Rank: 17
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)
Polk County: Closing in on top 10
Polk County has better than 90 percent broadband coverage and they part of three State broadband grants to get better broadband:
Polk County will benefit from a few MN State Grants awarded in 2021:
- Garden Valley Technologies – Northwest Thief River Falls and Euclid – GRANT $1,640,722 This middle and last mile project will serve 104 unserved and 22 underserved locations in portions of Marshall and Polk counties.
- Halstad Telephone Company – North Fisher Expansion – GRANT $619,000 This last mile project will upgrade approximately 57 unserved and seven underserved locations in portions of Huntsville, Nesbit and Fanny townships in Polk County.
- Wikstrom Telephone Co. Inc. – Wiktel NW MN Broadband 2020 – GRANT $490,997 The last mile project will serve 153 unserved locations in sparsely populated areas in Kittson, Marshall and Polk counties.
Projected allocation of American Recovery Project ARP funds in Polk is $6,082,855; broadband is one possible use.
Polk County has the opportunity to invest in broadband with federal funding. That, and the three recent grant awards, would help them reach ubiquitous broadband. They are code green.
Broadband Access:
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
| 100/20 (2026 goal) | 91.72 | 91.76 | 88.35 | 85.39 | 80.89 |
| 25/3 (2022 goal) | 93.02 | 93.09 | 93.11 | 93 | 90.78 |
| 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% |
| Polk | 85.9 | 72.8 | 8 | 54.2 |
Past grants:
- 2016 – HALSTAD TELEPHONE COMPANY KERTSONVILLE AREA – GRANT: $296,665
- 2015 – Halstad Telephone Company – Gentilly Township – Grant award: $424,460
- 2014 – Halstad Telephone Co., Halstad Tract MN 11902500 FTTH Amount $1.65 million
- 2019: Halstad Telephone Company – Rural East Grand Forks Expansion Project – GRANT $440,000
Checklist:
- Find more articles on broadband in Polk County (http://tinyurl.com/zk8apgm)
- 100/20 Mbps ranking: 20 (down 3)
- Has worked with Blandin: no
- Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
- Household density: 6.19
Details:
- Districts: CD 7
Senate: 01
House: 01B - 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)
Blandin on Broadband 