Rank: 29
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)
Itasca County: recent grant will help improve access
Itasca County has seen very small incremental increases in broadband over the last few years. But they showed a boldness in last 2020, when they decided to invest $293,000 in CARES funding in broadband with Paul Bunyan.
Projected allocation of American Recovery Project ARP funds in Itasca is $8,752,686; broadband is one possible use.
If they are able to go bold with ARP funding for broadband they may go a long way toward ubiquitous broadband, but for now, they stay at code yellow.
Broadband Access:
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
| 100/20 (2026 goal) | 86.65 | 84.14 | 83.06 | 79.44 | 76.35 |
| 25/3 (2022 goal) | 93.03 | 87.67 | 93.12 | 86.15 | 78.92 |
| County | Households with computer | …with desktop or laptop | …with ONLY smartphone | …with a tablet et al |
| State of MN | 93.6% | 80.6% | 7.7% | 63.8% |
| Itasca | 86.9 | 72.9 | 8.9 | 54.5 |
Past grants:
- 2017 – Paul Bunyan Communications – North Central Fiber – GRANT $802,620
- 2016 MEDIACOM HARRIS TOWNSHIP – GRANT: $224,369
- 2016 – PAUL BUNYAN COMMUNICATIONS HUBBARD, BECKER & ITASCA COUNTIES – GRANT: $1,742,232
- 2015 – Paul Bunyan Central Itasca County Fiber – Grant Award: $1,980,000
- Paul Bunyan Communications – North Central Minnesota Fiber Project– GRANT $2,562,916
Checklist:
- Find more articles on broadband in Itasca County. (http://tinyurl.com/grujo6t)
- 100/20 Mbps ranking: 29 (down 1)
- Has worked with Blandin: yes
- Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
- Household density: 6.54
Details:
- Districts: CD 8
Senate: 5, 6
House: 5A, 5B, 6A - 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)
