTC's proposal, but argued the City could not afford it as presented. I also struggled with MidCo's reluctance to participate in our selection process and their unwillingness to publicaly support our goal of expanding internet to everyone in Scandia.

Ultimately, the City Council chose to partner with MidCo on a DEED Grant to expand internet to 219 homes.

Believing the Focus Group would struggle to work with MidCo, I asked the Mayor to established an official City sponsored committee to replace the grass-roots Internet Focus Group.

Patti Ray and I both drafted charters for the new committee. We then sat down at my kitchen table and agreed on a charter for approval by the Council. The Internet Action Committee (IAC) charter was adopted by the City Council and the Committee held it's first meeting in December 2019. Patty and I were co-committee liasions until she left the Council at then end of 2022. I am still the Council Liaison, and Patti has joined the committee and an official member.

Information about the IAC and the work it is doing can be found on the official City Website.

Please take time to look at the Interactive Map, Timeline, and Q&A pages:
  • The Interactive Map page contains a map showing Scanda's expansion progress and the areas still in need of internet.

  • The Timeline page chronicles the Focus Group's journey to garner support for internet expansion in Scandia. Without the hard work from this group, Scandia would have never begun internet expansion in the first place.

  • The Q & A page contains lots of other useful information, including access to the results from the Community Survey and RFP!
If you have questions, concerns, or comments about the IAC's efforts, contact the City Administrator or the IAC Chair.

You can also click on the button below to send me an email.