Monthly Archives: December 2024

Polk County Broadband Profile 2024: Green rating: Ranking out 17 of 87

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Rank: 17
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

County 25/3
(% covered)		 25/3 rank 100/20
(% covered)		 100/20 rank Gig
(% covered)		 Gig
rank
Polk 97.85 19 97.6 17 56.78 39

Polk County: Very close with grant coming in for 2025

Polk County ranks 17 (down three points) for broadband access out of 87 counties.

They have had incremental improvement since we have been tracking; staying about even with last year. They will benefit from $1 million 2024 MN State grant, which might help give them a jump in coverage.

Their coverage and continued efforts keep Polk County in green ranking.

2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 97.6 97.79 95.24 91.72 91.76 88.35 85.39 80.89
25/3 (2022 goal) 97.85 97.83 95.25 93.02 93.09 93.11 93 90.78

2024 Grant:

  • County: Polk
    Garden Valley Telephone Co
    Garden Valley Tel – Rural E Grand Forks
    Grant: $1,050,465
    Local Match: $350,15
    Total Budget: $1,400,620
    The Garden Valley Technologies Rural East Grand Forks Low Density project proposed by Garden Valley Technologies (GVT) is a last mile Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) project which will serve 80 total locations. Of the 80 locations, 49 are residential households, 2 businesses, 3 community institutions and 26 farms located in northwest Minnesota. The geography of the project is mostly farm land and encompasses an area in northwest Minnesota that include portions of Northland, Sullivan, and Tabor townships in Polk County. GVT has been providing telecommunications services in northwestern Minnesota since 1906 and has been awarded five previous state grants. Individual residents contributed a $650 match toward the project.

Past Grants

  • 2023: Garden Valley Technologies – 2023 Rural Warren SW – GRANT $1,488,322
  • 2022: Garden Valley Technologies – Rural Warren East & Rural Oslo – GRANT $1,462,569
  • 2016 – HALSTAD TELEPHONE COMPANY KERTSONVILLE AREA – GRANT: $296,665
  • 2015 – Halstad Telephone Company – Gentilly Township – Grant award: $424,460
  • 2014 – Halstad Telephone Co., Halstad Tract MN 11902500 FTTH Amount $1.65 million
  • 2019: Halstad Telephone Company – Rural East Grand Forks Expansion Project – GRANT $440,000
  • MN State Grants awarded in 2021: Garden Valley Technologies – Northwest Thief River Falls and Euclid – GRANT $1,640,722 This middle and last mile project will serve 104 unserved and 22 underserved locations in portions of Marshall and Polk counties.
  • Halstad Telephone Company – North Fisher Expansion – GRANT $619,000 This last mile project will upgrade approximately 57 unserved and seven underserved locations in portions of Huntsville, Nesbit and Fanny townships in Polk County.
  • Wikstrom Telephone Co. Inc. – Wiktel NW MN Broadband 2020 – GRANT $490,997 The last mile project will serve 153 unserved locations in sparsely populated areas in Kittson, Marshall and Polk counties.

Find more articles on broadband in Polk County (http://tinyurl.com/zk8apgm)

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)

Pine County Broadband Profile 2024: Red rating: Ranking out 82 of 87

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Rank: 82
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

County 25/3
(% covered)		 25/3 rank 100/20
(% covered)		 100/20 rank Gig
(% covered)		 Gig
rank
Pine 68.41 81 61.63 82 39.68 55

Pine County: Progress is coming

Pine County ranks 82 (up 4 places) for broadband access out of 87 counties. They have gone from 41 percent coverage to 61 percent. They have a long way to go but that is a great jump in coverage. They are set up to benefit from a $3.7 million 2024 MN state grant and $5.5 million in a ReConnect grant, so it seems like the momentum could continue.

Pine County has been actively seeking better broadband for years; they were part of a Blandin Broadband Communities cohort a few years ago. Unfortunately, much of Pine County is served by one large national provider. That may have been a bottleneck to better access in those areas.

They are still code red, but it seems like they are poised for a change in the next year.

  • Over the years, Pine County (or cities within) has invested $16,000 (total) for matches for 1 successful MN Broadband grant. This is an indicator of local government that is engaged and (literally) invested in better, local broadband.
  • Pine County will benefit from a 2024 $3.6 million MN Broadband grant award that will serve 1,069 locations in Pine and Aitkin.
  • Pine County will benefit from 40 line extension awards (Rounds 1 and 2), which extend broadband to individual locations.
  • Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $84.4 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, Pine ranked 86 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.
  • Pine County was awarded $5.5 million in ReConnect funding in December 2024.
2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 61.63 40.71 35.1 39.89 39.13 37.26 38.18 37.37
25/3 (2022 goal) 68.4 49.95 44.74 52.02 60.24 58.28 42.84 40.12

2024 Grants

  • County: Pine, Aitkin
    Savage Communications Inc
    SCI – East Central MN
    Grant: $3,563,817
    Local Match: $3,713,817
    Total Budget: $7,277,634
    Savage Communications Inc. (SCI) will build Fiber to the Premise (FTTP) to 1,069 Locations within the townships of Barry, Finlayson, Hinckley, Kettle River, Norman, Partridge, Pine Lake, Sturgeon Lake, Wagner Townships and the city of Rutledge located in Pine and Aitkin County. SCI plans to offer initial Internet speeds of 1Gbps download and 1Gbps upload. Farms and businesses are in the project area, as are three (3) township halls. The company currently provides service to over 40 communities throughout East Central and Northern Minnesota since 1984. Pine County is contributing $75,000 toward the project.

Past grants

  • 2022: East Central Energy, $4,750,000.00 (serving Pine and Kanabec) (Learn more)
  • 2022: East Central Energy – Kanabec Central – GRANT $4,403,000
  • 2017 – SCI (Savage Communications Inc.) — Dell Grove Township Broadband Expansion – GRANT $118,248

Find more articles on broadband in Pine County (http://tinyurl.com/ha8burg)

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)

Pipestone County Broadband Profile 2024: Yellow rating: Ranking out 45 of 87

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Rank: 45
Code:  Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

County 25/3
(% covered)		 25/3 rank 100/20
(% covered)		 100/20 rank Gig
(% covered)		 Gig
rank
Pipestone 88.78 51 86.43 45 13.4 84

Pipestone County: stagnant at 80 percent

Pipestone County ranks 45 (down 10 places) for broadband access out of 87 counties.

Pipestone has hovered at 80 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up since 2018. They have seen a small increase this year. Pipestone County has working with Hometown Fiber on better broadband plan.

They are also 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 and wireline with fixed wireless. 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.

Pipestone seems to be building momentum, at a good time with federal (BEAD) funding coming in. But they retain 86.43 their yellow ranking.

202488.78 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 86.35 80.7 80.11 79.73 79.73 79.73 44.54
25/3 (2022 goal) 88.81 82.44 82.54 82.97 81.1 79.73 79.36

2024 Grants:

  • County: Pipestone
    Woodstock Telephone Co
    Woodstock Comm – Hatfield FTTH
    Grant: $1,612,932
    Local Match: $537,644
    Total Budget: $2,150,576
    Woodstock will build a fiber network to the Town of Hatfield, which is located in Pipestone County, MN. There are 116 total passings, consisting of 32 unserved households, 3 unserved businesses, and 47 unserved farms. This project comes in partnership with Pipestone County, splitting the remaining 25% match percentage 50/50 between the two parties. Additionally, the project will also service 24 underserved households predominately in the Town of Hatfield, 2 underserved businesses and 8 underserved farms. Woodstock has managed fiber networks for nearly 29 years and has been in business for more than 70 years. Pipestone County is also supporting the project by providing a matching grant of $268,822.

Past grants:

  • 2017 – Woodstock Telephone Company – Pipestone County Wireless – GRANT $363,851
  • 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile – Grant award: $808,080

Find more articles on broadband in Pipestone County (http://tinyurl.com/zhjm4pe)

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)

Pennington County Broadband Profile 2024: Green rating: Ranking out 6 of 87

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Rank: 6
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

County 25/3
(% covered)		 25/3 rank 100/20
(% covered)		 100/20 rank Gig
(% covered)		 Gig
rank
Pennington 99.6 6 99.51 6 89.54 12

Pennington County: Still on top 7 list

Pennington County ranks 6 (up one place) for broadband access out of 87 counties. In 2018, Pennington went from 9 percent access to 90 percent with the help of state (border to border) and federal loan (USDA to Garden Valley). They have had steady improvement ever since, which is why they earn a green code.

2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 99.51 99.53 99.4 98.19 96.95 96.18 90.75 9.63
25/3 (2022 goal) 99.6 99.55 99.4 99.37 98.53 97.21 91.78 91.78

Grants:

  • 2017 – Sjoberg’s Inc. – NW MN Rural Broadband – GRANT $307,088
  • 2016 – CENTURYLINK THIEF RIVER MIDDLE MILE – GRANT: $1,324,400
  • 2016 – GARDEN VALLEY TELEPHONE COMPANY RURAL THIEF RIVER FALLS EAST – GRANT: $2,027,035
  • 2019: Wikstrom Telephone – Wiktel NW MN Broadband Project – GRANT $1,151,526

Find more articles on Pennington County https://blandinonbroadband.org/?s=pennington&submit=Search

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)

Otter Tail County Broadband Profile 2024: Green rating: Ranking out 40 of 87

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Rank: 40
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

County 25/3
(% covered)		 25/3 rank 100/20
(% covered)		 100/20 rank Gig
(% covered)		 Gig
rank
Otter Tail 93.44 33 88.12 40 13.41 83

Otter Tail County: getting in stride

Otter Tail County ranks 40 (up 16 places) for broadband access out of 87 counties. They had seen slow, incremental improvement since 2020 but this year and last they saw more significant gains. They will benefit from a $3.7 million 2024 MN state grant, which should help them get closer to ubiquitous access. With all of recent activity, Otter Tail has shifted from red (2022) to yellow (2023) to green ranking in 2024.

  • Over the years, Oter Tail County (or cities within) has invested $ 3,671,557 (total) for matches for 5 successful MN Broadband grants. This is an indicator of local government that is engaged and (literally) invested in better, local broadband.
  • Otter Tail County will benefit from a 2024 $3.7 million MN Broadband grant award that will serve 287 locations.
  • Otter Tail County will benefit from 35 line extension awards (Rounds 1 and 2), which extend broadband to individual locations.
  • Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $19.5 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, Otter Tail ranked 43 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) 88.12 77.72 70.54 67.02 65.55 35.34 2.36 1.75
25/3 (2022 goal) 93.44 94.48 92.69 90.97 75.02 92.93 89.56 59.34

2024 Grants

  • County: Otter Tail
    Otter Tail Telcom West Fergus Falls
    Grant: $3,700,198
    Local Match: $1,233,399
    Total Budget: $4,933,598
    This Low Density Otter Tail Telcom West Fergus Falls project will construct a fiber to the home/fiber to the premise (FTTH/FTTP) network to residents and businesses in rural western Otter Tail County. Improving broadband services will enable agriculture producers, farmers, ranchers, telecommuters, business owners and independent professionals to work from home via videoconferencing; cultivate an opportunity for new businesses to relocate to Otter Tail County’s rural area; and increase job and population growth, providing a significant economic impact for the county. This project will serve 286 unserved locations. Funding partners include; Otter Tail County-$379,200, Aastad Township-$36,360, Buse Township-$17,793, Carlisle Township-$57,248, Orwell Township-$58,021, Oscar Township-$27,077, and Western Township-$41,002.

Past Grants:

  • 2023: Otter Tail Telcom – South Battle Lake – GRANT $2,331,792
  • 2022: East Otter Tail Telephone Co. dba Arvig, $1,140,704.90
  • 2022: Otter Tail Telcom, LLC, $3,381,661.00 (Learn more)
  • 2017 – Arvig – Pelican Rapids rural non-ACAM – GRANT $633,642
  • 2017 – Otter Tail Telcom LLC – Red Oak Drive – GRANT $173,683
  • 2017 – WCTA (West Central Telephone Association) – Wadena Rural Phase III – GRANT $874,581
  • 2016 – OTTER TAIL TELCOM BATTLE LAKE – GRANT: $ 238,170
  • 2016 – OTTER TAIL TELCOM FERGUS FALLS AREA – GRANT: $ 279,271
  • 2016 – WCTA WADENA RURAL NORTH — GRANT: $718,850
  • 2015 – Otter Tail Telcom Fergus Falls 864 – Hwy 59 – Grant award: $295,432
  • 2015 – Otter Tail Telcom Hwy 59/94 PRT to POM – Grant award: $164,207
  • 2014 – Otter Tail Telcom, Stuart Lake – Award: $105,364.
  • 2014 – Otter Tail Telcom, 245th – Award: $108,553.
  • 2019: Otter Tail Telcom LLC – Long and Fish Lakes Project – GRANT $156,954
  • 2019: Arvig (Loretel Systems, Inc.) – Cormorant Lakes Area Project – GRANT $430,780

Find more articles on Otter Tail County https://blandinonbroadband.org/?s=otter+tail&submit=Search

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)

Olmstead County Broadband Profile 2024: Green rating: Ranking out 20 of 87

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Rank: 19
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

County 25/3
(% covered)		 25/3 rank 100/20
(% covered)		 100/20 rank Gig
(% covered)		 Gig
rank
Olmsted 97.77 21 97.23 20 97.14 7

Olmsted County: almost there and getting closer

Olmsted County ranks 20 (down one point) for broadband access out of 87 counties. Olmsted County is nearly there, which is why they retain the green code. They are the home of the Mayo Clinic, which acts as an anchor for providers looking to expand service.

They will benefit from more than $3 million in MN state grants, which should take them to nearly ubiquitous coverage next year. 

  • Over the years, Olmsted County (or cities within) has not invested in matches for any successful MN Broadband grants. This is an indicator of local government that is engaged and (literally) invested in better, local broadband.
  • Olmsted County will benefit from two 2024 Broadband grants:
    $3.1 million will serve 396 locations in Fillmore, Olmsted and Winona counties and
    $515,564 will serve 83 locations
  • Olmsted County will not benefit from any line extension awards.
  • Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $22.1 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, Olmsted ranked 5 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) 97.23 95.42 94.38 93.9 92.87 92.66 41.29 34
25/3 (2022 goal) 97.77 96.18 95.41 95.88 95.74 94.63 93.7 97.75

2024 Grants

  • County: Fillmore, Olmsted, Winona
    MiEnergy Cooperative South West Fremont
    Grant: $3,164,721
    Local Match: $4,747,086
    Total Budget: $7,911,807
    The MiEnergy Cooperative project will see built Fiber to the Premise (FTTP) in the rural areas Southwest of Fremont, Minnesota located primarily in Winona and Filmore Counties. This project will provide services to 396 addresses, including 342 unserved and 54 underserved, and bridge the digital divide by offering residents access to essential services such as telemedicine, online education, and remote work opportunities. Funding partner Mabel Cooperative Telephone Company is contributing $2,373,543.
  • County: Olmsted
    Kasson & Mantorville Telephone Company Rural North Byron
    Grant: $515,564
    Local Match: $630,134
    Total Budget: $1,145,699
    The Kasson & Mantorville Telephone Company project will extend Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) capabilities to locations in rural Olmsted County, leveraging existing middle mile fiber and broadband backhaul. This project will enable delivery of up to 1 GB upstream and downstream for internet access with the ability to add additional GBs as needed, serving 83 locations, including 13 unserved locations and 70 underserved locations.

Past Grants:

  • 2023: KM Telecom – Rural Byron & Salem Corners Fiber Build – GRANT $1,931,046
  • 2022: Kasson & Mantorville Telephone Company, $1,620,007.00
  • 2016 – KMTELECOM RURAL MANTORVILLE – GRANT: $764,663
  • 2019: BEVCOMM (Pine Island Telephone Company) – NE Pine Island Fiber Project Phase I – GRANT $222,222
  • MN State Grants awarded in 2021: Charter Communications (Spectrum) – Cambridge Hills – GRANT $28,950 This middle and last mile project will serve approximately 41 unserved households in Marion Township in Olmsted County.
  • KMTelecom – Rock Dell Northwest Fiber Build – GRANT $385,173 This last mile project will serve approximately 125 unserved locations in the rural Ashland and Vernon townships in Dodge County and Salem Township in Olmsted County.

Find more articles on broadband in Olmsted County (http://tinyurl.com/gmslyhe)

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)

Norman County Broadband Profile 2024: Red rating: Ranking out 81 of 87

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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.

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)

Nobles County Broadband Profile 2024: Yellow rating: Ranking out 48 of 87

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Rank: 48
Code:  Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

County 25/3
(% covered)		 25/3 rank 100/20
(% covered)		 100/20 rank Gig
(% covered)		 Gig
rank
Nobles 87.99 54 85.17 48 23.84 68

Nobles County: ReConnect funding will help reach goals

Nobles County ranks 48 (down 10 places) for broadband access out of 87 counties. Nobles County has seen slow progress. They saw a small bump last year but no improvements this year. They will benefit from a 2024 MN State grant; hopefully that will help them see improvements in the coming year. 

Nobles County retains yellow ranking.

  • Over the years, Nobles County (or cities within) has invested $50,000 (total) for matches for 1 successful MN Broadband grants. This is an indicator of local government that is engaged and (literally) invested in better, local broadband.
  • Nobles County will benefit from a 2024 $208,598 MN Broadband grant award that will serve 113 locations.
  • Nobles County will not benefit from any line extension awards.
  • Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $9.4 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, Nobles ranked 69 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) 85.17 85.35 80.27 81.24 81.24 77.66 77.18 59.25
25/3 (2022 goal) 87.99 87.76 83.1 83.71 83.54 80.89 79.24 75.69

2024 Grants

  • County: Nobles
    Lismore Cooperative Telephone Co City of Bigelow FTTP
    Grant: $208,598
    Local Match: $486,730
    Total Budget: $695,328
    The Lismore Cooperative Telephone Co. project will see the establishment and operation of a Fiber to the Premise (FTTP) network, aimed at bridging the digital divide in the rural City of Bigelow, in Nobles County. The proposed project area encompasses approximately 4.16 miles of last mile buried fiber and fiber drop cabling, serving 113 locations, 19 of which are unserved and 94 underserved. Funding partners are Nobles County $35,000, and City of Bigelow $15,000.

Past Grants

  • 2023: Lismore Cooperative Telephone Company ReConnect grant: $13,688,114 and loan: $5,723,996
  • 2016 LISMORE COOPERATIVE TELEPHONE NOBLES COUNTY BROADBAND – GRANT: $2,944,578
  • 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile – Grant award: $808,080

Find more articles on broadband in Nobles County (http://tinyurl.com/j52xvxu)

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)

Nicollet County Broadband Profile 2024: Red rating: Ranking out 59 of 87

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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.

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)

Murray County Broadband Profile 2024: Red rating: Ranking out 86 of 87

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Rank: 86
Code:  Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

County 25/3
(% covered)		 25/3 rank 100/20
(% covered)		 100/20 rank Gig
(% covered)		 Gig
rank
Murray 61.09 86 57.12 86 27.54 65

Murray County: 2024 MN State grant may help get them out of the bottom ranking

Murray County ranks 86 (down 5 places) for broadband access out of 87 counties. Murray County has hovered around 50 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up since we started tracking. In 2018, with support from the Blandin Foundation, released a feasibility study that suggested that fiber would be too expensive and they should look at hybrid options. Although dated, that report might help them prepare for BEAD funding opportunities since BEAD is apt to fund hybrid options.

Murray may 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 and wireline with fixed wireless. 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.

Murray will benefit from almost $3 million MN state grant. It will be interesting to see if that helps push them closer to the goal. However, as it stands, Murray County holds onto its red ranking.

  • Over the years, Murray County (or cities within) has invested $1,326,455 (total) for matches for 2 successful MN Broadband grants. This is an indicator of local government that is engaged and (literally) invested in better, local broadband.
  • Murray County will benefit from a 2024 $2.9 million MN Broadband grant award that will serve 190 locations.
  • Murray County will not benefit from any line extension awards.
  • Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $18 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, Murray ranked 62 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) 57.12 55.9 51.38 54.37 51.59 51.59 50.78 41.65
25/3 (2022 goal) 61.09 58.69 57.5 58.05 65.2 65.37 51 50.47

2024 Grants

  • County: Murray
    Woodstock Telephone Company Skandia FTTH Low Density
    Grant: $2,914,733
    Local Match: $971,578
    Total Budget: $3,886,311
    This Low Density Woodstock Telephone Company Skandia FTTH project will cover a rural area east of Skandia in Murray County, and is for a Fiber-To-The-Premises Network that would utilize existing Woodstock-owned middle-mile fiber and offer speeds up to 1G upload and 1G download. This project will serve a residents and businesses at 190 unserved locations. Funding partner, Murray County is contributing $485,789. 26 Totals $51,963,323 $48,468,239 $100,431,561

Past grants

  • 2022: Woodstock Telephone Company – Lake Sarah Township FTTP – GRANT $1,333,199
  • 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile – Grant award: $808,080
  • Lismore Cooperative Telephone Company (Lismore Broadband) – Iona FTTP – GRANT  $219,714 This last mile and middle mile project will serve approximately 100 unserved locations including 75 households, nine businesses, 13 farms, and three community institutions within the town of Iona.
  • MN State Grants awarded in 2021: Lismore Cooperative Telephone Company (Lismore Broadband) – Iona FTTP – GRANT  $219,714 This last mile and middle mile project will serve approximately 100 unserved locations including 75 households, nine businesses, 13 farms, and three community institutions within the town of Iona.

Find more articles on broadband in Murray County (http://tinyurl.com/j9sr5gf)

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)

Mower County Broadband Profile 2024: Yellow rating: Ranking out 44 of 87

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Rank: 44
Code:  Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

County 25/3
(% covered)		 25/3 rank 100/20
(% covered)		 100/20 rank Gig
(% covered)		 Gig
rank
Mower 87.78 56 86.44 44 83.06 19

Mower County incremental improvement

Mower County ranks 44 (up two places) for broadband access out of 87 counties.

Mower County has had steady, incremental growth for a few years. They ran into a road block when LTD Broadband was awarded federal funding and then funding was revoked. They lost the funding but also lost time when they were unable to apply for grants because of LTD Broadband’s award.

Mower County has demonstrated an interest in engaging and investing in broadband so they maintain their yellow code. Also they have more than $3 million in grant funds coming in from MN broadband grants to help them get to green next year.

Broadband Access:

2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 86.44 83.61 83.25 84.95 79.03 78.56 23.31 90.2
25/3 (2022 goal) 87.78 87.37 88.91 90.13 81.14 85.22 78.47 94.78

2024 Grants

  • County: Mower
    Arvig
    Arvig – Mower Cty
    Grant: $3,129,412
    Local Match: $1,043,137
    Total Budget: $4,172,549
    Arvig has been providing competitive broadband services to Minnesota communities since 1998. This Border-to-Border project would improve services in portions of Rose Creek, Elkton, and Adams in rural Mower County. The project would bring broadband to 225 structures via an all fiber-to-the-home network. 164 of those structures are residential locations that are unserved. All these locations would be able to receive up to 10 Gbps download speeds and 1 Gbps upload. The total project cost would bring fiber-to-the-premises to all 225 structures. Mower County is contributing $584,156.92 towards the project.
  • County: Mower
    Spectrum Mid-America, LLC
    Spectrum-Mower County
    Grant: $414,699
    Local Match: $614,698
    Total Budget: $1,029,397
    Charter will construct a last-mile fiber-to-the-premises (“FTTP”) network to provide service to unserved and underserved households in Mower County, primarily Austin Township. The project will serve an estimated 148 unserved and underserved locations, including seven (7) businesses, 19 farms, a town hall, a nature center, and a senior living facility. Mower County is contributing $100,000 to the project.

Past Grants:

  • MN State Grant awarded in 2021: KMTelecom – Rock Dell Southwest Fiber Build – GRANT $404,709 This last mile project will serve approximately 96 unserved households, 70 farms and five unserved businesses in rural Vernon Township in Dodge County and Sargeant Township in Mower County.

Find more articles on broadband in Mower County (http://tinyurl.com/j9sr5gf)

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)

Mille Lacs County Broadband Profile 2024: Red rating: Ranking out 67 of 87

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Rank: 67
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

County 25/3
(% covered)		 25/3 rank 100/20
(% covered)		 100/20 rank Gig
(% covered)		 Gig
rank
Mille Lacs 82.23 67 75.76 66 29.96 61

Mille Lacs County: ECE gets $10 million in 2024 grants

Mille Lacs County ranks 67 (down one place) for broadband access out of 87 counties. Progress in Mille Lacs has been slow and incremental.

Mille Lacs is engaging with multiple broadband providers and East Central Energy was awarded three grants in 2024 (totally more than $10 million). I suspect the results of those projects will bump Mille Lacs into yellow or green ranking but for now they retain their red ranking.

  • Over the years, Mille Lacs County (or cities within) has invested $242,200 (total) for matches for 2 successful MN Broadband grants. This is an indicator of local government that is engaged and (literally) invested in better, local broadband.
  • Mille Lacs County will benefit from three 2024 MN Broadband grants:
    $3.6 Million award that will serve 803 locations,
    $3.2 million award that will serve 659 locations and
    $4.9 million award that will serve 1479 locations.
  • Mille Lacs County will not benefit from any line extension awards.
  • Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $34 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, Mille Lacs ranked 81 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.
  • Mille Lacs County was part of the Blandin Broadband Communities (BBC) initiative from 2012-2014.
  • In November (2022), the Mille Lacs County Board of Commissioners met to hear about broadband options.
2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 75.76 68.72 66.71 60.1 58.9 52.77 54.42 47.07
25/3 (2022 goal) 82.23 75.01 75.42 74.46 87.15 83.86 62 47.86

2024 Grants

  • County: Mille Lacs
    East Central Energy Mille Lacs North
    Grant: $3,604,567
    Local Match: $5,637,915
    Total Budget: $9,242,482
    The East Central Energy (ECE) Mille Lacs North project will expand on ECE’s electric and broadband operations in East Central Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin. This project will offer 100/100 Mbps, 250/250 Mbps, and 1 Gbps/1 Gbps service options to a total of 803 locations, 677 unserved and 126 underserved, consisting of 680 households, 101 businesses, and 22 farms. Funding partner are Mille Lacs County with a contribution of $15,800 and Page Township with a contribution of $8,000.
  • County: Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs
    East Central Energy Mille Lacs Central
    Grant: $3,267,902
    Local Match: $5,111,333
    Total Budget: $8,379,235
    The East Central Energy Mille Lacs Central project will expand on ECE’s electric and broadband operations in East Central Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin, bringing state-of-the-art Fiber to the Premise (FTTP) technology to residents of Mille Lacs, Kanabec, and Isanti Counties. This project will serve a total of 659 locations, including 509 unserved and 150 underserved locations. Funding partners are; Isanti County $10,000, Kanabec County $900, Mille Lacs County $4,200, and South Fork Township $800, for a total partner contribution of $15,900.
  • County: Isanti, Mille Lacs
    East Central Energy
    ECE Mille Lacs South
    Grant: $4,885,809
    Local Match: $8,319,081
    Total Budget: $13,204,890
    East Central Energy will connect 1,479 unserved and underserved passings with fiber-to-the premises internet service in the proposed Mille Lacs South project area, which encompasses parts of southern Mille Lacs County and western Isanti County. The total passings include 950 households, 89 businesses, and 440 farms. ECE will utilize its current electric pole line and substation infrastructure to connect the 1,479 passings with 100/100 Mbps or greater internet speeds. The Project will expand on ECE’s electric and broadband operations in east central Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin. ECE currently provides electric service to more than 66,000 homes, farms, and businesses. Mille Lacs County is pledging $100,000 and Isanti County is pledging $6,000 toward the project.

Past Grants:

  • 2022: Savage Communications Inc. (SCI) – Northern Mille Lacs County 2022: Broadband Expansion – GRANT $476,108
  • Benton Cooperative Telephone Company – Borgholm Township Project – GRANT $1,118,289 (Learn more)
  • 2016 – BENTON COOPERATIVE TELEPHONE COMPANY BOCK – GRANT: $510,000
  • 2019: Benton Cooperative Telephone Company – Ramey Phase I – GRANT $936,759
  • MN State Grants awarded in 2021: Savage Communications Inc. (SCI) – Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe (Onamia) Broadband Expansion – GRANT $70,261 This last mile fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) project will serve 102 unserved households within the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Reservation in Mille Lacs County.
  • Benton Cooperative Telephone Company – Ramey Phase 2 Project – GRANT $338,011 This last mile project will serve 119 unserved locations in the Ramey telephone exchange located in portions of Lakin and Mount Morris townships in Morrison County and a small portion of Dailey and Page townships located in Mille Lacs County.

Find more articles on broadband in Mille Lacs County (http://tinyurl.com/h7wcdjj)

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)

Morrison County Broadband Profile 2024: Yellow rating: Ranking out 49 of 87

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Rank: 49
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

County 25/3
(% covered)		 25/3 rank 100/20
(% covered)		 100/20 rank Gig
(% covered)		 Gig
rank
Morrison 87.15 59 84.91 49 58.17 38

Morrison County: steady progress but recent grant might help

Morrison County ranks 49 (down one place) for broadband access out of 87 counties.

Morrison County has seen steady but incremental improvement since we started tracking. They been actively engaged in seeking better broadband for several years, including as part of the Resilient Region as a Blandin Broadband Community and in 2022, Officials from Morrison County and the city of Little Falls met to talk about broadband options.

They have $5 million in MN State Grants from 2024 awards that should help them continue, or even better, accelerate their movement closer to goal but until that begins to happen, they retain their yellow rank.

  • Over the years, Morrison County (or cities within) has not invested in matches for any successful MN Broadband grants.
  • Morrison County will benefit from two 2024 MN Broadband grants:
    $1.3 million to serve 241 locations and
    $3.7 million.
  • Morrison County will benefit from 11 line extension awards (Rounds 1 and 2), which extend broadband to individual locations.
  • Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $24.1 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, Morrison ranked 80 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) 84.91 82.53 77.57 73.96 70.03 69.64 42.74 28.83
25/3 (2022 goal) 87.15 85.16 79.08 79 82.7% 70.9% 65.1% 82.7%

2024 Grants

  • County: Morrison
    Benton Cooperative Telephone Company Buckman Township
    Grant: $1,248,430
    Local Match: $2,318,518
    Total Budget: $3,566,948
    The Benton Cooperative Telephone Company project will provide high-speed Broadband services to Buckman Township in Morrison County. Benton Cooperative Telephone Company currently provides high-speed Broadband to 5,850 customers of which 5,414 are served by fiber allowing them to have speeds of a minimum of 100/100 and a maximum of 1Gig/1Gig. This project will serve a total of 241 locations, including 190 unserved and 51 underserved locations.
  • County: Morrison
    Upsala Coop Tel Assoc dba Sytek
    Sytek Swanville North Moose Lake
    Grant: $3,689,967
    Local Match: $1,229,989
    Total Budget: $4,919,956

Past Grants:

  • 2022: Morrison County will benefit from a ReConnect grant through Upsala Cooperative.
  • 2017 – Benton Cooperative Telephone Company – Rice Ramey – GRANT $765,015
  • 2016 – BENTON COOPERATIVE TELEPHONE COMPANY BUCKMAN – GRANT: $276,230
  • 2014 – Consolidated Telephone Cooperative, Region 5 Virtual Highway Project – Amount $2 million
  • 2019: CTC (Consolidated Telephone Company) – Fort Ripley/Executive Acres Project – GRANT $830,587
  • 2019: Benton Cooperative Telephone Company – Ramey Phase I – GRANT $936,759
  • MN State Grants awarded in 2021: Benton Cooperative Telephone Company – Ramey Phase 2 Project – GRANT $338,011 This last mile project will serve 119 unserved locations in the Ramey telephone exchange located in portions of Lakin and Mount Morris townships in Morrison County and a small portion of Dailey and Page townships located in Mille Lacs County.
  • Sytek Communications – Morrison/Todd/Stearns County FTTP Project – GRANT $1,048,668 This last mile project will bring service to 130 locations in Southwest Morrison, Southeastern Todd and Northeastern Stearns counties.

Find more articles on broadband in Morrison County (http://tinyurl.com/hxkk5ur)

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)

Meeker County Broadband Profile 2024: Yellow rating: Ranking out 62 of 87

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Rank: 62
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

County 25/3
(% covered)		 25/3 rank 100/20
(% covered)		 100/20 rank Gig
(% covered)		 Gig
rank
Meeker 85.93 62 84.27 51 76.98 21

Meeker County: developing hometown tools

Meeker County ranks 62 (down six places) for broadband access out of 87 counties. Meeker County has had steady, incremental increase in access since 2017. Meeker County is making good progress. They have several providers interested in the area, yet with less than 80 percent coverage, they retain their yellow ranking.

Perhaps most hopeful for Meeker County is the creation of MC Fiber, under Consolidated Telephone Company and Meeker Cooperative Light and Power, which is located in Meeker County.

  • Over the years, Meeker County (or cities within) has not invested in matches for any successful MN Broadband grants.
  • Meeker County will not benefit from a 2024 MN Broadband grant (.
  • Meeker County will benefit from 10 line extension awards.
  • Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $19.5 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, Meeker ranked 50 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.
  • In December 2022, Meeker Cooperative were awarded five successful Border to Border grants totaling $327,000 to expand broadband in the county.

Broadband Access:

2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 84.27 78.04 72.85 53.86 45.08 45.08 38.13
25/3 (2022 goal) 85.93 81.27 75.01 62.46 71.72 71.45 98.58

Grants:

  • 2023: ReConnect grant connecting nearly 500 people, 124 farms, 16 businesses, and one educational facility to high-speed internet in Kandiyohi, Meeker and Stearns counties.
  • 2022: Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association (Vibrant Broadband) – Big Swan Lake – GRANT $94,182
  • 2022: Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association (Vibrant Broadband) – Collinwood Lake – GRANT $104,337
  • 2022: Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association (Vibrant Broadband) – Dunns & Richardson Lakes – GRANT $80,202
  • 2022: Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association (Vibrant Broadband) – Lake Erie – GRANT $19,093
  • 2022: Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association (Vibrant Broadband) – Long Lake – GRANT $29,702 (Learn more)
  • MN State Grant awarded in 2021: Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association (Vibrant Broadband) – Lake Koronis – GRANT $41,927 This last mile project will serve approximately 28 unserved and seven underserved locations in Union Grove Township in Meeker County.
  • 2019: Nuvera Communications, Inc. – Hutchinson W Project – GRANT $346,282

Find more articles on broadband in Meeker County (http://tinyurl.com/gltzvoc)

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)

McLeod County Broadband Profile 2024: Yellow rating: Ranking out 58 of 87

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Rank: 58
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

County 25/3
(% covered)		 25/3 rank 100/20
(% covered)		 100/20 rank Gig
(% covered)		 Gig
rank
McLeod 86.62 61 81.59 58 53.88 44

McLeod County: maybe the tide has turned

McLeod County rank stays at 58 for broadband access out of 87 counties. McLeod County has seen steady but incremental improvement in broadband access through the years. They won’t benefit from 2024 grants or Line Extension. That’s disappointing. They need to get going but they retain their yellow ranking.

2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 81.59 77.21 75.48 58.09 56.13 58.59 58.57 56.92
25/3 (2022 goal) 86.62 78.91 81.07 82.86 87.32 81.01 83.53 98.58

Past Grants:

  • 2022: Nuvera Communications, Inc. – Belle Lake and Hutchinson East FTTP – GRANT $1,840,250
  • 2022: Mediacom Minnesota LLC – Swan Lake – GRANT $99,156 (Learn more)
  • MN State Grants awarded in 2021: Nuvera Communications, Inc. – Hutchinson SE FTTP – GRANT $169,369 This last mile project will serve 42 unserved and five underserved locations in the Hutchinson area of McLeod County.
  • Winthrop Telephone Company, Inc. – Bismarck & Transit Township FTTP Project – GRANT $716,000 This last mile project will serve 148 unserved and six underserved locations, including homes, businesses and farms, in Bismarck, Transit and Round Grove townships in Sibley and McLeod counties.

Find more articles on broadband in McLeod County (http://tinyurl.com/hx65gqh)

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)