Rank: 84
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Redwood County: Hovering near the bottom of the ranking list

Redwood County ranks 84 for broadband access and 70 for digital equity out of 87 counties. They have gone from almost 40 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up in 2021 to 80 percent coverage in 2022. They have 3660 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $34 million to get to ubiquitous broadband in the county.

Redwood County will benefit from two border to border grants announced in December 2022:

• Hanson Communications, Inc., $923,918.00
• Redwood County Telephone Co. dba Arvig, $1,336,037.04 (Learn more)

Redwood County has been working on better broadband with the help of a Lead Fellow; they have been asking residents to take a broadband survey. They are building upon the success of the prior year. Unfortunately, their ranking doesn’t represent their huge leap in the access in the last year. They have doubled access and recently awarded grants will help that momentum and pushes their code from red to yellow

Broadband Access:

Digital Equity:

Redwood County ranks 70 out of 87 for digital equity. (See full Digital Equity Profile)

Redwood County ranks 64 out of 87 for computer ownership. 88.8 percent of homes have a computer of device as compared to statewide ownership of 95.5 percent.

Past grants:

• 2017 – MVTC (Minnesota Valley Telephone Company, Inc.) – Milroy Broadband Project – GRANT $742,365
• 2016 – ARVIG – REDWOOD COUNTY TELEPHONE MIDDLE MILE FIBER EXTENSION – GRANT: $27,998
• 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile – Grant award: $808,080
• 2019: MVTC (Minnesota Valley Telephone Company, Inc.) – Rural Lucan Fiber Project – GRANT $635,400

• MN State Grant awarded in 2021: Minnesota Valley Telephone Company (MVTC) – Rural Franklin Fiber Project – GRANT $226,800 This middle and last mile project will serve approximately 45 unserved locations in the City of Franklin and the townships of Sherman, Eden, Camp and Birch Cooley in Redwood, Renville and Brown counties.

Checklist:

• Redwood County has worked with the Blandin Foundation
• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 84 (up 1)
• Has worked with Blandin: yes
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 8

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)