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.

Roseau County has gone from broadband ranking of 85 to 35. Then went from having nothing in terms of 100/20 to 67 percent coverage. A most improved contender!

In the last round of state broadband funding, Wikstrom did get a grant to improve access in Roseau…

Wikstrom Telephone, Wiktel NW MN Broadband – $1,307,785. This project will serve rural sparsely populated areas in Kittson, Marshall, and Roseau counties in far northwestern Minnesota, passing 300 unserved homes and 31 unserved business locations. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota, Wikstrom will improve broadband services levels to 1 Gbps down and up, exceeding the 2026 state speed goal, on a fiber optic network, and in some locations will extend the service from routes built via the 2016 Border to Border State Grant program. The broadband improvements will foster opportunities in economic development, successful education services for children and adults alike, and allow for critical home health care monitoring in this remote area. The total eligible costs is $2,906,189, with a $1,598,404 local match.

Senator Johnson celebrated that award.

At a regional discussion on broadband hosted by the Blandin Foundation, Mark Klinkhammer of Garden Valley Telephone mentioned that he had been talking with Roseau Electric to expand to some areas. As a cooperative, they are motivated to get services to their people. That may bode well for Roseau County.

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: 35

• Find more articles on broadband in Roseau County (http://tinyurl.com/gsq45ua)
• There is a matrix of Minnesota broadband adoption projects.
• Districts: CD 7
  Senate: 01
  House: 01A