Rank: 23
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)
Sherburne County: Great improvement
Sherburne County ranks 40 for broadband access and 8 for digital equity out of 87 counties. They have gone from almost 90 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up in 2021 to 82 percent coverage in 2022. There is a slight dip in access this year but it is within a margin of error and may simply reflect a more granular look at access. They have 6169 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $57.4 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 |
| Sherburne | 79.6 | 35,909 | 82.82 | 6169 | $ 57,373,245.66 |
Sherburne County will benefit from a border to border grant announced in December 2022:
- Tekstar Communications, Inc. dba Arvig, $1,075,943.50 (Learn more)
Sherburne County will be spending $1.5 million on a grant program in the county. They have already invested $600,000 on three projects.
Sherburne County has worked with the Blandin Foundation. They have renewed their interest in broadband since COVID. They saw the one of greatest drops in broadband ranking – down 17 spots. They are focusing investment on broadband and that helps them keep their green code.
Broadband Access:
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
| 100/20 (2026 goal) | 82.82 | 90.69 | 73.66 | 72.36 | 67.11 | 28.02 |
| 25/3 (2022 goal) | 86.14 | 95.78 | 82.9 | 91.63 | 89.23 | 75.4 |
Digital Equity:
Sherburne County ranks 8 out of 87 for digital equity. (See full Digital Equity Profile)
Sherburne County ranks 14 out of 87 for computer ownership. 94.7 percent of homes have a computer of device as compared to statewide ownership of 95.5 percent.
Past grants
- 2017 – Palmer Wireless – Sherburne County Road 3 – GRANT $110,661
- 2016 – PALMER WIRELESS BIG LAKE INDUSTRIAL PARK – GRANT: $ 90,988
- 2016 – PALMER WIRELESS DEL TONE ROAD AND ST. CLOUD AIRPORT – GRANT: $ 179,400
- 2014 – Palmer Wireless, Becker Industrial Park – Award: $151,934.
Checklist:
- Find more articles on broadband in Sibley County(http://tinyurl.com/ztm6c9n)
- 100/20 Mbps ranking: 40 (down 17)
- Has worked with Blandin: yes
- Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
- Household density: 79.6
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 