Rank: 56
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Lake County: Need to catch up with past broadband success of ARRA

Lake County ranks 29 (down 27 places) for broadband access out of 87 counties. In 2010, the county received a large federal award that deployed broadband to much of the county but they are still working toward closing the gap. There was a dip in map coverage in 2024 but that may be because of difference in the mapping this year.

They have gone from yellow to red rank.

• Over the years, Lake County (or cities within) has not invested matches for any successful MN Broadband grants. But they received an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) award in 2010 to build Fiber to the Home (FTTH).
• Lake County will not benefit from a 2024 MN Broadband grant award.
• Lake County will not benefit from any line extension awards.
• Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $7.6 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, Lake ranked 37 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Broadband Access:

Grants:

• In 2010, Lake County received an ARRA award of $66.3 million to improve broadband access in their area; about $10 million of the award was an outright grant; the rest was a low-interest loan. There were bumps along the road to getting fiber to the community but now they are well served.

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Lake County (http://tinyurl.com/j7pu3le)

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)