Meeker County is well served today; 98 percent of the county has access to 25/3 (Mbps down/up) and they have had 98 percent coverage since we last checked in 2014 (although the define of broadband was slower). But they are not as well set up for the future; only 38 percent of the county has access to 100/20, which is the state goal for 2026.

In 2015, Meeker County did benefit from a Border to Border grant…

MVTV Wireless was the recipient of $808,080 to upgrade backhaul capacity between site locations within 20 southwestern Minnesota counties, including Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Meeker, Redwood, Renville, Swift and Yellow Medicine.

The project will improve broadband access and speeds for more than 3,000 farm-based businesses and 6,000 rural residents across nearly 30,000 square miles.

Meeker County is in line to receive $1,768,690 in CAF 2 funding to upgrade 3258 locations. CAF 2 recipients are only required to upgrade to 10/1 access. Many may choose to upgrade to better speeds but there are no requirements.

Numbers:

The Office of Broadband Development released data on broadband covered in fall of 2016, based on information gathered in July 2016. Here’s how they ranked:

• Percentage served with 25/3 or better – 98.58
• Percentage served with 100/20 or better – 38.13

Mississippi State University Extension have come up with a ranking system to gauge the digital divide index (DDI) by county. (The lower the number the better – the state average is 40.66.) Here’s how they ranked:

DDI score of 47.11 out of 100.

More info:

• Find more articles on broadband in Meeker County (http://tinyurl.com/gltzvoc)

• There is a matrix of Minnesota broadband adoption projects.
• Districts: CD 7
  Senate: 18
  House: 18A

I plan to profile each county in Minnesota – tracking broadband access, digital divide and annotated links to news of what’s happening with broadband in the county. I’m keeping it high level because there are 87 counties!