Green=served Purple=underesrved Red=unserved

Rank (from 100/20 megabits per second): 27
Code: Yellow

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.

Goodhue County: the haves and have-nots

With Red Wing Ignite, an organization that strives to help the community make the best use of broadband, located in Goodhue, they have some of the best broadband availability and adoption efforts around. Cannon Falls is heading in that direction too, with their participation in the Blandin Broadband Communities (BBC). But there are still areas without access to 100/20 Mbps.

They are in line to benefit from a Border to Border award made in the last round of grants, that will help.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Goodhue has benefited from several MN broadband grants:

• 2017 – Midco (Midcontinent Communications) – Wanamingo – GRANT $768,600
• 2017 – New Ulm Telecom, Inc. – White Rock Rural East FTTP – GRANT $411,704
• 2016 – NEW ULM TELECOM, INC. GOODHUE-BELLECHESTER – GRANT: $ 332,328
• 2015 – New Ulm Telecom Goodhue Fiber Project – Grant award: $115,934

Last year, Goodhue was part of Blandin Foundation’s report on the community return on public investment in broadband. Using formulas devised to measure impact of broadband access, Goodhue has the potential to realize:

Using formulas devised to measure impact of broadband access, Goodhue has the potential to realize:

• A combined household economic benefit of broadband of $32,774,600
• A combined increase in residential real estate value of $104,825,572 annually

Update from 2020:

Red Wing has always been a broadband hotbed in Goodhue County but Cannon Falls joined in the broadband adoption world by becoming a Blanidn Broadband Community.

Goodhue stands to benefit from a project awarded a Border to Border grant in the last round:

• BEVCOMM (Pine Island Telephone Company) – NE Pine Island Fiber Project Phase I – GRANT $222,222
  This last mile project will upgrade approximately 54 unserved households, eight unserved farms, 14 unserved businesses, and one underserved household in areas of Pine Island and New Haven Townships in Goodhue County, and a small portion in Olmsted County. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota and Goodhue County Economic Development Authority, BEVCOMM will improve broadband service levels up to 1 Gbps download and 1 Gbps upload, exceeding the 2022 and 2026 state speed goals. The use and development of broadband will provide various home-based business options, stimulate economic growth, innovation, and investment. Education, health care, agriculture, energy efficiency, and public safety will improve with high-speed Internet access.
• Total eligible project cost is $634,920
• Local match is $412,698

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Goodhue County. (http://tinyurl.com/z3jwte4)
• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 46 (up 4 places)
• Has worked with Blandin: yes
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 24

Details:

• Districts: CD 2
  Senate: 21, 58
  House: 21A, 21B, 58B
• 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)