Rank: 87
Code:  Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county	25/3	253 rank	100/20	10020 rank	Gig	gig rank	Providers
Murray	61.25	87	57.44	87	28.02	71	15

Murray County: still at bottom of the ranking

Murray County’s broadband coverage has remained stagnant over the last few years. That has kept them at the bottom of the ranking and keeps them with a Red status.

Murray has been in a precarious position because looking maps 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 made a difference to who is eligible for BEAD funding.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 13 locations in Murray County. There is a mix of fiber and satellite connections, which does not qualify as served in the MN statute. But with such low coverage it’s the number of locations awarded funding that is notable.

There is still Line Extension funding yet to be distributed, which helps connect handfuls of  houses just beyond existing infrastructure. (Anoka has benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that seems hopeful for them as well.) There have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty.

	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
100/20 (2026 goal)	57.44	57.12	55.9	51.38	54.37	51.59	51.59	50.78	41.65
25/3 (2022 goal)	61.25	61.09	58.69	57.5	58.05	65.2	65.37	51	50.47

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 Murray: 13
The locations include a majority of satellite and fixed wireless connections.

County	Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC	Woodstock	Xfinity	Locations         Grand Total	County
Technology Type	Low Earth Orbit Satellite	Fiber	Fiber
Murray	4	9		13	Murray

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 Murray $1,326,455 was invested in two projects over the years.

No New Posts from 2025

Highlights from Past Reports

• 2023 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.

Past Grants

• County: Murray – Woodstock Telephone Company Skandia FTTH Low Density
  Grant: $2,914,733, Local Match: $971,578, Total Budget: $3,886,311

• 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 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)