Rank: 71
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Wabasha County: still stalled at 71 percent access

Wabasha County was stagnant at 66 percent coverage for several years; now they seem to be hovering around 72 percent. Wabasha County residents were awarded 97 line extension funding requests, which means state funding will subsidize last mile broadband extension to their homes and it shows a strong community engagement.

With limited progress, Wabasha retains their red ranking.

• Over the years, Wabasha County (or cities within) has not invested in matches for any successful MN Broadband grants.
• Wabasha County will not benefit from a 2024 MN Broadband grant.
• Wabasha County will benefit from 97 line extension awards (Rounds 1 and 2), which extend broadband to individual locations. That is a lot of awards.
• Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $16.1 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, Wabasha ranked 24 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Grants:

• 2012: $1 million in their ARPA funding on broadband
• 2016 – NEW ULM TELECOM, INC. MAZEPPA – GRANT: $ 317,761

• MN State Grant awarded in 2021: Nuvera Communications, Inc. – Goodhue West FTTP – GRANT $532,232 This last mile project will serve 148 unserved and two underserved locations in Goodhue, Zumbrota, Minneola, and Belle Creek townships in Goodhue County and Chester Township in Wabasha County.

Find more articles on broadband in Wabasha County (http://tinyurl.com/gpllcg8)

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)