Rank: 20
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)
Benton County: getting traction toward goal again
Benton County ranks 20 for broadband, up from 25 last year. They have hovered around 89 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up since 2019. They have 769 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $7 million get to ubiquitous broadband in the county.
| County | Residential Location Density | number of residential locations | ≥ 100 Mbps Download/20 Mbps Upload Speeds | unserved households | Cost to close gap |
| Benton | 31.8 | 13,116 | 94.14 | 769 | 7151700 |
Benton County seems to be getting traction again. They have comfortably edged over 90 percent coverage. In 2023, Cooperative Telephone got almost $3 million to build to 836 households, businesses, farms, and community institutions in Glendorado Township and portions of Gilmanton, Maywood, Minden, and Saint George Townships.
Benton County gets a green ranking because they are so close to the goal and seem to have built momentum to getting it done.
Broadband Access:
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
| 100/20 (2026 goal) | 94.14 | 89.94 | 90.25 | 89.36 | 88.18 | 25.83 | 14.28 |
| 25/3 (2022 goal) | 95.46 | 90.96 | 92.88 | 92.05 | 91.47 | 87.49 | 87.61 |
Grants:
- 2023: Cooperative Telephone – Benton County South of Trunk Highway 23 – GRANT $2,988,275
- 2017 – Benton Cooperative Telephone Company – Rice Ramey – GRANT $765,015
- 2017 – Palmer Wireless – Duelm Hwy 95 – GRANT $162,814
- 2014-CenturyLink Foley, Benton County–Balkan Township – Award: $382,883.
- 2020: Benton Cooperative Telephone Company – Ramey Phase I – GRANT $936,759
- Benton Cooperative Telephone Company – Ramey Phase 2 Project – GRANT $338,011
Find more articles on broadband in Benton County (https://blandinonbroadband.org/?s=benton+county&submit=Search)
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)
The maps below on the left comes from the Office of Broadband Development interactive map, reflecting data updated on Oct 31, 2023. Red dots represent locations unserved with wireline broadband; the Orange dots represent underserved locations. The map on the right comes from the FCC National Broadband map showing access to wired and licensed fixed wireless access, the darker the color, the greater percentage of broadband coverage.
