Rank: 19
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)
Scott County: Great government network working on residential service
As part of the 7-county metro area, Scott County is a fairly metro county, so they have the advantage of proximity to the Twin Cities and some higher population density areas. A report from the Institute for Local Self Reliance outlines at a high level their situation: the built a fiber backbone to save government spending, it has lured business to the area, and they have partners with providers to meet resident needs, especially during the pandemic.
Scott County will benefit from a MN State Grant awarded in 2021:
- Nuvera Communications, Inc. – Webster Rural FTTP – GRANT $431,260 This last mile project will serve 103 unserved and 178 underserved locations in Wheatland and Webster townships in Rice County, Euraka and Greenvale townships in Dakota County, and New Market and Cedar Lake townships in Scott County.
Projected allocation of American Recovery Project ARP funds in Scott is $28,900,154; broadband is one possible use.
Scott County has the opportunity to invest in broadband with federal funding. That would help them reach ubiquitous broadband and it sounds like they are already in conversations to collaborate to meet resident needs. Their renewed interest in residential need contributes to their code green status.
Broadband Access:
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
| 100/20 (2026 goal) | 91.02 | 89.43 | 89.15 | 88.61 | 88.38 |
| 25/3 (2022 goal) | 93.26 | 97.13 | 96.43 | 94.5 | 96.1 |
| 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% |
| Scott | 95.2 | 89.1 | 3.1 | 70.5 |
Past grants:
- 2017 – Jaguar Communications – Sand Creek Township Area Broadband Project – GRANT $192,405
- 2019: BEVCOMM (Eckles Telephone Company) – Le Sueur County Project – GRANT $1,857,376
Checklist:
- Find more articles on broadband in Scott County (http://tinyurl.com/gt4afcy)
- 100/20 Mbps ranking: 22 (down 3)
- Has worked with Blandin
- Has received a MN Broadband grant
- Household density: 155.39
Details:
- Districts: CD 2
Senate: 20, 55, 56
House: 20A, 55A, 55B, 56A - 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)
