Rank: 11
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)
| County | 25/3 (% covered) |
25/3 rank | 100/20 (% covered) |
100/20 rank | Gig (% covered) |
Gig rank |
| Big Stone | 98.97 | 13 | 98.97 | 11 | 41.46 | 53 |
Big Stone County almost there
Big Stone County rank dipped from 6 to 11. The percentage coverage dipped slightly too, but the map seems more stringent this year. And the dip is slight. They are down to just a handful of households without broadband and that is why they maintain their green standing.
- Over the years, Big Stone County (or cities within) has not invested for matches for any successful MN Broadband grants.
- Big Stone County will benefit from 2 line extension awards (Rounds 1 and 2), which extend broadband to individual locations.
- Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $65,000 million to get ubiquitous broadband in the county. (I haven’t updated the number because recent report offers scenarios of costs based on BEAD funding rules that make current estimates less predictable than in the past. Yet, I think the number is still helpful.)
- In 2022, Big Stone ranked 63 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
| 100/20 (2026 goal) | 98.97 | 99.71 | 97.9 | 98.6 | 98.6 | 98.91 | 98.91 | 70.12 |
| 25/3 (2022 goal) | 98.97 | 99.71 | 97.17 | 99.48 | 99.48 | 99.58 | 98.91 | 70.12 |
Past Grants:
- 2014 – Federated Telephone Cooperative, Big Stone County
Find more articles on broadband in Big Stone County. (http://tinyurl.com/zfgwstd)
The maps below on the left comes from the Office of Broadband Development interactive map, reflecting data updated on December 16, 2024. Red dots represent locations unserved locations. Above I have tracked wireline access because that is the Minnesota definition of broadband. The info below includes wired and wireless. BEAD includes fixed wireless connections as served locations. (I wrote more on the distinction between the two last year, which may be if interest in the numbers range greatly for your county.)
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.