Rank: 81
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)
| County | 25/3 (% covered) |
25/3 rank | 100/20 (% covered) |
100/20 rank | Gig (% covered) |
Gig rank |
| Norman | 95.16 | 27 | 63.1 | 81 | 20.5 | 77 |
Norman County: recent progress but needs more
Norman County ranks 81 (up two places) for broadband access out of 87 counties. Norman had been hovering at 54.22 percent coverage to broadband for several years. Good news is that they saw a big increase in service in 2024. But they are still in the bottom ranking.
One possible issue is that Norman County has almost ubiquitous access to internet at speeds of 25 Mbps down and 3 up, which means county commissioners and maybe even incumbent providers are not hearing of greater need because people have what they need for email and web browsing but increased access and better use may open doors for the community but they will eventually.
They are code red.
- Over the years, Norman County (or cities within) has not invested in matches for any successful MN Broadband grants.
- Norman County will not benefit from a 2024 MN Broadband grant.
- Norman County will not benefit from any line extension awards.
- Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $10.9 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, Norman ranked 72 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) | 63.1 | 54.22 | 55.52 | 55 | 54.44 | 20.62 | 20.55 | 20.52 |
| 25/3 (2022 goal) | 95.16 | 99.73 | 99.34 | 79.45 | 66.63 | 98.45 | 98.02 | 37.67 |
Past grants:
- none
Find more articles on broadband in Norman County (http://tinyurl.com/zs7nuqj)
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)