Green=served Purple=underesrved Red=unserved

Rank (from 100/20 megabits per second): 48
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.

Kandiyohi County: they persist

Kandiyohi County has been working on better broadband for years. In 2017, Consolidated Telecommunications Co. (CTC) was awarded a $4.94 million grant to improve serves in New London, Spicer and Willmar, and Frontier was awarded a grant of $1.02 million to improve service in rural Kandiyohi County. Unfortunately, the CTC project did not work out.

Earlier this year, the Willmar and Kandiyohi County Economic Development set out to get a feasibility study done to prepare to apply for a Border to Border broadband grant.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Kandiyohi County has been working on improving broadband for years. They have hosted meetings with policymakers and partnered with several providers. Kandiyohi has benefited from state broadband grants:

• 2016 – FRONTIER KANDIYOHI INITIATIVE – GRANT: $1,015,275
• 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile – Grant award: $808,080

Then in 2017, Consolidated Telecommunications Co. (CTC) was awarded a $4.94 million grant to improve serves in New London, Spicer and Willmar, and Frontier was awarded a grant of $1.02 million to improve service in rural Kandiyohi County. Unfortunately, the CTC project did not work out.

Update from 2020:

Late in 2019, Meeker Cooperative announced a new service, Vibrant Broadband, which is approximately 50 Mbps upload and 8 Mbps down to several counties, including Kandiyohi.

In early 2020, the Willmar and Kandiyohi County Economic Development Commission said that they would start a broadband feasibility study with the intention of applying for a Border to Border grant this year (2020).

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Kandiyohi. (http://tinyurl.com/z9wk7bm)

• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 48 (down 1)
• Has worked with Blandin: yes
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 19.4

Details:

• Districts: CD 7
  Senate: 17
  House: 17A, 17B
• 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)