Rank: 53
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)
Nicollet County: stagnant since 2019 but just got a grant
Nicollet County ranks 53 for broadband access and 17 for digital equity out of 87 counties. They saw a nice leap in access in 2019 but have been stagnant at 78 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up since. Their access actually decreased this year, but that is likely due to increased granularity of reporting and are within an acceptable margin of error. They have 3037 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $28.2 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 |
| Nicollet | 28.6 | 13,371 | 77.29 | 3037 | $ 28,239,953.13 |
Nicollet County will benefit from a border to border grant announced in December 2022:
- Nuvera Communications, Inc. – Nicollet County RTF DTF FTTP – GRANT $479,011 (Learn more)
Nicollet County saw great progress in 2019; they have been stagnant since then. They saw the one of greatest drops in broadband ranking – down 8 spots. They may see progress from Fidium Fiber, part of Consolidated Communications, as they extend service to the area. The most recent grant helps them hold onto their yellow code as opposed to going red.
Broadband Access:
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
| 100/20 (2026 goal) | 77.29 | 78.49 | 78.29 | 78.42 | 33.29 | 54.54 |
| 25/3 (2022 goal) | 86.83 | 83.87 | 83.67 | 82.68 | 83.91 | 86.1 |
Digital Equity:
Nicollet County ranks 17 out of 87 for digital equity. (See full Digital Equity Profile)
Nicollet County ranks 32 out of 87 for computer ownership. 91.7 percent of homes have a computer of device as compared to statewide ownership of 95.5 percent.
Past grant:
- 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile = Grant award: $808,080
- MN State Grant awarded in 2021: Nuvera Communications, Inc. – New Ulm HDT 202 FTTP – GRANT $444,386 This last mile project north of New Ulm will serve approximately 80 unserved and 67 underserved locations in Nicollet County.
Checklist:
- Find more articles on broadband in Nicollet County (http://tinyurl.com/h3zwpbd)
- 100/20 Mbps ranking: 53 (down 8)
- Has worked with Blandin: yes
- Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
- Household density: 28.6
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)
Blandin on Broadband 