Rank: 18
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)
Stevens County: Good coverage but need a bump up
Stevens County ranks 18 (down 5 points) for broadband access out of 87 counties. They have 96.06 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up. They have 124 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $1.1 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 |
| Stevens | 5.5 | 3,171 | 96.06 | 124 | 1153200 |
Stevens County has been involved with broadband for years – going back to working with Blandin Foundation-led, Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities (2009-2012) effort.
They have been stalled at 97 percent, with a slight dip this year, which is likely based on map challenges and corrections.
In December 2022, Runestone Telephone received $2.5 million to expand broadband in Grant, Stevens, and Traverse Counties.
Stevens County retains their green ranking because they are so close to goal but they will need a push to close the gap.
Broadband Access:
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
| 100/20 (2026 goal) | 96.06 | 97.08 | 96.79 | 96.79 | 96.74 | 96.74 | 96.73 |
| 25/3 (2022 goal) | 99.81 | 99.31 | 99.22 | 99.22 | 99.22 | 99.22 | 99.21 |
Grants:
- 2022: Runestone Telephone Association – Herman-Dumont – GRANT $2,493,637
- 2017 – Advantenon – Rural Grant, Stevens and Wilkin Counties – Grant $316,554
- 2014 – Otter Tail Telcom, Swan Lake West – Award: $438,937.
Find more articles on broadband in Stevens County (http://tinyurl.com/joutu2h)
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.
