Rank: 5
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Lac Qui Parle (LqP) County: nearly perfect

LqP County ranks 2 (up three places) for broadband access out of 87 counties. They have had ubiquitous broadband since 2019; in fact last year, the maps showed 2 households without access to broadband. It would be nice to see their Line Extension award help get them to 100 percent coverage.

• Over the years, LqPCounty (or cities within) has invested $400,000 (total) for matches for 1 successful MN Broadband grants. This is an indicator of local government that is engaged and (literally) invested in better, local broadband.
• LqP County will not benefit from a 2024 MN Broadband grant award in 2024.
• LqP County will benefit from 1 line extension award (Rounds 1 and 2), which extend broadband to individual locations.
• Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $7800 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, LqP ranked 41 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Broadband Access:

Past Grants:

• 2009, Blandin Foundation funded a feasibility study for LqP County and Farmers Telephone Cooperative. The feasibility study’s engineering, operational, and market development plans were later used to support the partners’ successful ARRA funding
• 2010 The county and Farmers were awarded a $9.6 million ARRA award
• 2017 – Farmers Mutual Telephone – City of Watson and SW Lac qui Parle County FTTP – GRANT $760,501
• 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile – Grant award: $808,080

Find more articles on broadband in Lac qui Parle. (http://tinyurl.com/zc2tfay)

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)