Every year, the Blandin on Broadband blog does County Broadband Profiles (and will do again when the new maps come out) but given federal opportunities are making it possible to get funding for access and adoption, I thought I’d try to present information for counties to assess their digital equity standing (see table below) and give options for who to contact locally for more information.
Summary
Mower County ranks 51 out of 87 counties for digital equity. Mower is pretty middle of the pack. Ranking for high school graduation is low at 82 rank. The rest is again, middle to lower ranking. They are in a position where they need to work on the three pillars of digital equity: affordable access to broadband, device ownership and the skills to use them.
Scroll down for details and suggested resources for more information.
Blandin Foundation is using the Microsoft Digital Equity Tool to determine needs by county and make high level recommendations for next steps to consider based on the data. (With special thanks to Carter Grupp, Broadband Coordinator Broadband Coordinator at American Connection Project for Otter Tail County.) Visit the tool if you want to look up more statistics on your community.
Demographic Data and Ranking (out of 87)
| Mower County | Ranking |
| Access to 100/20 | 46 |
| No bachelors | 46 |
| No HS degree | 82 |
| Below 150% poverty (last 12 months) | 73 |
| Below poverty (last 12 months) | 73 |
| Disability | 43 |
| No computer | 54 |
| No broadband access | 5 |
| No subscription | 40 |
| Overall average | 51 |
The map below shows digital inequity by census tract. The bluer the better; yellow and orange colors indicate more inequity. This map can be helpful in figuring out which parts of your county need the most help.
So where do you go to talk to people in the county about digit equity plans? Good places to start include:
Libraries
Schools
- Austin Public School District (ISD #492)
Superintendent Dr. Joey Page
page@austin.k12.mn.us
(507) 460-1900
http://www.austin.k12.mn.us - Grand Meadow School District (ISD #495)
Superintendent Paul Besel
pbesel@gm.k12.mn.us
(507) 754-5318
http://www.gm.k12.mn.us/ - Leroy-Ostrander School District (ISD #499)
Superintendent Jennifer Backer-Johnson
jbjohnson@leroy.k12.mn.us
(507) 324-5743
http://www.leroy.k12.mn.us - Lyle School District (ISD #497)
Superintendent Jamie Goebel
jgoebel@lyle.k12.mn.us
(507) 325-2201
http://www.lyle.k12.mn.us - Southland School District (ISD #500)
Superintendent Scott Hall
shall@isd500.k12.mn.us
(507) 582-3283
http://www.isd500.k12.mn.us/
There’s a lot to take in but sometimes it’s also helpful to see what a community has done in the past, so we’ve gathered specific projects funded through the Blandin Foundation:
| Project Owner | Project Name | Description |
| Austin Aspires | Focus Groups with Traditionally Underrepresented Populations | Better understand the technology needs of diverse groups in the Austin Area by hosting a series of focus groups with underrepresented groups, including but not limited to senior citizens, non-English language speakers, and individuals with disabilities and their caregivers. |
| Austin Aspires | Translation Software | Bridge the communication gap in the Austin Area through the use of translation software. Austin Public Schools currently serves families representing 45 home languages, and nearly 50% of students identify as a member of an ethnic minority. Translation assistance is needed throughout the community. |
| Austin Public Library and Mayo Clinic | Public Access Privacy Rooms | Facilitate access to and use of technology through the creation of at least three “Zoom Rooms” strategically placed around the city that people can use to conduct private business including job interviews, parent-teacher meetings, medical appointments, etc. |
| Austin Public Schools Community Ed. | Community Digital Literacy Training | Build digital literacy skills around the community by hosting digital literacy training classes. Targeted populations include the elderly, ESL families, and people wanting to improve their work skills. |
| Development Corporation of Austin | Small Business Resiliency Through Technology | Help small businesses innovate, update, and flourish by promoting the availability of Mower County’s micro-grant program. Participating small businesses will receive a technology assessment to pinpoint resiliency gaps in operations, marketing, or online presence, and have access to matching grants to address issues. |
| Hormel Nature Center | Community Tree Nursery | Promote the creative application of technology and address environmental justice by designing and constructing a gravel bed tree nursery to grow trees to augment loss associated with aging and dying trees throughout the community. The nursery will be used as an educational tool through videos, photos, and articles shared online. |
| United Way of Mower County | Affordable Connectivity Program Promotion | Connect qualifying families to affordable internet service by promoting the Affordable Connectivity Program through various community engagement efforts, including assisting them with the application process. |
Blandin on Broadband 