Rank: 1
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)
| County | 25/3 (% covered) |
25/3 rank | 100/20 (% covered) |
100/20 rank | Gig (% covered) |
Gig rank |
| Lincoln | 98.11 | 17 | 98.08 | 15 | 98.04 | 6 |
Lincoln County – winning ubiquitous coverage
Lincoln County rank dipped from 1 to 15 with coverage to broadband at speeds of 100 Mbps down and 20 up. I suspect this has to do with the difference in mapping, not a change in the county. But with federal (BEAD) funding being distributed in the near future, it’s nice to be eligible for funding to finish the job if they need it.
In 2021, ITC announced a fiber-optic expansion to the City of Ivanhoe in Lincoln County. Along with ITC’s investment in the fiber-optic expansion, this project is funded by the City of Ivanhoe and Lincoln County.
- Over the years, Lincoln County (or cities within) has not invested in matches for any successful MN Broadband grants.
- Lincoln County will not benefit from a 2024 MN Broadband grant.
- Lincoln County will not benefit from a line extension awards.
- Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost nothing 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.)
- In 2022, Lincoln ranked 65 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) | 98.08 | 100 | 99.99 | 99.03 | 40.42 | 39.21 | 39.21 | 40 |
| 25/3 (2022 goal) | 98.08 | 100 | 99.99 | 99.33 | 60.91 | 59.7 | 53.44 | 54.27 |
Past Grants:
- 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile – Grant award: $808,080
- 2014 – Interstate Telecommunications Cooperative (ITC), Hendricks Town FTTP – Award: $700,000.
Find more articles on broadband in Lincoln County (http://tinyurl.com/jxqwlab)
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)