Rank: 59
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Koochiching County: incremental increases

Koochiching County has been working on getting better broadband for a while. They are well organized and engaged through Koochiching Technology Initiative (KTI); they have been a Blandin Broadband Community working on promoting better broadband use with other Arrowhead Regional leaders.

Midco activated more than 200 additional miles of fiber to create a Northern Minnesota fiber ring that adds diverse network paths for both Ely and International Falls. That will help Koochiching County.

Projected allocation of American Recovery Project ARP funds in Benton is $7,930,170; broadband is one possible use.

Koochiching has been working on broadband. They have learned a lot about options working with the Blandin Foundation. The have the potential of an influx of funding; they just need to influence that impact on broadband. For now, they remain in code yellow.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

Past grants

• 2015 – Midcontinent Little Fork Middle Mile – Grant award: $277,448
• Paul Bunyan Communications – North Central Minnesota Fiber Project– GRANT $2,562,916

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Koochiching. (http://tinyurl.com/gom8mqy)
• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 60 (down from 1)
• Has worked with Blandin
• Has received a MN Broadband grant
• Household density: 1.57

Details:

• Districts: CD 8
  Senate: 03
  House: 03A
• 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)