Rank: 72
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county	25/3	253 rank	100/20	10020 rank	Gig	gig rank	Providers
Goodhue	80.57	74	79.15	72	71.51	30	20

Goodhue County: still holding onto haves and have-nots

Goodhue County’s broadband access has been stagnant for several years. Access has declined in the last year, although within an acceptable margin.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 2,302 locations in Goodhue County. Some of the locations will get fiber but a majority of locations will get a satellite or fixed wireless connection, which does not qualify as served in the MN statute.

There is still Line Extension funding yet to be distributed, which helps connect handfuls of  houses just beyond existing infrastructure. (Goodhue has benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that seems hopeful for them as well.)

Statewide, there have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty.

Stagnation and mixed expectations with BEAD disbursement keep Goodhue at a Red status.

	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
100/20 (2026 goal)	79.15	80.13	80.51	78.56	76.09	75.15	71.84	55.99	60.33
25/3 (2022 goal)	80.57	81.95	82.14	81.78	81.66	83.9	79.44	77.1	87.46

Possible BEAD support

The Minnesota BEAD Final Proposal has not yet been approved so the information below is subject to change; it includes the number of locations by county specifying provider and broadband type. (Learn more.)

Locations in Anoka: 2,302
The locations include fiber as well as satellite and fixed wireless connections.

County	Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC	IBT Group USA, LLC	Midco	Nuvera	Space Exploration Technologies Corp.	Locations         Grand Total	County
Technology Type	Low Earth Orbit Satellite	Fixed Wireless	Fiber	Fiber	Low Earth Orbit Satellite
Goodhue	1,098	825	102	257	20	2,302	Goodhue

Local Government Match for State Broadband Grants:

Over the years, many local governments (County, Municipal, Tribal) have invested in broadband deployment. This year, I have tracked how much local investment has been used to match MN State Grants. Local governments invest in other ways too, but this was one number I could realistically find and quantify investment by county, which means investment in that county, whether by county, cities or other local government entity.

In Goodhue, 15,000 was invested for one project over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

• Goodhue County providers received $59,593.27 in the first three rounds of Line Extension awards

Highlights from Past Reports

• 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $33 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, Goodhue ranked 11 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Past Grants:

• Nuvera Communications, Inc. – Nuvera White Rock
  Grant: $1,884,429, Local Match: $628,143, Total Budget: $2,512,572

• $3.2 million for Goodhue County to provide broadband coverage to multiple rural unserved and under-served areas.

• 2022: $4 million grant Red Wing Ignite received to encourage broadband-based entrepreneurship and innovation
• 2017 – Midco (Midcontinent Communications) – Wanamingo – GRANT $768,600
• 2017 – New Ulm Telecom, Inc. – White Rock Rural East FTTP – GRANT $411,704
• 2016 – NEW ULM TELECOM, INC. GOODHUE-BELLECHESTER – GRANT: $ 332,328
• 2015 – New Ulm Telecom Goodhue Fiber Project – Grant award: $115,934
• BEVCOMM (Pine Island Telephone Company) – NE Pine Island Fiber Project Phase I – GRANT $222,222
• Nuvera Communications, Inc. – Goodhue Welch FTTP – GRANT $340,790 This last mile project south of Welch will serve 100 unserved and 15 underserved locations in Goodhue County.
• 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 Goodhue County. (http://tinyurl.com/z3jwte4)

The maps below come from the 

• Office of Broadband Development interactive map, reflecting data updated on December 16, 2025 – tracking wireline access.
• The FCC National Broadband Maps, reflecting data updated November 28, 2025 – tracking fixed wireless access.

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)