Rank: 32 Code: Yellow (See Blandin Foundation interactive map) Freeborn County: Stalled broadband but funding on its way Freeborn County’s broadband has been stagnant since 2019. But activity is starting again. MidCo is extending fiber to parts of Dodge County. … Continue reading
Midco announces… Homes and businesses in 15 southern Minnesota communities will now have access to Midco Gig. Midco Gig is 35 times faster than the average high-speed internet and available at an affordable price. “The current environment has made high-speed … Continue reading
Rank (from 100/20 megabits per second): 27 Code: Red Annually, Blandin Foundation pulls together data from the Minnesota Office of Broadband Development and broadband news to gauge progress toward the state broadband goals (25 megabits per second download/3 Mbps upload … Continue reading
The historical numbers for Freeborn County are unreliable. The numbers from 2017 reflect wireless connections and the more recent don’t but the difference seems to reflect more than that. It is clear that they will need a concerted effort to … Continue reading
I wrote earlier about the $28.5 million coming from the FCC to Minnesota for broadband. BUT I want to follow up with any specific info related to providers or areas getting the funding. The Albert Lea Tribune reports… The Federal … Continue reading
From the Libraries without Borders newsletter… In July 2021, we transformed the storm shelter in the Park Plaza Cooperative into a 21st-century library equipped with books and technology. By working closely with residents, we designed a community space for people … Continue reading
Rank: 82 Code: Red (See Blandin Foundation interactive map) Faribault County: Needs help Faribault County is served primarily by BEVCOMM and Mediacom. They are engaged but they are still hovering at 40 percent access. One strange issue is that they … Continue reading
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. The numbers for Freeborn have been a little strange; some of the … Continue reading
Minneapolis St Paul Business Journal reports on most affordable places to work from home in Minnesota… The ranking comes from New York-based financial and technology company SmartAsset. To compile a list of the most affordable places to live in Minnesota, … Continue reading
A week (or so) ago, I mentioned Microsoft’s searchable digital equity maps. They track how people are access the Microsoft resources and combine that with demographic data from various sources. In the past I have used Office of Broadband Development … Continue reading
Rank: 52 Code: Red (See Blandin Foundation interactive map) Waseca County: stalled at 75 percent broadband access Waseca County has been stalled at 75 percent access for several years. The good news is that Midco has extended gig access to … Continue reading
Rank: 27 Code: Yellow (See Blandin Foundation interactive map) Steele County: Decent coverage but not much community engagement Steele County has not worked with the Blandin Foundation. They have never received a MN Border to Border grant. There were home … Continue reading
Red Wing Ignite is partnering with the E1 Collaborative to host E1 Ignite Cup 2021. Here’s more info from a recent email… E1 Ignite Cup 2021 Pitch Night April 6, 2021 We’re doing it again. Red Wing Ignite, in partnership with … Continue reading
The 2021 MN County broadband maps are up on the Office of Broadband Development websites, showing percentage of each county with (and without) broadband access. Now I’m looking at the maps that reflect county access to wirelines broadband at speeds of 25 Mbps … Continue reading
I’m pleased to share South Central Minnesota’s report issued reflecting use of telepresence by the Human Services Departments of Blue Earth, Brown, Faribault, Freeborn, Le Sueur, Martin, Nicollet, Rice, Sibley, and Watonwan Counties. Like many communities, they are innovating to … Continue reading
Blandin on Broadband 