Rank: 82
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)
| county | 25/3 | 253 rank | 100/20 | 10020 rank | Gig | gig rank | Providers |
| Watonwan | 75.47 | 81 | 71.32 | 82 | 25.72 | 76 | 16 |
Watonwan County: hovering around 70 percent
Watonwan County’s broadband coverage has been stagnant for several years. They aren’t in line to get much funding from BEAD. They retain Red status
At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 1,1 locations in Anoka County. Some of the locations will get fiber and the rest will get satellite, 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. (Watonwan has not benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that seems like a strategy worth considering.)
Statewide, 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) | 71.32 | 71.69 | 70.03 | 71.06 | 69.25 | 68.5 | 67.75 | 68.42 | 64.58 | |
| 25/3 (2022 goal) | 75.74 | 75.69 | 74.61 | 78.27 | 77.62 | 79.32 | 79.21 | 70.7 | 65.26 |
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 Watonwan: 11
The locations include fiber and satellite connections.
| County | AMG Technology Investment Group, LLC d/b/a Nextlink Internet | Federated Rural Electric Association | Locations Grand Total | County |
| Technology Type | Fixed Wireless | Fiber | ||
| Watonwan | 2 | 9 | 11 | Watonwan |
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 Watonwan 0 was invested over the years.
New Posts from 2025:
Highlights from Past Reports
- 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $12.4 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, Watonwan ranked 79 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.
Grants:
- 2017 – New Ulm Telecom, Inc. – Hanska A&D FTTP – GRANT $324,894
- 2016 – NEW ULM TELECOM, INC. HANSKA – GRANT: $ 200,397
- 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile – Grant award: $808,080
Find more articles on broadband in Watonwan County (http://tinyurl.com/jpnf6xv)
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.
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- Watonwan County (MN Map)
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- Watonwan County (National Map)
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)