Rank: 84
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Yellow Medicine County: improvement but too slow

Yellow Medicine County ranks 84 (down five places) for broadband access out of 87 counties. Yellow Medicine has lost coverage percentage, likely due to map corrections but it leaves Yellow Medicine with stalled and inconsistent mapping and they are far away from the goal.

They may also be concerned about being in a potentially precarious position because looking at access in the County using the FCC National Map there is a big discrepancy between wireline access (56.69 percent coverage) and wireline with fixed wireless (99.5 percent). Minnesota doesn’t currently take fixed wireless into consideration when defining areas eligible for grants; the federal government does include access to fixed wireless. That could make a big difference to who is eligible for BEAD funding.

Unfortunately, Yellow Medicine has earned a red ranking at the bottom of the ranking list.

• Over the years, Yellow Medicine County (or cities within) has not invested in matches for any successful MN Broadband grants.
• Yellow Medicine County will not benefit from a 2024 MN Broadband grant.
• Yellow Medicine County will not benefit from any line extension awards.
• Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $15.7 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, Yellow Medicine ranked 58 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Grants:

• 2023: Interstate Telecommunications Company – Yellow Medicine County West Fiber-To-The-Home Project – GRANT $4,988,174
• 2016 – MIDCO CANBY TO MARSHALL MIDDLE MILE AND LAST MILE – GRANT AMOUNT: $623,000
• 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile – Grant award: $808,080

Find more articles on broadband in Yellow Medicine County (http://tinyurl.com/zhsj3ke)

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)