Rank: 82
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Isanti County: stalled at 50 percent – they need help

Isanti County ranks 82 for broadband access and 45 for digital equity out of 87 counties. They have been hovering at about 50 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up since 2017. They have 8260 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $76.8 million to get to ubiquitous broadband in the county.

For the first time, Isanti County will benefit from a border to border grant announced in December 2022:

• Midcontinent Communications, $1,647,321.00

Isanti County is served by one large national provider. That may be a bottleneck to better access in those areas, because aslack of competition can impact the drive for improvement.

We don’t hear much from Isanti and that is why they maintain their red code. To see improvement, they will likely need to come together as a community to seek better broadband.

Broadband Access:

Digital Equity:

Isanti County ranks 45 out of 87 for digital equity. (See full Digital Equity Profile)

Isanti County ranks 26 out of 87 for computer ownership. 92.9 percent of homes have a computer of device as compared to statewide ownership of 95.5 percent.

Past grants:

none

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Isanti County. (http://tinyurl.com/gozt2ka)
• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 82 (down 1 place)
• Has worked with Blandin: yes
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 36.6

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)