Green=served Purple=underesrved Red=unserved

Rank (from 100/20 Mbps): 61
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.

Marshall County: incremental improvements fueled by MN grants

Marshall County has seen consistent, incremental improvements in broadband coverage, and they have benefited grants almost every year grants were available. That trend has continued this year; they will benefit from a grant received by Wikstrom Telephone. They have a way to go but they seem to be on a steady path.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Marshall County has benefited from five state grants:

• 2017 – Wikstrom Telephone – Wiktel NW MN Broadband – GRANT $1,307,785
• 2016 – GARDEN VALLEY TELEPHONE COMPANY RURAL THIEF RIVER FALLS EAST – GRANT: $2,027,035
• 2016 – WIKSTROM TELEPHONE COMPANY (WITH BEAMCO, INC.) RURAL ALVARADO – GRANT: $43,481
• 2016 – WIKSTROM TELEPHONE COMPANY WIKTEL NW MN – GRANT: $950,823
• 2014 – Wikstrom Telephone, Kittson, Marshall, Roseau Broadband Extension – Award $425,000

Marshall is getting FCC funding over the next 10 years. In April (2019), Vast Broadband launched Gigabit access in Marshall, Pipestone and Worthington counties.

Update from 2020:

Marshall County will benefit from a Border to Border grant awarded in the last round:

• Wikstrom Telephone – Wiktel NW MN Broadband Project – GRANT $1,151,526
  This last mile project will upgrade approximately 316 unserved locations in areas of Kittson, Marshall, Lake of the Woods, Pennington, and Roseau Counties. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota, Wikstrom Telephone will improve broadband service levels up to 1 Gbps download and 1 Gbps upload, exceeding the 2022 and 2026 state speed goals. This project will provide service to an area with 1.6 subscribers per route mile of cable, in some cases extending from routes placed under the 2016 and 2017 Border to Border State Grant program. Broadband service is the key to economic development, successful education services for children, and allows at-home health care monitoring in this remote area.
• Total eligible cost is $2,558,946
• Local match is $1,407,420

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Marshall County (http://tinyurl.com/zamfwj3)

• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 61 (up 5)
• Has worked with Blandin: no
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 2.2

Details:

• Districts: CD 7
  Senate: 01
  House: 01A
• 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)