Every year, I write up MN broadband county report, including a ranking. It’s an opportunity for some counties to bask in the glory and lights a fire under some others. It’s good to know where you stand and why. It was great to see that Broadband Now has just ranked states by broadband access to broadband including access to low price plans and fiber-optics – and the quality of their internet. It was less great to see that Minnesota ranked 39. Here are the details:

Minnesota:

• Rank: 39
• Wired / Fixed Wireless Broadband (%): 95.6
• Wired Low-Priced Broadband (%): 11.1
• Fiber-Optic Service (%): 38.1
• Median RTT (Round Trip Time aka latency): 17.7
  RTT Score: 16.28
• Median Download Speed: 64.3
• Download Score: 38.57
• Median Upload Speed: 11.2

Turns out as a nation, we’re not doing well with access to low cost broadband, which they define as $60 per month or less. The great discrepancy is RTT (latency).

I am most frustrated with Minnesota’s median upload speed. It’s what I hear about most from folks who are frustrated with their broadband. Upload speeds, to me, indicate interaction such as learning and working. Upload is where consumers become producers. It’s the tool you need if you want to thrive online or use the online world to thrive.