Late last month, Paul Bunyan posted a press release on Beltrami County having the best broadband in the state. It looks like the Bemidji Pioneer is elaborating…

When it comes to broadband internet access in Minnesota, Beltrami County is No. 1 out of 87.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development released a new broadband availability map this year, showing Beltrami County having the most access to internet speeds up to a gigabit per second. According to DEED, 98.78 percent of Beltrami County now has access to those speeds.

In comparison, just 24.58 percent of the state has access to those internet speeds, and there are nine counties where no gigabit availability exists.

Shane Delaney, DEED communications director, said the region has benefited from having several providers.

“The reason Beltrami has so much broadband is you have Garden Valley Telephone Co. in the northwest corner, and Paul Bunyan Communications throughout the rest of the county,” Delaney said. “Those two companies have largely been building out with fiber and most of the populated areas have a connection with that fiber.”