Rank: 19
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)
Olmsted County: almost there
Olmsted County ranks 19 (down two points) for broadband access out of 87 counties. They have 95.42 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up. They have 2378 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $22.1 million to 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 |
| Olmsted | 77.6 | 50,812 | 95.42 | 2378 | 22115400 |
Olmsted County is nearly there, which is why they retain the green code. They are the home of the Mayo Clinic, which acts as an anchor for providers looking to expand service.
In December 2022, Kasson & Mantorville Telephone got $1.6 million to serve 119 unserved households, 7 unserved businesses, and 82 unserved farms for a total of 208 serviceable addresses. In 2023, KM Telecom got almost $2 million to serve 221 households, businesses, farms, and community institutions.
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
| 100/20 (2026 goal) | 95.42 | 94.38 | 93.9 | 92.87 | 92.66 | 41.29 | 34 |
| 25/3 (2022 goal) | 96.18 | 95.41 | 95.88 | 95.74 | 94.63 | 93.7 | 97.75 |
Grants:
- 2023: KM Telecom – Rural Byron & Salem Corners Fiber Build – GRANT $1,931,046
- 2022: Kasson & Mantorville Telephone Company, $1,620,007.00
- 2016 – KMTELECOM RURAL MANTORVILLE – GRANT: $764,663
- 2019: BEVCOMM (Pine Island Telephone Company) – NE Pine Island Fiber Project Phase I – GRANT $222,222
- MN State Grants awarded in 2021: Charter Communications (Spectrum) – Cambridge Hills – GRANT $28,950 This middle and last mile project will serve approximately 41 unserved households in Marion Township in Olmsted County.
- KMTelecom – Rock Dell Northwest Fiber Build – GRANT $385,173 This last mile project will serve approximately 125 unserved locations in the rural Ashland and Vernon townships in Dodge County and Salem Township in Olmsted County.
Find more articles on broadband in Olmsted County (http://tinyurl.com/gmslyhe)
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.
