Rank: 53
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Kandiyohi County: they persist

Kandiyohi County has been working on better broadband for years. They saw a big improvement in 2019, but have been stagnant since. They came close to getting better broadband with CTC and a grant but that didn’t work out in the end.

Projected allocation of American Recovery Project ARP funds in Benton is $7,930,170; broadband is one possible use. They have already elected to use some in Prinsburg.

The influx of funding is an opportunity for Kandiyohi to really invest; the question is whether they can convince the whole community to buy in. For now, they remain code yellow.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

Past Grants:

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

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Kandiyohi. (http://tinyurl.com/z9wk7bm)
• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 53 (down 5)
• Has worked with Blandin: yes
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 20.65

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)