Rank: 74
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

McLeod County: maybe the tide has turned

McLeod County’s ranking has been slipping over the years. Their percentage covered has been stagnant. But this year they have received their first State broadband grants; maybe the tide is turning for them.

McLeod County will benefit from a few MN State Grants awarded in 2021:

• Nuvera Communications, Inc. – Hutchinson SE FTTP – GRANT $169,369 This last mile project will serve 42 unserved and five underserved locations in the Hutchinson area of McLeod County.
• Winthrop Telephone Company, Inc. – Bismarck & Transit Township FTTP Project – GRANT $716,000 This last mile project will serve 148 unserved and six underserved locations, including homes, businesses and farms, in Bismarck, Transit and Round Grove townships in Sibley and McLeod counties.

Projected allocation of American Recovery Project ARP funds in McLeod is $6,961,226; broadband is one possible use. That would go a long way to helping them get better broadband coverage. They are at code red.

They may benefit from intervention, such as the Blandin Accelerate program, a process to spur community acquisition and deployment of federal and state broadband funds, to find an alternative solution.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

Past grants:

None

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in McLeod County (http://tinyurl.com/hx65gqh)
• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 74 (down 4)
• Has worked with Blandin: no
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 28.14

Details:

• Districts: CD 7
  Senate: 18
  House: 18A, 18B
• 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)