Rank: 78
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Carlton County: making progress despite obstacles

Carlton County’s rank has bumped up from 82 to 78. It’s not much but it’s positive and gets them out of the bottom 10 counties.

Unfortunately, Carlton County is one of several counties that is served primary with one national provider, who may not be as invested locally as a local provider or cooperative. The County has shown an interest in investing federal (ARPA) money; they need engaged providers. Increased federal funding may open doors for them. The recent MN Broadband grant will definitely help.

Carlton County still gets a red ranking but I’m hopeful that the influx of funding will encourage more. If I could, I’d give them an orange rank.

• Over the years, Carlton County (or cities within) has invested $766,654 (total) for matches for 2 successful MN Broadband grants. This is an indicator of local government that is engaged and (literally) invested in better, local broadband.
• Carlton County will benefit from a 2024 $2,127,530 MN Broadband grant award that will serve 770 locations.
• Carlton County will benefit from 11 line extension awards (Rounds 1 and 2), which extend broadband to individual locations.
• Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $59.5 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, Carlton ranked 73 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.
• Pine Knot News featured Carlton’s Broadband project in June, “The transformational $10.9 million project features 180 miles of fiber optic cable, and will bring higher internet speeds and greater reliability to households across a wide area of rural Carlton County, all the way north to Munger and Solway Township. Mediacom is responsible for the project that has potential to reach 1,679 homes, 420 of those in Thomson Township, should they choose to sign up for the service.”

2024 Grants:

• County: Carlton
  Consolidated Telephone Company CTC Round 10 Wrenshall Community Broadband Project
  Grant: $2,127,530
  Local Match: $2,127,530
  Total Budget: $4,255,060
  The Consolidated Telephone Company Round 10 Wrenshall Community Broadband project will provide fiber-to-the premise in 770 locations, of which 481 are unserved and 289 underserved. This project will support efforts of residents to work from home, keep up or continue their education, and for businesses to further their community’s vitality.

Past Grants:

• 2023: Carlton County Broadband Expansion – GRANT $1,271,835
• 2022: Mediacom Minnesota LLC, $801,834.27 – for a project with a cost of $2,719,526
• 2022: Consolidated Telephone Company (CTC) was one of the grant recipients, receiving $4,857,030 in funding (to cover St. Louis, Carlton, and Cass counties)
• 2017 – Carlton County w/ Frontier – Phase I: Cromwell/Kettle River – GRANT: $569,058
• Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa – Big Lake Road Project – GRANT $602,916

Find more articles on broadband in Carlton County. (http://tinyurl.com/z4me5k4)

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)