Rank: 59
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)
| County | 25/3 (% covered) |
25/3 rank | 100/20 (% covered) |
100/20 rank | Gig (% covered) |
Gig rank |
| Nicollet | 85.23 | 63 | 80.72 | 59 | 60.33 | 33 |
Nicollet County: stagnant since 2019
Nicollet County ranks 59 (up 3 points) for broadband access out of 87 counties. Nicollet County saw a nice leap in access in 2019, they were stagnant at 78 percent or less coverage they saw a small bump in 2024.
Hopefully the recent increase will continue but they don’t have any grants or line extensions in the hopper. Nicollet’s ranking continues at red.
- Over the years, Nicollet County (or cities within) has not invested in matches for any successful MN Broadband grants.
- Nicollet County will not benefit from a 2024 MN Broadband grant.
- Nicollet County will not benefit from any line extension awards.
- Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $25 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, Nicollet ranked 17 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) | 80.72 | 76.25 | 77.29 | 78.49 | 78.29 | 78.42 | 33.29 | 54.54 |
| 25/3 (2022 goal) | 85.23 | 85.19 | 86.83 | 83.87 | 83.67 | 82.68 | 83.91 | 86.1 |
Past grant:
- 2022: Nuvera Communications, Inc. – Nicollet County RTF DTF FTTP – GRANT $479,011 (Learn more)
- 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile = Grant award: $808,080
- MN State Grant awarded in 2021: Nuvera Communications, Inc. – New Ulm HDT 202 FTTP – GRANT $444,386 This last mile project north of New Ulm will serve approximately 80 unserved and 67 underserved locations in Nicollet County.
Find more articles on broadband in Nicollet County (http://tinyurl.com/h3zwpbd)
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)