Green=served Purple=underesrved Red=unserved

Rank (from 100/20 megabits per second): 83
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 by 2022 and 100 Mbps/20 Mbps by 2026). Leaders can use this information to improve broadband access and use in their communities. To see how the state is doing overall, or to compare counties, visit the Blandin Foundation interactive map. Or check out past years’ reports: 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Lincoln County: Engaged but needs help

Lincoln County has been active in trying to get better broadband for years; there was a renewed interest going back to 2016 when they realized that the broadband they had was not the broadband they would need for the future. They did a feasibility study and have been working to get funding to make community broadband financially possible.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

With help from the Blandin Foundation, Lincoln released a feasibility study in 2018. The report discusses next steps for the county, such as looking for a partner to bring broadband to those areas without it today.

Lincoln has benefited from two state broadband grants:

• 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile – Grant award: $808,080
• 2014 – Interstate Telecommunications Cooperative (ITC), Hendricks Town FTTP – Award: $700,000.

Update from 2020:

Lincoln County was one of 23 communities named a Telecommuter Forward, which indicates an interest in promoting broadband use as well as adoption. But they have also been focused on adoption.

In 2016, Lincoln County started focusing on a county-wide plan with a feasibility study (with the support of the Blandin Foundation). There’s a great divide between western and eastern County and Hendricks and Lake Benton is in another boat entirely. We see this in several counties. County borders rarely match provider customer bases or other assets and barriers.

The feasibility study indicated Fiber to the Premise would cost $8.5 million in eastern Lincoln County. The community was able to go to the provider (ITC) with the budget and (maybe more importantly) maps. The plan included an overbuild of some Frontier areas but did not include Tyler and Ivanhoe. ITC said they were able to $2.5 million and looked at CAF reverse auction. That left the community with $6 million to meet the need. They applied for a Minnesota state grant; they found a way to include Tyler and Ivanhoe, which brought the project to $10 million. Unfortunately, they did not get the funding.

The county decided to move ahead on their own. They are trying to bond for $5 million. The area is fortunate that they have seen expansion in wind industry, which has led to production tax, which could be used for a special project such as broadband.

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Lincoln County (http://tinyurl.com/jxqwlab)

• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 83 (down 7)
• Has worked with Blandin: yes
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 4.7

Details:

• Districts: CD 7
  Senate: 22
  House: 22A
• Find your reps

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)

Green=served Purple=underesrved Red=unserved

Rank (from 100/20 megabits per second): 54
Code: Yellow

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 by 2022 and 100 Mbps/20 Mbps by 2026). Leaders can use this information to improve broadband access and use in their communities. To see how the state is doing overall, or to compare counties, visit the Blandin Foundation interactive map. Or check out past years’ reports: 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Le Sueur County: Needs help, latest MN grant will help

The most enthusiastic award might go to Le Sueur this year. They are tireless in their determination but even with tenacity, the improvements are slow to come. But in the last year, BEVCOMM got a grant that will bring better broadband to the community. They are using CARES Act funding to deploy better broadband and they continue to push forward. Le Sueur was one of the early adopters (maybe impetus) for the statewide mapping that’s happening in Minnesota. Better data will help get support to the areas that need it.

COVID has exacerbated the divide between the haves and the have-nots; Le Sueur has seen this especially in the schools and with social services. But they also see that the increased need has helped draw attention, and hopefully resources, to the need.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

In summer 2018, Le Sueur hosted a broadband conference that spurred a chain reaction. That reaction is still strong; Le Sueur is very active in efforts to improve broadband access and adoption in their community.

Le Sueur benefited from one state grant:

• 2016 – ECKLES TELEPHONE COMPANY (DBA BEVCOMM) RURAL HEIDELBERG– GRANT:  $188,000

Update from 2020:

Le Sueur County started their tenure as a Blandin Broadband Community soon after COVID hit, so they have been doing everything online or remotely. But they are focused and it’s going well.

They are spending $140,000 of CARES Act funding to bring high speed wireless internet to Tyrone Township in partnership with Netwave Broadband.

They will benefit from a recent MN Border to Border award:

• BEVCOMM (Eckles Telephone Company) – Le Sueur County Project – GRANT $1,857,376
  This last mile project will upgrade approximately 417 unserved households, 88 unserved farms, 59 unserved businesses, and 4 community anchor institutions in rural areas around the communities of Montgomery, Heidelberg, and New Prague in Le Sueur, Rice, and Scott Counties. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota and Le Sueur County, BEVCOMM will improve broadband service levels up to 1 Gbps download and 1 Gbps upload, exceeding the 2022 and 2026 state speed goals. Sustainable broadband adoption will transform these unserved areas into highly-productive rural communities. This use and development of broadband will provide various home-based business options, stimulate economic growth, and stimulate innovation and investment. Education, health care, agriculture, energy efficiency, and public safety will improve with high-speed Internet access.
• Total eligible project cost is $3,714,752
• Local match is $1,857,376

Is broadband a help or hindrance in dealing with COVID?
Le Sueur County met with Blandin on Broadband to talk about how their broadband situation helped or hindered the ability to deal with COVID restrictions.

During the conversation, there was a lot of optimism and frustration expressed. There was frustration with reliability, data caps, access and digital skills. There was optimism with the increased attention broadband was getting because it was important in keeping life as normal as possible (school, work, access to healthcare) during the pandemic.

There is frustration in the school with mixed residential access and differing digital skills at home. It’s difficult to communicate when the parents aren’t online. The schools tried to support folks without access with hotspots, but they don’t work everywhere.

The County Commission meetings have gone online. Healthcare has moved online – thanks to quick learning and waivers and there’s great hope that the waivers will continue moving forward.

Ironically, several attendees had broadband issues getting on the Zoom call, in part because we met during a thunderstorm and many use wireless connections.

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Le Sueur County (http://tinyurl.com/jbg7ghy)

• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 54 (down 2)
• Has worked with Blandin: yes
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 22.7

Details:

• Districts: CD 1
  Senate: 19, 20, 23
  House: 19A, 20A, 20B, 23B
• Find your reps

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)

Green=served Purple=underesrved Red=unserved

Rank (from 100/20 megabits per second): 72
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 by 2022 and 100 Mbps/20 Mbps by 2026). Leaders can use this information to improve broadband access and use in their communities. To see how the state is doing overall, or to compare counties, visit the Blandin Foundation interactive map. Or check out past years’ reports: 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Lake of the Woods County: Needs help, latest MN grant will help

Lake of the Woods has been working on broadband for several years. They have received Border to Border grants. They were a Blandin Broadband Community. But they have been stalled at just over 50 percent coverage for speeds of 100/20 Mbps for three years. They will benefit from a Wikstrom Telephone projects that received a Border to Border award in the last round of funding; but that is a large project crossing several counties, so we’ll see the impact in next year’s mapping.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Lake of the Woods benefited from two state grants:

• 2016 – SJOBERG’S INC. ROSEAU AND LAKE OF THE WOODS COUNTIES — GRANT: $354,740
• 2016 – WIKSTROM TELEPHONE COMPANY WIKTEL NW MN – GRANT: $950,823

Update from 2020:

Lake of the Woods will benefit from a Border to Border project funded in the last round:

• 2019: Wikstrom Telephone – Wiktel NW MN Broadband Project – GRANT $1,151,526
  This last mile project will upgrade approximately 316 unserved locations in areas of Kittson, Marshall, Lake of the Woods, Pennington, and Roseau Counties. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota, Wikstrom Telephone will improve broadband service levels up to 1 Gbps download and 1 Gbps upload, exceeding the 2022 and 2026 state speed goals. This project will provide service to an area with 1.6 subscribers per route mile of cable, in some cases extending from routes placed under the 2016 and 2017 Border to Border State Grant program. Broadband service is the key to economic development, successful education services for children, and allows at-home health care monitoring in this remote area.
  

• Total eligible cost is $2,558,946
• Local match is $1,407,420

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Lake of the Woods County (http://tinyurl.com/gpfu7dd)

• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 72 (down 5)
• Has worked with Blandin: yes
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 1

Details:

• Districts: CD 7
  Senate: 02
  House: 02A
• Find your reps

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)

Green=served Purple=underesrved Red=unserved

Rank (from 100/20 megabits per second): 15
Code: Green

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 by 2022 and 100 Mbps/20 Mbps by 2026). Leaders can use this information to improve broadband access and use in their communities. To see how the state is doing overall, or to compare counties, visit the Blandin Foundation interactive map. Or check out past years’ reports: 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Lake County: ARRA award may have been bumpy, but they are well served

Lake County received an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) award in 2010 to build Fiber to the Home (FTTH). That grant came with a lot of bumps in the road, but now more than 90 percent of the very remote county has access to 100/20 Mbps broadband. The county continues to make strides in broadband use. They probably need an extra push to get the remaining households covered by the 2026 goal, but they are close.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

In 2010, Lake County received an ARRA award of $66.3 million to improve broadband access in their area; about $10 million of the award was an outright grant; the rest was a low-interest loan. There were bumps along the road to getting fiber to the community but now they are well served.

Lake County was a 2013-2014 Blandin Broadband Community (BBC) and they were featured in a report on the community return on public investment in broadband, which found $83,418,170 investments had been made in the community; using formulas devised to measure impact of broadband access, Lake County has the potential to realize from this investment:

• A combined household economic benefit of broadband of $13,695,550
• A combined increase in residential real estate value of $38,547,421

Update from 2020:

We continue to see improvements in broadband access and adoption in Lake County:

• Wilderness health, a collaborative of independent health providers for rural communities in Lake County, was recently awarded a grant worth nearly $800,000. The grant will be used to support the development of a telehealth program to offer mental health and other services to be used within its ten health system network.
• 911 Service redundancy was finally achieved through a partnership with CenturyLink, The Northeast Service Cooperative, True North Broadband, and the State of Minnesota, assisted by Cook County MIS, the Sheriff’s Office, and Emergency Management. The result: no more County-wide 911 outages!

Last Fall, the Blandin Foundation Courageous Leadership was posthumously awarded to Paul Bergman, whose vision for a broadband-enabled future for Lake County brought modern access to the Internet to the residents of the county he loved.

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Lake County (http://tinyurl.com/j7pu3le)

• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 15 (down 1)
• Has worked with Blandin: yes
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: no
• Household density: 1.6

Details:

• Districts: CD 8
  Senate: 03
  House: 03A
• Find your reps

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)

Green=served Purple=underesrved Red=unserved

Rank (from 100/20 megabits per second): 3
Code: Green

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 by 2022 and 100 Mbps/20 Mbps by 2026). Leaders can use this information to improve broadband access and use in their communities. To see how the state is doing overall, or to compare counties, visit the Blandin Foundation interactive map. Or check out past years’ reports: 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

La Qui Parle County: they are there

Lac qui Parle (LqP) County received an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) award in 2010 that brought Fiber to the Home (FTTH) to most of the county. It has provided opportunities and prepared them for the work. We spoke to them specifically about how broadband was a help or hindrance in dealing with COVID.

Residents of LqP are able to get most of their work and learning done online. They will have a financial and academic advantage over counties that aren’t as well served.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

In 2009, Blandin Foundation funded a feasibility study for LqP County and Farmers Telephone Cooperative. The feasibility study’s engineering, operational, and market development plans were later used to support the partners’ successful ARRA funding application. Resulting in a $9.6 million ARRA award in August 2010.

LqP has benefited from two MN state grants:

• 2017 – Farmers Mutual Telephone – City of Watson and SW Lac qui Parle County FTTP – GRANT $760,501
• 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile – Grant award: $808,080

Update from 2020:

Lac qui Parle County and Farmers Mutual Telephone were awarded Blandin Foundation Courageous Leadership awards last year for their early work bringing FTTH in a rural county.

Is broadband a help or hindrance in dealing with COVID?
LqP County met with Blandin on Broadband to talk about how their broadband situation helped or hindered the ability to deal with COVID restrictions.

On the call was Pam Lehmann, the EDA Director at the time that LqP got the ARRA award. As she said, it has been a universal help to the county in dealing with COVID. Kids are able to attend school online, when they need to. Because of the fast connection, Pam was able to access, interact and apply for federal funding for local area small businesses. Healthcare has moved online; insurance waivers and changes in regulation have been helpful in making that possible.

Healthcare recruitment has also moved online. The healthcare facilities have been hiring and are holding all interviews online. It’s not the same as having someone come to town but, especially in the healthcare industry, you don’t want people coming from their hospital to fly to LqP hospitals; so adequate broadband for video interactions have been a potential life saver.

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Lac qui Parle. (http://tinyurl.com/zc2tfay)
• 100/20 ranking: 3 (up 6)
• Has worked with Blandin: yes
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 4.1

Details:

• Districts: CD 7
  Senate: 16
  House: 16A
• Find your reps

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)

Green=served Purple=underesrved Red=unserved

Rank (from 100/20 megabits per second): 59
Code: Yellow

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 by 2022 and 100 Mbps/20 Mbps by 2026). Leaders can use this information to improve broadband access and use in their communities. To see how the state is doing overall, or to compare counties, visit the Blandin Foundation interactive map. Or check out past years’ reports: 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Koochiching County: incremental increases

Koochiching County has been working on getting better broadband for a while. They are well organized and engaged through Koochiching Technology Initiative (KTI); they are a Blandin Broadband Community. They have done innovative work in providing access in the homeless shelters. They have been active in getting residents to take the statewide speed test. Last year, Paul Bunyan Telephone was awarded a Border to Border grant that will help deploy Fiber to the Home to about half of the currently unserved households. But that project competition date is a year from now (2021).

COVID has exacerbated the difference between those with and without broadband and, of equal importance to the broadband leaders in Koochiching, the folks who can afford broadband. They have come up with innovative ways to reach seniors, students and folks experiencing homelessness.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Koochiching has been working with the Blandin foundation on the Iron Range Broadband Communities (IRBC) initiative with the Koochiching Tech Initiative leading the way. Koochiching has benefited from one MN state grant:

• 2015 – Midcontinent Little Fork Middle Mile – Grant award: $277,448

Update from 2020:

• Paul Bunyan Communications – North Central Minnesota Fiber Project– GRANT $2,562,916
  This last mile project will upgrade approximately 914 unserved and 439 underserved locations in parts of the Leech Lake Indian Reservation and rural portions of Cass, Itasca, Koochiching, and St. Louis counties. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota, Minnesota Iron Range Resource & Rehabilitation Board, Koochiching County, and Morcom Township, Paul Bunyan Communications will improve broadband service levels up to 1 Gbps download and 1 Gbps upload, exceeding the 2022 and 2026 state speed goals. A fiber-to-the premise project, the proposed project areas are a response to consumer demand and will provide relief in economically distressed communities that need new alternatives to diversify and strengthen.
• Total eligible cost is $6,268,400
• Local match is $3,705,484

Is broadband a help or hindrance in dealing with COVID?

Koochiching County met with Blandin on Broadband to talk about how their broadband situation helped or hindered the ability to deal with COVID restrictions.

We’ve learned that if you are in International Falls, you are served but get just three miles away and folks report they have trouble streaming Netflix. Fortunately, most people live in town but for those who don’t there are some barriers. Affordability is another barrier exacerbated by COVID. They created a COVID Response team; they came up with a mobile emergency network – a redundant network that could be used in a healthcare facility if there was an unexpected outage.

There are some difficulties now with getting devices and technology tools, but that is not limited to Koochiching. There are also challenges with training, especially with seniors.

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Koochiching. (http://tinyurl.com/gom8mqy)

• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 59 (down from 46)
• Has worked with Blandin
• Has received a MN Broadband grant
• Household density: 1.9

Details:

• Districts: CD 8
  Senate: 03
  House: 03A
• Find your reps

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)

Green=served Purple=underesrved Red=unserved

Rank (from 100/20 megabits per second): 35
Code: Yellow

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 by 2022 and 100 Mbps/20 Mbps by 2026). Leaders can use this information to improve broadband access and use in their communities. To see how the state is doing overall, or to compare counties, visit the Blandin Foundation interactive map. Or check out past years’ reports: 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Kittson County: incremental increases

Kittson County has seen small increases in access over the last three years. So, while on a slow path, they are on a path to better broadband. Also, they are set to benefit from Wikstrom’s 2019 Border to Border funded project.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Kittson has benefited from three state broadband grants:

• 2017 – Wikstrom Telephone – Wiktel NW MN Broadband – GRANT $1,307,785
• 2016 – WIKSTROM TELEPHONE COMPANY WIKTEL NW MN – GRANT: $950,823
• 2014 – Wikstrom Telephone, Kittson, Marshall, Roseau Broadband Extension – Award $425,000

And they are getting almost $2 million in FCC funding but that is over the next 10 years.

Update from 2020:

Kittson County will benefit from Wikstrom Telephone’s 2019 Border to Border project:

• 2019 Wikstrom Telephone – Wiktel NW MN Broadband Project – GRANT $1,151,526
  This last mile project will upgrade approximately 316 unserved locations in areas of Kittson, Marshall, Lake of the Woods, Pennington, and Roseau Counties. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota, Wikstrom Telephone will improve broadband service levels up to 1 Gbps download and 1 Gbps upload, exceeding the 2022 and 2026 state speed goals. This project will provide service to an area with 1.6 subscribers per route mile of cable, in some cases extending from routes placed under the 2016 and 2017 Border to Border State Grant program. Broadband service is the key to economic development, successful education services for children, and allows at-home health care monitoring in this remote area.
• Total eligible cost is $2,558,946
• Local match is $1,407,420

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Kittson. (https://bit.ly/2kcNnpz)

• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 35 (up 8)
• Has worked with Blandin: no
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 1.8

Details:

• Districts: CD 7
  Senate: 01
  House: 01A
• Find your reps

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)

Green=served Purple=underesrved Red=unserved

Rank (from 100/20 megabits per second): 48
Code: Yellow

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 by 2022 and 100 Mbps/20 Mbps by 2026). Leaders can use this information to improve broadband access and use in their communities. To see how the state is doing overall, or to compare counties, visit the Blandin Foundation interactive map. Or check out past years’ reports: 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Kandiyohi County: they persist

Kandiyohi County has been working on better broadband for years. In 2017, Consolidated Telecommunications Co. (CTC) was awarded a $4.94 million grant to improve serves in New London, Spicer and Willmar, and Frontier was awarded a grant of $1.02 million to improve service in rural Kandiyohi County. Unfortunately, the CTC project did not work out.

Earlier this year, the Willmar and Kandiyohi County Economic Development set out to get a feasibility study done to prepare to apply for a Border to Border broadband grant.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Kandiyohi County has been working on improving broadband for years. They have hosted meetings with policymakers and partnered with several providers. Kandiyohi has benefited from state broadband grants:

• 2016 – FRONTIER KANDIYOHI INITIATIVE – GRANT: $1,015,275
• 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile – Grant award: $808,080

Then in 2017, Consolidated Telecommunications Co. (CTC) was awarded a $4.94 million grant to improve serves in New London, Spicer and Willmar, and Frontier was awarded a grant of $1.02 million to improve service in rural Kandiyohi County. Unfortunately, the CTC project did not work out.

Update from 2020:

Late in 2019, Meeker Cooperative announced a new service, Vibrant Broadband, which is approximately 50 Mbps upload and 8 Mbps down to several counties, including Kandiyohi.

In early 2020, the Willmar and Kandiyohi County Economic Development Commission said that they would start a broadband feasibility study with the intention of applying for a Border to Border grant this year (2020).

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Kandiyohi. (http://tinyurl.com/z9wk7bm)

• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 48 (down 1)
• Has worked with Blandin: yes
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 19.4

Details:

• Districts: CD 7
  Senate: 17
  House: 17A, 17B
• Find your reps

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)

Rank (from 100/20 megabits per second): 87
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 by 2022 and 100 Mbps/20 Mbps by 2026). Leaders can use this information to improve broadband access and use in their communities. To see how the state is doing overall, or to compare counties, visit the Blandin Foundation interactive map. Or check out past years’ reports: 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Kanabec County: ranking last for access to 100/20 Mbps

The Kanabec Broadband Initiative has been working on better broadband for years. Last year we saw that much of the County is served by one large national provider. That may be a bottleneck to better access in those areas, because as we noted last year, lack of competition can impact the drive for improvement.

COVID has exacerbated the situation of mixed access in Kanabec County. Some students were able to access school work at home during the pandemic shutdown; others were not. Some folks were able to work from home; others were not. The lack of communitywide access meant the county could not move all services online, making it even more difficult to deal with COVID restrictions.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Kanabec County has worked with the Blandin Foundation. The Kanabec Broadband Initiative has been working on better broadband for years.

In 2018, a Blandin Foundation report looked at the impact of Federal CAF II funding in two towns in Chisago, Isanti and Kanabec Counties. CAF II money went to qualifying providers to subsidize network deployments that can deliver service of at least 10/1 Mbps. The study found that while some areas were upgraded beyond that speed; some remain at speeds that do not meet the 2022 nor 2026 MN broadband goals.

Kanabec benefited from a state broadband grant:

• 2016 – BENTON COOPERATIVE TELEPHONE COMPANY BOCK – GRANT: $510,000

Update from 2020:

Kanabec County has been working on improving broadband in their area for several years. Coming up with innovative ideas, such as the digital navigators.

Is broadband a help or hindrance in dealing with COVID?

Kanabec County met with Blandin on Broadband to talk about how their broadband situation helped or hindered the ability to deal with COVID restrictions.

Talking to two people who live in town (served) and work with people around the county (underserved), I learned what a difference a mile or two can make.

The schools sent a survey home with kids; 6-12 percent of students (depending on location) didn’t have access to broadband. BUT when asked if that broadband was sufficient, 20-30 percent said they lacked access. The schools tried to help students without access by providing devices and mobile hotpots, unfortunately hotspots did not work for all households because of spotty cellular access.

They have seen increased interest in people looking to move into the county, but only in areas with broadband.

The extremes in access builds a digital divide within the county. The need to cater to the extremes means the schools need to modify their expectations, which sets up a digital divide between Kanabec and counties with more ubiquitous broadband.

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Kanabec County. (http://tinyurl.com/gvyes6n)
• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 87 (down 3)
• Has worked with Blandin: yes
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 12

Details:

• Districts: CD 8
  Senate: 11, 15
  House: 11B, 15A
• Find your reps

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)

Green=served Purple=underesrved Red=unserved

Rank (from 100/20 megabits per second): 58
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 by 2022 and 100 Mbps/20 Mbps by 2026). Leaders can use this information to improve broadband access and use in their communities. To see how the state is doing overall, or to compare counties, visit the Blandin Foundation interactive map. Or check out past years’ reports: 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Jackson County: coverage stalled at 69 percent

Jackson County benefited from an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant in 2010. They benefited from a Border to Border grant in 2015. Since then they have been stalled at 69 percent access. Jackson County needs a renewed interest in improved broadband if they want to close the broadband gap in the county.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

In 2010, Southwest Minnesota Broadband Services (SMBS) received ARRA funds to deploy fiber to the home in Jackson and other counties. Through SMBS, Jackson County was also part of the Blandin Broadband Communities initiative in 2015-2016

Jackson County benefited from a MN state broadband grant:

• 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile – Grant award: $808,080

Update from 2020:

No broadband reports from Jackson County since the last broadband profile.

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Jackson County. (http://tinyurl.com/h3vyqx9)

• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 58 (down 3)
• Has worked with Blandin: yes
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yea
• Household density: 6.1

Details:

• Districts: CD 1
  Senate: 22 & 23
  House: 22B, 23A
• Find your reps

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)

Green=served Purple=underesrved Red=unserved

Rank (from 100/20 megabits per second): 28
Code: Yellow

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 by 2022 and 100 Mbps/20 Mbps by 2026). Leaders can use this information to improve broadband access and use in their communities. To see how the state is doing overall, or to compare counties, visit the Blandin Foundation interactive map. Or check out past years’ reports: 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Itasca County: recent grant will help improve access

Itasca County has seen very small incremental increases in broadband over the last few years. However, they are in proximity to providers who have shown an interest in serving Fiber to the Home in rural areas and Paul Bunyan received a Border to Border grant that will improve access in the last round of funding. They are sitting on fertile ground.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Itasca has benefited from several MN broadband grants:

• 2017 – Paul Bunyan Communications – North Central Fiber – GRANT $802,620
• 2016 MEDIACOM HARRIS TOWNSHIP – GRANT: $224,369
• 2016 – PAUL BUNYAN COMMUNICATIONS HUBBARD, BECKER & ITASCA COUNTIES – GRANT: $1,742,232
• 2015 – Paul Bunyan Central Itasca County Fiber – Grant Award: $1,980,000

Itasca County is fortunate in that there are several providers in the area that currently offer Gigabit services. They need to work with providers to extend or expand their services.

Update from 2020:

Itasca County has been one of the counties leading the initative to encourage Minnesotans to take the statewide broadband speed test. And they will benefit from a Border to Border project awarded to Paul Bunyan in the last grant round:

• Paul Bunyan Communications – North Central Minnesota Fiber Project– GRANT $2,562,916
  This last mile project will upgrade approximately 914 unserved and 439 underserved locations in parts of the Leech Lake Indian Reservation and rural portions of Cass, Itasca, Koochiching, and St. Louis counties. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota, Minnesota Iron Range Resource & Rehabilitation Board, Koochiching County, and Morcom Township, Paul Bunyan Communications will improve broadband service levels up to 1 Gbps download and 1 Gbps upload, exceeding the 2022 and 2026 state speed goals. A fiber-to-the premise project, the proposed project areas are a response to consumer demand and will provide relief in economically distressed communities that need new alternatives to diversify and strengthen.
• Total eligible cost is $6,268,400
• Local match is $3,705,484

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Itasca County. (http://tinyurl.com/grujo6t)

• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 28 (down 1)
• Has worked with Blandin: yes
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 6.4

Details:

• Districts: CD 8
  Senate: 5, 6
  House: 5A, 5B, 6A
• Find your reps

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)

Green=served Purple=underesrved Red=unserved

Rank (from 100/20 megabits per second): 80
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 by 2022 and 100 Mbps/20 Mbps by 2026). Leaders can use this information to improve broadband access and use in their communities. To see how the state is doing overall, or to compare counties, visit the Blandin Foundation interactive map. Or check out past years’ reports: 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Isanti County: stalled with less than 50 percent access to 100/20 Mbps

Isanti County is served by one large national provider. That may be a bottleneck to better access in those areas, because as we noted last year, lack of competition can impact the drive for improvement. We haven’t heard much from Isanti in the last year. To see improvement, they will likely need to come together as a community to seek better broadband.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Last year we saw that much of the County is served by one large national provider. That may be a bottleneck to better access in those areas, because as we noted last year, lack of competition can impact the drive for improvement.

In 2018, Isanti County, with Blandin Foundation support, surveyed residents about their experience with broadband…

• Eighty-eight percent of residents say they need better Internet-data service, 92 percent said Internet access is very important and 1 percent said it is not important.
• Eighty-three percent of businesses say they need better Internet-data service and 95 percent said the Internet is essential to their business.
• Sixty-six percent of businesses said limited Internet access at employees’ residences impacts their business.
• Twenty-four percent of businesses said Internet service options impact their business’ decision to relocate or stay in the county.

Clearly the community feels the need for better broadband.

Update from 2020:

No broadband reports from Isanti County since the last broadband profile.

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Isanti County. (http://tinyurl.com/gozt2ka)
• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 80 (down from 72)
• Has worked with Blandin: yes
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: no
• Household density: 30.9

Details:

• Districts: CD 8
  Senate: 31 & 32
  House: 31A, 32A
• Find your reps

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)

Green=served Purple=underesrved Red=unserved

Rank (from 100/20 megabits per second): 18
Code: Yellow

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 by 2022 and 100 Mbps/20 Mbps by 2026). Leaders can use this information to improve broadband access and use in their communities. To see how the state is doing overall, or to compare counties, visit the Blandin Foundation interactive map. Or check out past years’ reports: 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Hubbard County: recent, great improvement

Hubbard County had a great leap in access in the last year. It would be nice to see them keep up the momentum. They received nice recognition for use of broadband in providing services to veterans, but no reports on deployment efforts.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Hubbard County has benefited from two MN state grants:

• 2017 – Paul Bunyan Communications – North Central Fiber – GRANT $802,620
• 2016 – PAUL BUNYAN COMMUNICATIONS HUBBARD, BECKER & ITASCA COUNTIES – GRANT: $1,742,232

Update from 2020:

The Hubbard County Veteran Services Office (VSO) is only the second in Minnesota to offer telehealth appointments to local veterans, which is a good indicator that the county is focused on use as well as deployment.

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Hubbard County. (http://tinyurl.com/hy7et5e)
• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 18 (up from 45)
• Has worked with Blandin: no
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 8.7

Details:

• Districts: CD 8
  Senate: 02 & 05
  House: 2B, 5A
• Find your reps

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)

Green=served Purple=underesrved Red=unserved

Rank (from 100/20 megabits per second): 57
Code: Yellow

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 by 2022 and 100 Mbps/20 Mbps by 2026). Leaders can use this information to improve broadband access and use in their communities. To see how the state is doing overall, or to compare counties, visit the Blandin Foundation interactive map. Or check out past years’ reports: 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Houston County: recent grant may help close the gap

Houston County broadband coverage has not changed much since we started tracking. They have been stalled at 65-70 percent access for four years. However, they will benefit from a Border to Border grant awarded to AcenTek in the last round of grants.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Houston County has shown an interest in better broadband. In 2017, a project that sought state funding, but they didn’t get it.

Update from 2020:

Houston County will benefit from a Border to Border grant awarded in 2019.

• 2019: AcenTek – Rural Houston Exchange FTTH – GRANT $2,895,318
  This last mile project will upgrade approximately 485 unserved and 424 underserved locations in areas of Houston and Winona Counties. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota and Houston County, AcenTek will improve broadband service levels up to 1 Gbps download and 1 Gbps upload, exceeding the 2022 and 2026 state speed goals. These investments will bring the benefits of high speed broadband to the many farms in the project area, enable employees in healthcare to work remotely, and allow students to be more successful.
• Total eligible project cost is $9,651,059
• Local match is $6,755,741

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Houston County. (http://tinyurl.com/zst4kf5)
• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 57 (no change)
• Has worked with Blandin: no
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: no
• Household density: 13.8

Details:

• Districts: CD 1
  Senate: 28
  House: 28B
• Find your reps

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)

Green=served Purple=underesrved Red=unserved

Rank (from 100/20 megabits per second): 6
Code: Green

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 by 2022 and 100 Mbps/20 Mbps by 2026). Leaders can use this information to improve broadband access and use in their communities. To see how the state is doing overall, or to compare counties, visit the Blandin Foundation interactive map. Or check out past years’ reports: 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Hennepin County: population density helps attract broadband

Hennepin County is poised to meet the 2026 speed goals because they have the population density that makes an easy business case for providers to want to serve the area. Although it’s worth noting that, while their coverage hasn’t changed in the last few years, their ranking has dropped, which means rural counties are surpassing them.

In Hennepin County, affordability and access to a device seems to be a bigger issue than availability.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Hennepin County has the distinct advantage of high population density, which makes for an easier business case to serve than some of the more rural counties.

Hennepin County has benefited from one MN state grant…

• 2017 – Mediacom Minnesota LLC – Medina 2018 Broadband Build – GRANT $62,219

Update from 2020:

Hennepin County is well served with broadband but affordability and access to devices have become greater issue, or at least received more attention with COVID restrictions. To help meet the needs of low income households, ConnectMN provided grants to help get computers and connecitivity into the hands of students who need it; several recipients were in Hennepin County.

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Hennepin County. (http://tinyurl.com/z9n7ea6)
• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 6 (down 2)
• Has worked with Blandin: no
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 784.3

Details:

• Districts: CD 4, 5 & 6
  Senate: 29, 30, 33, 34, 36, 40, 41, 44, 45, 46, 48, 49, 50, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63
  House:  29A, 30B, 33A, 33B, 34A, 34B, 36A, 36B, 40A, 40B, 41B, 44A, 44B, 45A, 45B, 46A, 46B, 48A, 48B, 49A, 49B, 50A, 50B, 59A, 59B, 60A, 60B, 61A, 61B, 62A, 62B, 63A, 63B
• Find your reps

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)