Green=served Purple=underesrved Red=unserved
Rank (from 100/20 megabits per second): 6
Code: Green
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.
Hennepin County: population density helps attract broadband
Hennepin County is poised to meet the 2026 speed goals because they have the population density that makes an easy business case for providers to want to serve the area. Although it’s worth noting that, while their coverage hasn’t changed in the last few years, their ranking has dropped, which means rural counties are surpassing them.
In Hennepin County, affordability and access to a device seems to be a bigger issue than availability.
Broadband Access:
| 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
| 100/20 (2026 goal) | 98.97 | 98.94 | 98.97 | 98.57 |
| 25/3 (2022 goal) | 99.4 | 99.39 | 99.18 | 99.16 |
| 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% |
| Hennepin | 92.6% | 85.8% | 80.8% | 62.3% | 3.2% |
What we learned in the past:
Hennepin County has the distinct advantage of high population density, which makes for an easier business case to serve than some of the more rural counties.
Hennepin County has benefited from one MN state grant…
- 2017 – Mediacom Minnesota LLC – Medina 2018 Broadband Build – GRANT $62,219
Update from 2020:
Hennepin County is well served with broadband but affordability and access to devices have become greater issue, or at least received more attention with COVID restrictions. To help meet the needs of low income households, ConnectMN provided grants to help get computers and connecitivity into the hands of students who need it; several recipients were in Hennepin County.
Checklist:
- Find more articles on broadband in Hennepin County. (http://tinyurl.com/z9n7ea6)
- 100/20 Mbps ranking: 6 (down 2)
- Has worked with Blandin: no
- Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
- Household density: 784.3
Details:
- Districts: CD 4, 5 & 6
Senate: 29, 30, 33, 34, 36, 40, 41, 44, 45, 46, 48, 49, 50, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63
House: 29A, 30B, 33A, 33B, 34A, 34B, 36A, 36B, 40A, 40B, 41B, 44A, 44B, 45A, 45B, 46A, 46B, 48A, 48B, 49A, 49B, 50A, 50B, 59A, 59B, 60A, 60B, 61A, 61B, 62A, 62B, 63A, 63B - 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)