Waiting for NTIA to approve Minnesota’s BEAD Initial Proposals is like waiting for a Blue Book exam. I want a better study guide. I want to know the questions and the best resources to cite. But until I know, I’m going to keep reading all I can. In that spirit, today I looked at the number of locations in each county that are likely to be eligible for federal broadband funding (BEAD).

I’ve made some guesses and assumptions using the FCC National Broadband Map as I’ve tracked served, unserved and underserved residential locations in each county. My caveat is that this is very much like having the TA (teacher’s assistant) create a study guide or pretest before the teacher writes the exam. But even when the nuances can change, the pretest can be helpful.

Here are the counties with the most un/underserved locations:

Here are the counties with the fewest un/underserved locations:

See how your county looks. Does what you see reflect what your residents are experiencing? If not, you might want to be prepared to ask questions; maybe even challenge the maps.

There are a few things that counties may want to consider:

• FCC looks a location, which does not necessarily represent a “house,” it may include outbuildings and I’ve heard that sometimes a location may be counted twice if there are two providers in the area. Subsequently, the number of locations is generally higher than households. If there’s an error, this is something that can be challenged.
• Speeds experienced at each location can also be challenged. So, it’s worth checking to see if speeds in the map are reflective of what residents are experiencing.
• There is a map that tracks where funding is available, which is another component of the equation. It’s harder to quantify at the level I can do for 87 counties, but if you have a lot of locations that need service, a next step might be to use the funding maps to see if there’s anything that might prevent BEAD investment in the area.

Here are some details worth noting in the process of looking at the maps.

• I am using data from Jun 30, 2023 that was last updated on March 5, 2024. We don’t know what map or what snapshot in time will be used when the time comes.
• I have looked at “All Wired and Licensed Fixed Wireless” because while Minnesota would like for fixed wireless to *not* be included, the Office of Broadband Development has indicated that they expect that it will be.
• Using the maps, I’ve gone with round numbers (although it you open a percentage field, you can see the percentage to the tenth.)

You can also download the spreadsheet, which is probably the easiest way to take it all in.