I am doing the annual look at broadband in each county – based on maps from the Office of Broadband Development and news gathered from the last year.

Mille Lacs County broadband ranking has dipped from 47 to 49 but they have seen some improvement.

Mille Lacs applied for a broadband grant in the last available round and were unhappy to not receive funding…

The denial of a state grant to partially fund a countywide wireless network in Mille Lacs County has officials frustrated, the Mille Lacs Messenger reported. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development did not select the county’s application for broadband funding.

This rejection comes after a year’s worth of studies and public outreach, and county officials said they believed their project received less consideration than some that would impact 100 or fewer residents. The Mille Lacs County project would serve approximately 26,000 residents.

A consulting firm working with the county on the project intends to request information from the state concerning grant selection criteria.

I suspect if there is future funding for broadband, Mille Lacs County will apply.

Info on Access:

The speeds reflect the Minnesota speed goals:

• 25 Mbps down and 3 up by 2022
• 100 Mbps down and 20 up by 2026

Current ranking for 100/20 access: 49

• Mille Lacs County has worked with Blandin Foundation
• Find more articles on broadband in Mille Lacs County (http://tinyurl.com/h7wcdjj)
• There is a matrix of Minnesota broadband adoption projects.
• Districts: CD 8
  Senate: 15
  House: 15A