Green=served Purple=underesrved Red=unserved

Rank (from 100/20 megabits per second): 68
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.

Grant County: no broadband news

Grant County is not on track to meet the 2026 speed goals. We don’t hear much from them, which might be an indicator that they need to get more engaged if they want to get ubiquitous broadband.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Last year, Grant County was in a precarious position for two reasons: more than 10 percent of the county was unserved and more than 50 percent is underserved. This has an impact on what kind of homework teachers can assign, the ability to start a home business and home resale value.

Update from 2020:

Nothing new to report.

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Grant County. (http://tinyurl.com/z9n7ea6)

• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 68 (up 7)
• Has worked with Blandin: no
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: no
• Household density: 4.5

Details:

• Districts: CD 7
  Senate: 12
  House: 12A
• 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): 27
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.

Goodhue County: the haves and have-nots

With Red Wing Ignite, an organization that strives to help the community make the best use of broadband, located in Goodhue, they have some of the best broadband availability and adoption efforts around. Cannon Falls is heading in that direction too, with their participation in the Blandin Broadband Communities (BBC). But there are still areas without access to 100/20 Mbps.

They are in line to benefit from a Border to Border award made in the last round of grants, that will help.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Goodhue has benefited from several MN broadband grants:

• 2017 – Midco (Midcontinent Communications) – Wanamingo – GRANT $768,600
• 2017 – New Ulm Telecom, Inc. – White Rock Rural East FTTP – GRANT $411,704
• 2016 – NEW ULM TELECOM, INC. GOODHUE-BELLECHESTER – GRANT: $ 332,328
• 2015 – New Ulm Telecom Goodhue Fiber Project – Grant award: $115,934

Last year, Goodhue was part of Blandin Foundation’s report on the community return on public investment in broadband. Using formulas devised to measure impact of broadband access, Goodhue has the potential to realize:

Using formulas devised to measure impact of broadband access, Goodhue has the potential to realize:

• A combined household economic benefit of broadband of $32,774,600
• A combined increase in residential real estate value of $104,825,572 annually

Update from 2020:

Red Wing has always been a broadband hotbed in Goodhue County but Cannon Falls joined in the broadband adoption world by becoming a Blanidn Broadband Community.

Goodhue stands to benefit from a project awarded a Border to Border grant in the last round:

• BEVCOMM (Pine Island Telephone Company) – NE Pine Island Fiber Project Phase I – GRANT $222,222
  This last mile project will upgrade approximately 54 unserved households, eight unserved farms, 14 unserved businesses, and one underserved household in areas of Pine Island and New Haven Townships in Goodhue County, and a small portion in Olmsted County. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota and Goodhue County Economic Development Authority, BEVCOMM will improve broadband service levels up to 1 Gbps download and 1 Gbps upload, exceeding the 2022 and 2026 state speed goals. The use and development of broadband will provide various home-based business options, stimulate economic growth, innovation, and investment. Education, health care, agriculture, energy efficiency, and public safety will improve with high-speed Internet access.
• Total eligible project cost is $634,920
• Local match is $412,698

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Goodhue County. (http://tinyurl.com/z3jwte4)
• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 46 (up 4 places)
• Has worked with Blandin: yes
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 24

Details:

• Districts: CD 2
  Senate: 21, 58
  House: 21A, 21B, 58B
• 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): 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 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.

Freeborn County: Stalled access at 84 percent access

Freeborn County’s broadband upgrade and expansion seems to have stalled. There is a recent change in a local provider; another provider getting some ongoing financial support but otherwise little seems to be brewing on the horizon. To meet the State speed goals, the community may need to become more active.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Freeborn has benefited from three MN broadband grants:

• 2017 – BEVCOMM (Cannon Valley Telephone) – Freeborn Southwest Rural Final – GRANT $122,460
• 2016 – CANNON VALLEY TELECOM, INC. (DBA BEVCOMM) RURAL FREEBORN – GRANT:  $150,700
• 2015 – BEVCOMM Cannon Valley Telecom – Rural Freeborn Fiber-to-the-Premises Project – Grant award: $149,625

Freeborn is also getting almost $2 million in FCC funding but that is over the next 10 years.

Update from 2020:

Part of Freeborn County was served by Jaguar, which was acquired by MetroNet in July (2020). MetroNet claims they will invest $150 million to grow their Minnesota market.

The DHS/MNIT owned-and-operated telepresence network provides secure, encrypted, HIPAA compliant connections to over 6,000 users South Central Minnesota. Spurred by COVID, Freeborn is one of several counties that have agree to extend use of the network to serve more people via telepresense, which indicates an interest in expanding use of broadband as well as deployment.

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Freeborn County. (http://tinyurl.com/hw7ptnz)

• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 27 (down 2)
• Has worked with Blandin: no
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: no
• Household density: 18.2

Details:

• Districts: CD 1
  Senate: 27
  House: 27A, 27B
• 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): 82
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.

Faribault County: Needs help

Faribault County will benefit from a Border to Border award announced in the 2019 round, but it is not likely to get them to ubiquitous coverage. They have providers in the area that are engaged but they are still hovering at 40 percent access.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Faribault County has benefited from MN broadband grants:

• 2017 – BEVCOMM (Easton Telephone Company) – Delavan SE Rural Project – GRANT $220,350
• 2016 – BLUE EARTH VALLEY TELEPHONE CO. (DBA BEVCOMM) RURAL WINNEBAGO – GRANT:  $152,828
• 2015 – BEVCOMM Blue Earth Valley Telephone – Rural Winnebago Fiber-to-the-Premises Project – Grant award: $142,690

An update I received from a provider last year…

Faribault County is mostly served by BEVCOMM and Mediacom. BEVCOMM is a rural ILEC that is not covered by CAF 2 funding, but has recently opted to accept ACAM model support, which will replace rural High Cost USF support.

BEVCOMM is a motivated local provider, making a concerted effort to serve the area’s broadband needs. It has received two Border to Border broadband grants in the last two years in Faribault County, and another 4 grants in other rural areas it serves in Freeborn, Martin and LeSueur counties. The local match for these grants was entirely funded by BEVCOMM, without any local city, township or county funds.

Update from 2020:

Faribault County stands to benefit from a Border to Border grants awarded in the last round:

• BEVCOMM (Blue Earth Valley Telephone Company & Easton Telephone Company) – Rural Faribault County Project – GRANT: $579,781
  This last mile project will upgrade approximately 112 unserved and six underserved households, 50 unserved farms, and eight unserved businesses in areas of Faribault and Martin Counties. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota and Faribault County Economic Development Authority, 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.
• Total eligible project cost is $1,449,451
• Local match is $869,670

BEVCOMM received CARES Act funding from the County for broadband expansion.

We also saw increased broadband use in the form of Neonatal telemedicine.

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Faribault County. (http://tinyurl.com/jzwv3gx)
• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 82 (down 5 spaces)
• Has worked with Blandin: yes
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: no
• Household density: 8.6
• Number of providers: 4

Details:

• Districts: CD 1
  Senate: 23, 27
  House: 23A, 27A
• 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): 56
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.

Douglas County: Border to Border grants seem to push them forward

Douglas County has benefited from quite a few Border to Border grants and three more projects were awarded funds in their area last time around. Runestone got $1.7 million grant; hopefully it will help propel them closer to ubiquitous coverage.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Douglas County has benefited from a number of MN broadband grants:

• 2017 – Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association – Douglas County: Country Estates FTTH Project – GRANT $101,624
• 2017 – Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association – Douglas County: Pospisil Drive FTTH Project – GRANT $54,155
• 2016 – GARDONVILLE COOPERATIVE TELEPHONE DOUGLAS COUNTY LAKE LOUISE – GRANT: $68,240
• 2016 – RUNESTONE TELEPHONE HOLMES CITY 2 — GRANT: $700,674
• 2015 – Runestone Telephone Association – Holmes City – Grant award: $189,990

Update from 2020:

Douglas stands to benefit from three Border to Border grants awarded in the last round:

• 2019: Charter Communications – Lake Carlos Project – GRANT $74,540
  This middle and last mile project will upgrade approximately 43 unserved households, two unserved businesses, and two unserved farms on the eastern side of Lake Carlos in Douglas County. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota, Charter Communications will improve broadband service levels up to 940 Mbps download and 35 Mbps upload, exceeding the 2022 and 2026 state speed goals. Consumers will be able to work from home, have better access to education and healthcare, and businesses will be better able to compete locally and globally.
• Total eligible project cost is $149,081
• Local match is $74,541
• 2019: Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association – Krohnfeldt Drive FTTH Project – GRANT $42,921
  This last mile project will upgrade approximately 24 unserved locations in the Miltona Township area of Douglas County. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota, Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association will improve broadband service levels up to 1 Gbps download and 1 Gbps upload, meeting or exceeding the 2022 and 2026 state speed goals. Providing customers with adequate speeds to perform daily activities, along with improving their functionality, will enhance the quality of life in this neighborhood for years to come.
• Total eligible cost is $95,380
• Local match is $52,459

• 2019: Runestone Telecom Association – South Alexandria Project – GRANT $1,760,423
  This last mile project will upgrade approximately 908 unserved locations in areas of Lake Mary, Hudson, and La Grand Townships in Douglas County. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota, Runestone Telecom will improve broadband service levels up to 1 Gbps download and 1 Gbps upload, exceeding the 2022 and 2026 state speed goals. This project proposal began in late 2017 with three residents approaching Runestone in search of a solution to their lack of broadband service. By improving internet connectivity in rural Minnesota, this project addresses how providing broadband access can increase economic development and reduce factors contributing to the population exodus from unserved rural locations.
  

• Total eligible cost is $4,401,058
• Local match is $2,640,635

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Douglas County. (http://tinyurl.com/jqpohsc)
• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 56 (no change)
• Has worked with Blandin: no
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 21.2

Details:

• Districts: CD 7
  Senate: 8, 12
  House: 8B, 12A, 12B
• 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): 75
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.

Fillmore County: ReConnect award could put them back on track

Fillmore County has been hovering around 50 percent access to 100/20 Mbps broadband since we began tracking progress. Earlier this year they received a $5.4 million award from the USDA, which should be able to put them on a better track to ubiquitous access to 100/20 Mbps. Unfortunately, COVID has stalled that effort but they are still moving forward. Luckily for the community, a fixed wireless provider (MiBroadband) had also stepped up to provide service that can be deployed more quickly.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Fillmore has benefited from three MN broadband grants:

• 2017 – Rushford Village/Rural Rushford Fiber Build – Grant $2,011,628
• 2017 – Mediacom Minnesota LLC – Fountain 2018 Broadband Build – GRANT $202,125
• 2016 – ACENTEK RURAL LANESBORO FIBER BUILD – GRANT: $1,777,936

Update from 2020:

Late last year (Nov 2019), MiBroadband launched fixed wireless service to Fountain, Peterson and Spring Valley in Fillmore County. In January (2020), Harmony Telephone received a USDA ReConnect award to better serve Fillmore County. They received a $2.7 million ReConnect Program loan and a $2.7 million ReConnect Program grant to construct a fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network to connect 577 households, a health care center and a critical community facility spread over 143 square miles in several counties bordering southern Minnesota and northern Iowa. Unfortunately, COVID has stalled some of those plans, which means residents were able to take advantage of MiBroadband, while Harmony continues to work on fiber.

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Fillmore County. (http://tinyurl.com/hxe6jal)
• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 75 (down 5)
• Has worked with Blandin: no
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 9.9

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): 43
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.

Dodge County: Stalled at 77 percent coverage

Dodge County has held steady at about 75 percentage coverage to 100/20 Mbps broadband since 2018. Grants awarded in 2017 and 2018 likely helped them get to that level but there’s much recent activity. While one of their broadband providers was acquired recently, and that might mean expansion, it’s more likely that the community will need to get active and engaged to see improvements.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Dodge County benefited from two MN broadband grants:

• 2017 – KMTelecom – Rural Kasson Fiber Build – GRANT $606,108
• 2016 – KMTELECOM RURAL MANTORVILLE – GRANT: $764,663

Update from 2020:

Part of Dodge County was served by Jaguar, which was acquired by MetroNet in July (2020). MetroNet claims they will invest $150 million to grow their Minnesota market.

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Dodge County. (http://tinyurl.com/znpmlfr)
• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 43 (down 2 places)
• Has worked with Blandin: no
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 16.9

Details:

• Districts: CD 1 / 21, 24, 25 & 27
• 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): 8
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.

Dakota County: Nearly there, Dakota continues to invest

Dakota County has been planful in their building of local broadband. They deployed infrastructure for a government network, leaving excess capacity for residential use. They have a county board focused on broadband that leads an initiative to improve access and use. Charter received a Border to Border grant to upgrade broadband in Dakota County and County Commissioners recently approved the use of CARES Act funding on broadband improvement.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Dakota County built a public network that connected government buildings and then opened up the network to third party providers. Also, they benefit from being a metro county with higher population density, which makes it easier for broadband providers to make a business case to offer faster services. But the county is not entirely urban, so they have some underserved areas.

Update from 2020:

Dakota County has a Board that focuses on broadband. They meet reguarly and have a plan for leveraging excess bandwidth from their government network (which includes 320 miles of fiber) to serve residents. Since the last broadabnd profile, Charter received a Border to Border grant that will help serve Rosemount in Dakota County:

Charter Communications – Rosemount North Project – GRANT $499,072
This middle and last mile project will upgrade approximately 40 unserved and 225 underserved locations in northwestern Rosemount in Dakota County. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota and Dakota County, Charter Communications will improve broadband service levels up to 940 Mbps download and 35 Mbps upload, exceeding the 2022 and 2026 state speed goals. Project area residents have been actively engaged in an effort to improve broadband service offerings in their neighborhood.

• Total eligible project cost is $998,144
• Local match is $499,072

More recently, Dakota County approved $800,000 in CARES Act funding for broadband.

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Dakota County. (http://tinyurl.com/hxslue9)

• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 8 (down 1 places)
• Has worked with Blandin: no
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: no
• Household density: 258.9

Details:

• Districts: CD 2 / 51, 52, 54, 56, 57 & 58
• 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): 26
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.

Crow Wing County: Recent local investment will help move them forward

Crow Wing saw a nice upgrade to broadband in 2019; the level has remained the same, and actually dipped a little in the last year. But the county has recently decided to invest $1.5 million of CARES Act funding in broadband expansion with local provider, CTC. CARES projects must be completed by December 1, 2020 so they will see improvements soon. CTC also received funding in the last round of Border to Border grants that will benefit Crow Wing County as well.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Crow Wing County was one of the communities studied  as part of Blandin Foundation’s 2017 Measuring Community ROI report. We found that $15,123,450 had been invested in broadband in the area. Using formulas devised to measure the impact of broadband access, Crow Wing has the potential to realize from this investment:

• A combined household economic benefit of broadband of $67,412,150 annually
• A combined increase in residential real estate value of $214,662,149

Included in the funding noted above, Crow Wing has benefited from three MN broadband grants:

• 2016 – TDS TELECOM CASS & CROW WING COUNTIES — GRANT: $3,000,000
  2015 – Consolidated Telecommunications Company – Fort Ripley Phase II
  Grant award: $759,525
• 2014 – Consolidated Telephone Cooperative, Region 5 Virtual Highway Project – Amount $2 million

Update from 2020:

Recently, Crow Wing County has approved $1.5 million in CARES Act funding for broadband expansion through broadband provider CTC.

CTC also received funding in the last round of Border to Border grants:

• CTC (Consolidated Telephone Company) – Fort Ripley/Executive Acres Project – GRANT $830,587
  This last mile project will upgrade approximately 279 unserved and 120 underserved locations in Morrison and Crow Wing Counties. A funding partnership with the State of Minnesota, SourceWell, IronFire Inc., Rub My Rack BBQ LLC, and CTC will help to bring reliable high-speed fiber internet services to several unserved and underserved areas within north central Minnesota. The new services will provide residents and businesses with internet speeds of 1Gbps download and upload, exceeding the Minnesota 2026 speed goal. Building a fiber-to-the-premise network that provides advanced, high-speed broadband services to households, businesses and farms in the proposed grant area will enable students to better access educational resources, families to communicate with loved ones who may be homebound or deployed by the military, businesses to grow and thrive, aging residents to live longer and healthier lives, workers to telecommute and be more productive employees. The broadband network will stimulate a more robust local area economy.
• Total eligible cost is $1,661,175
• Local match is $830,588

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Crow Wing County. (http://tinyurl.com/zechgaw)
• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 26 (down 5 places)
• Has worked with Blandin: yes
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 22.5

Details:

• Districts: CD 8 / 10
• 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): 62
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.

Cottonwood County: Windom is served, the rest of the county isn’t

Windom, the county seat of Cottonwood County, has had an enviable municipal broadband network since 2004. Folks in Windom are well served. But outside of Windom, connections are mixed. The terrain does not suit fixed wireless solutions. There are remote areas and areas with lower population density. These areas are unlikely to get service without community engagement and intervention.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Windom is the county seat of Cottonwood County. They have a long history with broadband. In 2004, Windom voted in favor of a municipal network. That gave birth to Windomnet, which is still operating.  The Institute for Local Self Reliance has estimated a yearly community benefit from WindomNet of over $400,000!

Cottonwood County (or Windom) has worked with the Blandin Foundation. They have benefited from two MN broadband grants:

• 2016 – WOODSTOCK TELEPHONE WESTBROOK – GRANT: $412,391
• 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile – Grant award: $808,080

In 2018 they benefited from a partnership between SDN Communications and the Southwest West Central (SWWC) Service Cooperative building a fiber-based internet service that will connect more than 30 school districts, including Cottonwood.

Update from 2020:

In December 2019, Senator Klobuchar visited Windom to talk about broadband and other issues. The discussion highlighted the issue in Cottonwood- primarily, Windon is well served but surrounding rural areas are not. One attendee described his situation. Wireless doesn’t work well for him, because the line of sight is difficult to find or maintain. There were two providers he could choose. He elected to go with 10 Mbps connection but only after keeping a 1.5 Mbps connection with the other provider because that provider was upgrading to fiber. Unfortunately this gentleman lives right outside of the territory served by that fiber. It’s not a unique story; location is everything in some communities.

Checklist:

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

• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 62 (down 3 places)
• Has worked with Blandin: yes
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 7.5

Details:

• Districts: CD 1 / 22
• 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): 14
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.

Cook County: stalled with pretty good coverage

Cook County has had almost 95 percent broadband coverage at speeds of 100/20 Mbps since we started tracking progress. Despite being so close to the prize, they are dropping to a yellow status, because without renewed attention on broadband expansion, reaching the state goal won’t happen.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Cook County suffered for years because all telecommunications depended on a single fiber line. In 2008, dial-up was still the only choice for many residents. A grant from Blandin Foundation and a matching contribution from the County, along with additional support from Arrowhead Electric Coop, funded a feasibility study to examine the problem and potential solutions.

Based on the results of the feasibility study, the Cook County Board of Commissioners took up the idea of developing a fiber network. The Board passed an ordinance in 2009 declaring that a broadband network was in the best interests of the County and created the Fiber Optic Network Commission. Cook County formed a partnership with Arrowhead Electric Cooperative, which applied for and was awarded over $16 million in federal stimulus grants and low interest loans to build a fiber-to-the-home broadband network throughout Cook County.

In addition, Cook County awarded Arrowhead Cooperative a $4 million grant from the 1% sales tax fund.

Update from 2020:

Cook County was declared a Telecommuter Forward community, which indicates an interest in promoting broadband use as well as deployment. Cook County also has a passionate champion for online communication, Anne Braatas. She has been working with kids (grade 4-12) on online marketing and communications projects.

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Cook County. (http://tinyurl.com/hgbzlt7)

• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 14 (down 1 place)
• Has worked with Blandin: yes
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: no
• Household density: .7

Details:

• Districts: CD 8 / 03
• 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): 22
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.

Clearwater County: stalled with pretty good coverage

Clearwater County seems to have benefited from a Garden Valley Telephone Company upgrade in 2018. At that time, they look poised to meet the 2026 speed goals but not much has happened since.

AT&T launched a new FirstNet cell site in Clearwater County in 2020. That cell site may have spurred some improvements, or it may have taken advantage of existing infrastructure. The mapping available precedes the cell site announcement so it’s difficult to tell. But it seems likely that AT&T would include a local infrastructure upgrade, which we may see reflected in next year’s map.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Clearwater has been well poised for broadband for several years, but there has been little improvement in the last couple years. There is almost ubiquitous coverage for 25/3 Mbps access, but they need more to reach the 2026 goals. In 2018, Garden Valley Telephone Company received a $20 million loan from the USDA to deploy fiber in Polk, Clearwater, Pennington, Marshall and Red Lake counties. That may be the leap the county needs to close the gap for the 2026 goal.

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.

Update from 2020:

AT&T launched a new FirstNet cell site in Clearwater County.

Checklist:

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

• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 22 (down 5 places)
• Has worked with Blandin: no
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: no
• Household density: 3.4

Details:

• Districts: CD 7
  Senate: 02
  House: 02A, 02B
• 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): 29
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.

Chippewa County: has plans, needs funding

Chippewa made great strides a few years ago when they went from 25 percent coverage to more than 80 percent. They have been stalled for a while but late in 2018, they completed a feasibility study and have been trying for a Border to Border grant since then. They likely will need funding but even having a plan in place can help initiate progress.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

In 2015, Chippewa was one of twenty counties in southwestern Minnesota to benefit from a state grant:

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

With financial support from Blandin Foundation, in 2018, Chippewa County released a feasibility study that details a plan for the future, assuming they were able to get a state broadband grant. They did not get funding from the MN Border to Border program – at least not yet.

Update from 2020:

While hopeful, the county did not get their Border to Border project funded in the last round.

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Chippewa County. (http://tinyurl.com/htwz58a)
• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 29 (up 2)
• Has worked with Blandin: yes
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 8.9

Details:

• Districts: CD 7
  Senate: 17
  House: 17A
• 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): 66
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.

Cass County: working on improvements but a long way to go

The good news for Cass County is that they are included in two projects that received Border to Border state grants in 2019; they should see improvements once those projects are completed. Also, CTC recently received CARES Act funds to deploy better broadband to serval areas, including Cass County. Finally, Lake Shore City (in Cass County) is also looking to improve access in their area. So, while at 63 percent coverage, they are currently not well served, yet they are actively looking to improve, and they have providers in the area that seem interested in improvements.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

Cass County benefited from two MN state grants:

• 2016 – TDS TELECOM CASS & CROW WING COUNTIES — GRANT: $3,000,000
• 2014 – Consolidated Telephone Cooperative, Region 5 Virtual Highway Project – Award $2 million

One issue is that the 2016 grant aimed for 25/3 Mbps speeds so that won’t move the needle much. In September 2018, Paul Bunyan announced Gigazone upgrades in Cass County.

Update from 2020:

In September (2020),  CTC received CARES Act funding from both Crow Wing and Cass County to build broadband to unserved areas of Welton Road, County Rd 10, Border Lake, Little Pine Road and unserved areas in Lake Edward Township. Earlier in the summer, Lake Shore City put out a request for bids from broadband providers to help improve connectivity, especially in light of increased need do to COVID restrictions.

Cass County is part of two projects that received Border to Border grants in the last round:

• 2019: 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
• 2019: WCTA (West Central Telephone Association) – Rural Staples Phase I Project – GRANT $555,355
  This last mile project will serve 69 unserved households and 40 unserved businesses, farms, and community anchor institutions in areas of Staples and Villard townships in Todd County; areas of Thomastown township in Wadena County; and areas of Becker township in Cass County. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota, Sourcewell, and Region 5, WCTA will improve broadband service levels up to 1 Gbps download and 1 Gbps upload, exceeding the 2022 and 2026 state speed goals. Broadband access will allow farmers and ranchers to follow markets, talk with customers and reach new markets, and use the latest precision agriculture tools to enhance their operations. The broadband network will improve access to health care, specifically mental health and senior care through e-visits and tele-health applications. Broadband will also help business owners manage remotely and could stimulate the local economy.
• Total eligible cost is $1,234,123
• Local match is $678,768

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Cass County. (http://tinyurl.com/hgtulgm)
• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 66 (up 2 from last year)
• Has worked with Blandin: yes
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: yes
• Household density: 4.9

Details:

• Districts: CD 8
  Senate: 05 & 09
  House: 05A, 05B, 09A
• 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): 20
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.

Carver County: Needs a push to get ubiquitous broadband

Carver County is stalled with 85-90 percent of the county having access to 100/20 Mbps broadband. They received an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant in 2013, which put them on a good path for connectivity but very little has happened since then. They are part of the 7-county metro area. Their cities and towns are well served but areas with lower population density are not.

Broadband Access:

Computer Access:

What we learned in the past:

In  2013, Carver County received ARRA funding for Carverlink, a publicly owned 89-mile base ring with 33 miles of lateral lines. It was completed in Fall of 2013.

Carverlink has left them in good shape, but not enough has happened since then.

Update from 2020:

Part of Carver County was served by Jaguar, which was acquired by MetroNet in July (2020). MetroNet claims they will invest $150 million to grow their Minnesota market.

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Carver County. (http://tinyurl.com/jxj9v9x)
• 100/20 Mbps ranking: 20 (up 3places)
• Has worked with Blandin: no
• Has received a MN Broadband grant: no
• Household density: 87.4

Details:

• Districts: CD 3 & 6
  Senate: 33 & 47
  House: 33B, 47A, 47B
• 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)