Rank: 56
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Morrison County: steady progress but recent grant might help

Morrison County has been actively engaged in seeking better broadband for several years, including as part of the Resilient Region as a Blandin Broadband Community. They have benefited from grants most years that they have been available and will benefit from two Border to Border grants they received in the last round. They have a way to go to meet the 2026 speed goal but each year they seem to make improvements.

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

• Benton Cooperative Telephone Company – Ramey Phase 2 Project – GRANT $338,011 This last mile project will serve 119 unserved locations in the Ramey telephone exchange located in portions of Lakin and Mount Morris townships in Morrison County and a small portion of Dailey and Page townships located in Mille Lacs County.
• Sytek Communications – Morrison/Todd/Stearns County FTTP Project – GRANT $1,048,668 This last mile project will bring service to 130 locations in Southwest Morrison, Southeastern Todd and Northeastern Stearns counties.

Projected allocation of American Recovery Project ARP funds in Morrison is $6,475,009; broadband is one possible use.

Federal funding provides a potential for all of the counties to invest in broadband. It seems as if counties that have been working with the Blandin Foundation or otherwise been involved with broadband are more likely to make that choice. Morrison County has a history with Blandin and that’s why they are code yellow.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

Past grants:

• 2017 – Benton Cooperative Telephone Company – Rice Ramey – GRANT $765,015
• 2016 – BENTON COOPERATIVE TELEPHONE COMPANY BUCKMAN – GRANT: $276,230
• 2014 – Consolidated Telephone Cooperative, Region 5 Virtual Highway Project – Amount $2 million
• 2019: CTC (Consolidated Telephone Company) – Fort Ripley/Executive Acres Project – GRANT $830,587
• 2019: Benton Cooperative Telephone Company – Ramey Phase I – GRANT $936,759

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Morrison County (http://tinyurl.com/hxkk5ur)
• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 56 (down 1)
• Has worked with Blandin: yes
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 11.31

Details:

• Districts: CD 8Senate: 9, 15House: 09B, 15B
• 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)