Rank: 66
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Mahnomen: Steady growth increases access

Mahnomen County ranks 66 for broadband access and 85 for digital equity out of 87 counties. They went from almost 19 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up in 2019 to 71 percent coverage in 2021. They have seen a slight decrease this year but that is likely due to increased granularity of reporting. They have 744 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $6.9 million to get to ubiquitous broadband in the county.

Mahnomen County saw a huge increase in access from 17 percent to 57 percent in 2020. They have an engaged provider but with such a low population density, it’s difficult to make a business case to serve 4.4 households per square mile.

There has not a lot of demonstrative movement toward improvement and that is why they have been bumped from yellow to red coding.

Broadband Access:

Digital Equity:

Mahnomen County ranks 85 out of 87 for digital equity. (See full Digital Equity Profile)

Mahnomen County ranks 85 out of 87 for computer ownership. 84.8 percent of homes have a computer of device as compared to statewide ownership of 95.5 percent.

Past grant:

• 2017 – Garden Valley Telephone Company – Bejou – GRANT $1,304,421

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Mahnomen County (https://tinyurl.com/4bfrr34x)
• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 66 (down 4)
• Has worked with Blandin: yes
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 4.4

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)