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

county	25/3	253 rank	100/20	10020 rank	Gig	gig rank	Providers
Pipestone	88.84	50	86.3	48	28.01	72	12

Pipestone County: stagnant at 85 percent

Pipestone County’s broadband coverage has been stagnant for a few years and their prospects for BEAD funding is not going to close the gap; so they have been bumped from Yellow to Red status.

They have been in a potentially precarious position because there is a 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.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 63 locations in Pipestone County. All of the locations qualify for fiber. That being said, 63 locations isn’t a lot.

There is still Line Extension funding yet to be distributed, which helps connect handfuls of  houses just beyond existing infrastructure. (Pipestone has not benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that may be a strategy worth considering.) 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)	86.3	86.43	86.35	80.7	80.11	79.73	79.73	79.73	44.54
25/3 (2022 goal)	88.84	88.78	88.81	82.44	82.54	82.97	81.1	79.73	79.36

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 Pipestone: 63
The locations include a majority of satellite and fixed wireless connections.

County	Woodstock	Locations         Grand Total	County
Technology Type	Fiber
Pipestone	63	63	Pipestone

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 Pipestone 0 was invested over the years. However last year, Pipestone County Commissioners recently (Nov 2024) voted to provide $268,822 for a fiber optic internet project Woodstock Communications is planning if they get a MN State grant.

New Posts from 2025:

• Woodstock Communications Deploys FTTP in Hatfield (Pipestone County) with MN State Grant

Highlights from Past Reports

• 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $4.5 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, Pipestone ranked 55 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Past Grants:

• Woodstock Telephone Co – Woodstock Comm – Hatfield FTTH
  Grant: $1,612,932, Local Match: $537,644, Total Budget: $2,150,576

• 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 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