Green=served Purple=underesrved Red=unserved
Rank (from 100/20 megabits per second): 62
Code: Red
Annually, Blandin Foundation pulls together data from the Minnesota Office of Broadband Development and broadband news to gauge progress toward the state broadband goals (25 megabits per second download/3 Mbps upload by 2022 and 100 Mbps/20 Mbps by 2026). Leaders can use this information to improve broadband access and use in their communities. To see how the state is doing overall, or to compare counties, visit the Blandin Foundation interactive map. Or check out past years’ reports: 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.
Cottonwood County: Windom is served, the rest of the county isn’t
Windom, the county seat of Cottonwood County, has had an enviable municipal broadband network since 2004. Folks in Windom are well served. But outside of Windom, connections are mixed. The terrain does not suit fixed wireless solutions. There are remote areas and areas with lower population density. These areas are unlikely to get service without community engagement and intervention.
Broadband Access:
| 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
| 100/20 (2026 goal) | 66.67 | 66.67 | 66.34 | 19.24 |
| 25/3 (2022 goal) | 72.79 | 74.17 | 67.89 | 60.52 |
| County | Households with computer | …with desktop or laptop | …with a smartphone | …with a tablet et al | …with other |
| State of MN | 90.3% | 81.1% | 76.5% | 59.3% | 3.5% |
| Cottonwood | 83.1% | 70.8% | 66.4% | 45.9% | 3.7% |
What we learned in the past:
Windom is the county seat of Cottonwood County. They have a long history with broadband. In 2004, Windom voted in favor of a municipal network. That gave birth to Windomnet, which is still operating. The Institute for Local Self Reliance has estimated a yearly community benefit from WindomNet of over $400,000!
Cottonwood County (or Windom) has worked with the Blandin Foundation. They have benefited from two MN broadband grants:
- 2016 – WOODSTOCK TELEPHONE WESTBROOK – GRANT: $412,391
- 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile – Grant award: $808,080
In 2018 they benefited from a partnership between SDN Communications and the Southwest West Central (SWWC) Service Cooperative building a fiber-based internet service that will connect more than 30 school districts, including Cottonwood.
Update from 2020:
In December 2019, Senator Klobuchar visited Windom to talk about broadband and other issues. The discussion highlighted the issue in Cottonwood- primarily, Windon is well served but surrounding rural areas are not. One attendee described his situation. Wireless doesn’t work well for him, because the line of sight is difficult to find or maintain. There were two providers he could choose. He elected to go with 10 Mbps connection but only after keeping a 1.5 Mbps connection with the other provider because that provider was upgrading to fiber. Unfortunately this gentleman lives right outside of the territory served by that fiber. It’s not a unique story; location is everything in some communities.
Checklist:
- Find more articles on broadband in Cottonwood County. (http://tinyurl.com/gnqcknv)
- 100/20 Mbps ranking: 62 (down 3 places)
- Has worked with Blandin: yes
- Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
- Household density: 7.5
Details:
- Districts: CD 1 / 22
- Find your reps
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. I’m looking at progress toward the 2022 (25 Mbps down and 3 Mbps up) and 2026 (100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up) and will code each:
- Red (yikes)
- Yellow (warning)
- Green (good shape)