Minnesota electricity cooperative East Central Energy (ECE) is the first broadband provider in the state to secure a Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment contract agreement, as state officials begin formally doling out their $652 million share of federal grant money.

According to an announcement from the cooperative, the initial $16.6 million round of BEAD funding will help finance the deployment of affordable high-speed connectivity to approximately 3,750 locations across rural Minnesota. The co-op says it selected Clearfield, Inc. for its fiber network expansion.

“We're proud to be the first broadband provider in Minnesota to secure an executed BEAD agreement,” ECE announced on Facebook. “This is an exciting step forward in our mission to bring reliable, high-speed fiber internet to more homes and businesses.”

In deployed markets, ECE offers subscribers four service tiers to choose from: a symmetrical 100 megabit per second (Mbps) tier for $65 a month; a symmetrical 250 Mbps option for $85 a month; a symmetrical 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) tier for $120 a month; and a symmetrical 2 Gbps option for $190 a month.

The cooperative’s fiber tiers come with no hidden fees, usage surcharges, or long-term contracts, and both the speed and pricing are significantly better than anything offered by regional phone and cable monopolies.