Rank: 19
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)
Carver County: Needs a push to get ubiquitous broadband
Carver County ranks 19 for broadband access and 2 for digital equity out of 87 counties. They have ranked well for years but saw a nice push to 93.2 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up in the last year. They have 2745 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $25.5 million to get to ubiquitous broadband in the county.
| County | Housing Unit Density | Number of Housing Units | 100/20 Mbps | houses unserved | Cost to close the gap |
| Carver | 107.4 | 40,380 | 93.2 | 2746 | $25,536,312.00 |
Carver County is making a big push to reach ubiquitous broadband.
- They began construction of 350 miles of middle mile broadband as part of Connect Up Carver Initiative, a $10.5 million project
- They have applied for $3.5 million grant for a $5 million project to extend the network to areas that were caught in the LTD Broadband RDOF area, where they had a federal award revoked.
- They have been working with local provider Metronet to reach smaller cities and towns.
- They are working with local businesses to find a way to provide service to them.
Carver County gets a green light because they are close to ubiquitous coverage. They had seemed stuck for a while but they’ve improved in the last year and have solid plans for more. Also they rank well for digital inclusion, which indicates an audience that would be receptive to better broadband.
Broadband Access:
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
| 100/20 (2026 goal) | 93.2 | 90.2 | 89.37 | 86.51 | 85.09 | 81.04 |
| 25/3 (2022 goal) | 94 | 93.32 | 93.73 | 92.14 | 89.81 | 98.51 |
Digital Equity:
Carver County ranks 2 out of 87 for digital equity. (See full Digital Equity Profile)
Carver County ranks 1 out of 87 for computer ownership. 98.7 percent of homes have a computer of device as compared to statewide ownership of 95.5 percent.
Past grants:
- 2013, Carver County received ARRA funding for Carverlink, a publicly owned 89-mile base ring with 33 miles of lateral lines. It was completed in Fall of 2013.
Checklist:
- Find more articles on broadband in Carver County. (http://tinyurl.com/jxj9v9x)
- 100/20 Mbps ranking: 19 (up 6 places)
- Has worked with Blandin: no
- Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
- Household density: 107.4
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 