Rank: 13
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Wadena County: into the top 10!

Wadena County ranks 7 for broadband access and 77 for digital equity out of 87 counties. They have been hovering between 95-98 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up since 2020, landing at 98.88 percent this year. They have 78 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $722,766 to get to ubiquitous broadband in the county.

Wadena County broke into the top 10 counties, which lands an easy code green. They cohosted a broadband summit with Todd County last spring (2022).

Broadband Access:

Digital Equity:

Wadena County ranks 77 out of 87 for digital equity. (See full Digital Equity Profile)

Wadena County ranks 65 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:

• 2015 – West Central Telephone Association Hwy 71 Wadena NORTH Expansion Project – Grant Award: $193,515
• WCTA (West Central Telephone Association) – Rural Staples Phase I Project – GRANT $555,355

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Wadena County (http://tinyurl.com/z7xgkz8)
• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 7 (up 6)
• Has worked with Blandin
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 12.8

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)