Rank: 80
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Norman County: recent progress but needs more

Norman County ranks 80 for broadband access and 72 for digital equity out of 87 counties. They have been hovering at 55 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up since 2020. They have 1437 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $13 million to get to ubiquitous broadband in the county.

Norman County is one of five counties that has not yet received border to border funding. They have not worked with Blandin Foundation. There is a little demonstration of active work on improving broadband in the county and that is why they maintain their red code.

They have almost ubiquitous access to internet at speeds of 25 Mbps down and 3 up and they rank low for digital equity, which means county commissioner and maybe even incumbent providers are not hearing of greater need because people have what they need for email and web browsing but increased access and better use may open doors for the community.

They are code red.

Broadband Access:

Digital Equity:

Norman County ranks 72 out of 87 for digital equity. (See full Digital Equity Profile)

Norman County ranks 80 out of 87 for computer ownership. 86.7 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 Norman County (http://tinyurl.com/zs7nuqj)
• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 80 (down 4)
• Has worked with Blandin: no
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: no
• Household density: 3.7

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)