In preparation for the 2018 Broadband Conference I have compiled the annual county profiles. For ranking I am using percentage of wired access to speeds of 100 Mbps up and 20 Mbps down – or the state speed goal for 2026. Last year I used wired and fixed wireless so there are some discrepancies although only for a handful of counties.

It’s always interesting to see who is gaining ground, who is losing ground and who is staying steady. Counties that get Minnesota broadband grants tend to be moving forward. There were a few other (USDA) grants that I think we’ll see have an impact next year.

Often I see the greatest leaps forward from the counties that know they are in trouble. There are a number of counties that were on the “10 worst served” list of 2010 that have managed to really turn it around. There are others that have pretty decent access to speeds of 25/3 but dismay access to 100/20. Those are the counties I often worry about – sort of like the student that’s just getting by. No one is feeling the pain but they will eventually. Then of course there are counties that know they are hurting and just haven’t been able to get traction for a solution.

Finally we really do have some awesome providers in the state. Many, but not all, are cooperatives. They are able to make the slow investment required when the population density is low. The return on that investment is often felt by the community before the provider – hopefully they are rewarded with more customers order more services.

Here are links to each county:

1. Aitkin County
2. Anoka County
3. Becker County
4. Beltrami County
5. Benton County
6. Big Stone County
7. Blue Earth County
8. Brown County
9. Carlton County
10. Carver County
11. Cass County
12. Chippewa County
13. Chisago County
14. Clay County
15. Clearwater County
16. Cook County
17. Cottonwood County
18. Crow Wing County
19. Dakota County
20. Dodge County
21. Douglas County
22. Faribault County
23. Fillmore County
24. Freeborn County
25. Goodhue County
26. Grant County
27. Hennepin County
28. Houston County
29. Hubbard County
30. Isanti County
31. Itasca County
32. Jackson County
33. Kanabec County
34. Kandiyohi County
35. Kittson County
36. Koochiching County
37. Lac qui Parle County
38. Lake County
39. Lake of the Woods County
40. Le Sueur County
41. Lincoln County
42. Lyon County
43. Mahnomen County
44. Marshall County
45. Martin County
46. McLeod County
47. Meeker County
48. Mille Lacs County
49. Morrison County
50. Mower County
51. Murray County
52. Nicollet County
53. Nobles County
54. Norman County
55. Olmsted County
56. Otter Tail County
57. Pennington County
58. Pine County
59. Pipestone County
60. Polk County
61. Pope County
62. Ramsey County
63. Red Lake County
64. Redwood County
65. Renville County
66. Rice County
67. Rock County
68. Roseau County
69. Saint Louis County
70. Scott County
71. Sherburne County
72. Sibley County
73. Stearns County
74. Steele County
75. Stevens County
76. Swift County
77. Todd County
78. Traverse County
79. Wabasha County
80. Wadena County
81. Waseca County
82. Washington County
83. Watonwan County
84. Wilkin County
85. Winona County
86. Wright County
87. Yellow Medicine County

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.

Yellow Medicine broadband ranking bumped up from 71 to 69.

Earlier this year (2018), Yellow Medicine released a feasibility study…

The primary purpose of the study was to determine the breakeven penetration level for each scenario. This represents the number of customers necessary for the scenario to always remain cash positive throughout the life of the financing. This analysis told us the following:

It does not look to be economically feasible to immediately build fiber everywhere without significant grant funding. This is not a surprising finding and is directly the result of the high cost of building fiber to farms.

* The scenarios that mix fiber and wireless technology look feasible. The scenarios can work even without grant funding, but some level of grant funding make the scenarios safer for an investor.

* The wireless network designed by Finley is intended to supply at least 25 Mbps download to rural homes in the county, which is a significant improvement for those homes with no broadband. Some customers will be able to get speeds faster than that on the wireless network.

However, implementing a wireless network would not be a permanent solution. All of the broadband trends in the country show that the amount of bandwidth needed by a typical home will keep growing, and at some point in the future the wireless network will become obsolete in the same manner that happened in the past with dial-up and DSL broadband.

The report discusses the next steps the county needs to take after digesting the results of this study. These include such things as looking for a partner to bring broadband to those areas without it today. The goal would be to have a partner by next year to hopefully be ready for future state grant funds.

We note that as this report was being written that the county announced a tentative agreement with Farmers Mutual Cooperative to bring fiber to a significant portion of the county. The county has agreed to provide $4 million in funding subject to the Cooperative being able to find grants and other funding needed to build the project. If completed this project would cover a little less than half of the parts of the county that don’t have broadband today.

It’s worth noting that Yellow Medicine and Farmers did not receive that grant. There were opinions on that feasibility study and public meetings were held. They were also part of an informal but informative speed test for locations in the area that demonstrated the uneven access available.

Mediacom has announced upgrades to the Gig program in Granite Falls. AT&T announced investments in the area.

Info on Access:

The speeds reflect the Minnesota speed goals:

• 25 Mbps down and 3 up by 2022
• 100 Mbps down and 20 up by 2026

Current ranking for 100/20 access: 69

• Find more articles on broadband in Yellow Medicine County (http://tinyurl.com/zhsj3ke)
• There is a matrix of Minnesota broadband adoption projects.
• Districts: CD 7
  Senate:16
  House: 16A

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.

Wright County broadband ranking has bumped from 65 to 21!

Through Midco, Wright received state funding in the last round of grants…

Midco (Midcontinent Communications), Annandale East – $537,050. This project will build out improved broadband service to 40 unserved households, and 531 underserved households and 7 underserved businesses, in the area northeast of Annandale near Bass Lake and Clearwater Lake in Wright County. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota, Midco will improve broadband service levels to up to 1 Gbps upload and download, exceeding the 2026 state speed goal. Residents will be able to increase work and business development opportunities, and complete a quality education online through this extension from the broadband system Midco recently built in Annandale. The total eligible cost is $1,074,100, with a $537,050.

Historically, Wright County is home to Monticello, one of the famous of infamous municipal broadband networks out there. Monticello built their own fiber network – but in process the incumbent also built a fiber network and even sued the city. It looks like Monticello is continuing to bring in competition and looking at the numbers the providers are reaching outside the city limits.

Mediacom has announced upgrades to the Gig program in Howard Lake.

Info on Access:

The speeds reflect the Minnesota speed goals:

• 25 Mbps down and 3 up by 2022
• 100 Mbps down and 20 up by 2026

Current ranking for 100/20 access: 21

• Find more articles on broadband in Wright County (http://tinyurl.com/h3f5qh4)
• There is a matrix of Minnesota broadband adoption projects.
• Districts: CD 6
  Senate: 15, 18, 29, 30
  House: 15B, 18A, 29A, 29B, 30A, 30B

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.

Winona County broadband ranking has bumped up from 17 to 15. The coverage for 25/3 access is the same as 100/20; they are planning for the future, they just need more expansion.

Last March, Chris Mitchell of Institute for Local Self Reliance had Gary Evans of HBC on his podcast. It is an interesting history of broadband in Winona. A really nice case study.

Broadband is always a hot topic around Winona. They have interesting digital inclusion programs through local provider Project FINE, such as a coding class for kids. The opposite end of digital inclusion, Red Wing Ignite continues to work with kids, businesses and entrepreneurs and recently joined the Growing Smart Gigabit Communities program.

Winona has been the beneficiary of state grants. Mediacom has announced upgrades to the Gig program in Winona, specifically in Dakota and St. Charles City.

Info on Access:

The speeds reflect the Minnesota speed goals:

• 25 Mbps down and 3 up by 2022
• 100 Mbps down and 20 up by 2026

Current ranking for 100/20 access: 15

• Winona has worked with the Blandin Foundation.
• Find more articles on broadband in Winona County (http://tinyurl.com/hqsckxg)
• There is a matrix of Minnesota broadband adoption projects.
• Districts: CD 7
  Senate: 21, 28
  House: 21B, 28A

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.

Wilkin County broadband ranking has remained steady at 20. There coverage for access to 25/3 and 100/20 is about the same. They are building for the future, they just need more expansion. (In eight years, they have gone from one of the worst to number 20 for 2026 goals.)

Good news is that through Advantenon, Wilkins County received state funding in the last round of grants.…

Advantenon, Rural Grant, Stevens and Wilkin Counties – $316,554. This project will serve 528 unserved households, 132 unserved businesses, and 8 unserved community anchor institutions in eligible areas across these three western Minnesota counties. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota, Advantenon will improve broadband service levels to 100 Mbps download and 100 Mbps upload, exceeding the state speed goal set for the year 2026. This project delivers the goal of Border to Border coverage for all residents of the covered counties, benefiting residents, businesses and public entities alike through enhanced access to healthcare services, education options, entertainment and business connectivity not previously possible. The total eligible project cost is $659,488, with a $342,934 local match.

Local provider Red River Communications is proud of their local coverage…

The communities we serve in Richland County were awarded the status of “Smart Rural Communities” by NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association. Our entire fiber network earned Red River Communications the designation of being a “Gig Capable Certified Provider,” meaning every single one of our members on our fiber network in Richland and Wilkin counties can receive true gigabit Internet speeds.

This year, community leaders in Wilkin county have been vocal about their broadband needs:

In March, Minnesota Sen. Torrey Westrom, R-Elbow Lake, and Rep. Jeff Backer, R-Browns Valley, held a town hall meeting at Breckenridge City Hall where broadband was a hot topic.

In April Wilkin Commissioner testified in St Paul for rural broadband funding. County Commissioner Klindt said…

His aerial applicator company covers a three-state area where agriculture is king. “Frustrating,” is the polite word he would use to express his feelings about the internet service available to track weather and planes.

He used a wireless service for 10 years, but it was slow. “Dial-up was faster,” he said. It took several minutes to load a single map that takes seconds for anyone in most other areas of the state. “I just switched to satellite only to find the service drops when weather moves in — which is when I need it most!”

Info on Access:

The speeds reflect the Minnesota speed goals:

• 25 Mbps down and 3 up by 2022
• 100 Mbps down and 20 up by 2026

Current ranking for 100/20 access: 20

• Find more articles on broadband in Wilkin County (http://tinyurl.com/zh64v29)
• There is a matrix of Minnesota broadband adoption projects.
• Districts: CD 7
  Senate: 12
  House: 12A

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.

Watonwan County broadband ranking has slipped from 31 to 34. Although the actually coverage has increased since last year.

New Ulm Telecom did get a state grant in the last round of funding that should help with Watonwan’s ranking…

New Ulm Telecom, Hanska A&D FTTP – $324,894. This last mile project will serve 9 unserved households and 38 unserved businesses in the Hanska area south of New Ulm near the border of Brown and Watonwan Counties. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota, New Ulm Telecom, Inc. will improve broadband service levels to 1 Gbps download and 1 Gbps upload, exceeding the 2026 state speed goal. This Fiber-to-the-Premises network will provide reliable, affordable, high quality broadband to rural farms, businesses, and homes. Broadband access will enable these businesses and residences to use new technology and tools to grow and enhance their business and community, including increased access to health care and education. The total eligible cost is $721,988, with a $397,094 local match.

Also AT&T has announced investment in the area and Mediacom has announced Gigupgrades in the county, specifically Butterfield and St James.

Info on Access:

The speeds reflect the Minnesota speed goals:

• 25 Mbps down and 3 up by 2022
• 100 Mbps down and 20 up by 2026

Current ranking for 100/20 access: 34

• Find more articles on broadband in Watonwan County (http://tinyurl.com/jpnf6xv)
• There is a matrix of Minnesota broadband adoption projects.
• Districts: CD 1
  Senate: 23
  House: 23A, 23B

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.

Washington County broadband ranking has held steady at 9. The access has actually increased in the last year. They are in good shape with 96 percent coverage.

Info on Access:

The speeds reflect the Minnesota speed goals:

• 25 Mbps down and 3 up by 2022
• 100 Mbps down and 20 up by 2026

Current ranking for 100/20 access: 9

• Find more articles on broadband in Washington County (http://tinyurl.com/z4dwzyy)
• There is a matrix of Minnesota broadband adoption projects.
• Districts: CD 2, 4, 6
  Senate: 38, 39, 43, 53, 54
  House: 38A, 38B, 39A, 39B, 43A, 43B, 53A, 53B, 54A, 54B

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.

Waseca County Broadband ranking has dipped from 3 to 25. It looks as if the coverage has gone down, but this might actually reflect different maps. The maps from last year included fixed wireless solutions; this year it’s wired only.

But Waseca should see even better results in the future. Consolidated Communications is upgrading parts of Waseca County – although that will only include speeds up to 80 Mbps, all competitively priced. And Mediacom has announced upgrades to gig service in Janesville, Waldorf and Waseca.

Info on Access:

The speeds reflect the Minnesota speed goals:

• 25 Mbps down and 3 up by 2022
• 100 Mbps down and 20 up by 2026

Current ranking for 100/20 access: 25

• Find more articles on broadband in Waseca County (http://tinyurl.com/z845jwy)
• There is a matrix of Minnesota broadband adoption projects.
• Districts: CD 1
  Senate: 23, 24
  House: 23B, 24A

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.

Wadena County broadband ranking has dipped from 49 to 53. They are in that precarious place where most of the county has access to 23/5, which is adequate to do lots of things. SO they may not recognize that there’s a potential problem.  But as more people get faster speeds, applications will be designed for faster speeds and without a concerted effort to improve, Wadena may fall behind.

However there may have been improvements in 2018 that aren’t reflected in the chart below, as the local paper reports…

Unserved households and businesses in Wadena, Otter Tail and Todd Counties will be on the receiving end of high-speed internet access in 2018.

Townships receiving broadband include Wadena (Wadena), Compton (Otter Tail) and a small portion of Stowe Prairie Township (Todd).

West Central Telephone of Menahga and Sebeka received its third state grant and will be bringing high-speed internet service to 189 homes and 13 businesses next year.

According to West Central Marketing Director Geri Salmela, the telephone cooperative will be matching the state’s grant of $874,581 with a contribution of their own of $947,463.

The total cost of the project has been set at $1,822,044.

And certainly the latest grant awarded in the area wouldn’t be reflected…

West Central Telephone Association, Wadena Rural Phase III – $874,581. This last mile project will serve 189 unserved households and 13 unserved businesses within Compton Township in Otter Tail County as well as portions of Wadena Township in Wadena County and in Stowe Prairie Township in Todd County. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota and several regional development organizations, West Central Telephone Association will improve broadband service levels to 1 Gbps down and up, exceeding the 2026 state speed goal. Building a fiber to the home network capable of Gigabit broadband service will finally provide residents and businesses with the reliable connectivity they have asked for and need. Students and instructors will be able to complete their work from home; healthcare professionals will have access to medical records and the ability to provide telehealth services; and businesses and farmers will have access to applications and online tools to boost their efficiency. The total eligible cost is $1,822,044, with a $947,463 local match.

And people in the area are talking about broadband. In a debate between District 9A Candidates (Incumbent Rep. John Poston, R-Lake Shore, and DFL challenger Alex Hering) ended up  talking about broadband. And West Central Telephone’s President Bruce Kinnunen and General Manager/CEO Chad Bullock recently participated in legislative visits in St. Paul with the Minnesota Telecom Alliance for their annual Day on the Hill event.

Part of what initiates and continues the conversation is the region-wide efforts as a Blandin Broadband Community…

The Resilient Region is a five county collaborative (Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, Todd and Wadena) working to create a sustainable and inclusive region through the disciplines of housing, transportation, natural environment, and economic development to improve the quality of life of all residents. Broadband connectivity is an critical component of the Resilient Region Plan; in fact, they found that broadband touched every edge of the other projects they were working on – positioning them well to begin their work as a Blandin Broadband Community.

The Region’s connectivity priorities include: improved and expanded broadband access across the region with a focus on fiber, using technology to retain businesses and encourage entrepreneurism, ensuring Internet access for all children, and identifying additional funding and service partners.

Info on Access:

The speeds reflect the Minnesota speed goals:

• 25 Mbps down and 3 up by 2022
• 100 Mbps down and 20 up by 2026

Current ranking for 100/20 access: 53

• Find more articles on broadband in Wadena County (http://tinyurl.com/z7xgkz8)
• There is a matrix of Minnesota broadband adoption projects.
• Districts: CD 8
  Senate: 02, 09
  House: 02B, 09A

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.

Wabasha County broadband ranking has fallen from 33 to 39. I haven’t heard much from them in the last year. They were awarded a grant in early 2017; that deployment may not be evident in the numbers below…

New Ulm Telecom Inc., Mazeppa – $317,761. This project will serve 87 unserved households, 11 unserved businesses and 66 underserved households in Mazeppa Township in Wabasha County. New Ulm Telecom will improve services that will benefit farms, home-based businesses, telecommuters, a USDA office, Ag Partners, Mazeppa school system, and several banking institutions and insurance companies. The total eligible project cost is $706,135, with a $388,374 local match.

Info on Access:

The speeds reflect the Minnesota speed goals:

• 25 Mbps down and 3 up by 2022
• 100 Mbps down and 20 up by 2026

Current ranking for 100/20 access: 39

• Find more articles on broadband in Wabasha County (http://tinyurl.com/gpllcg8)
• There is a matrix of Minnesota broadband adoption projects.
• Districts: CD 2
  Senate: 21
  House: 21A, 21B

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.

Traverse County broadband ranking has dipped from 50 to 56.

I don’t hear a lot about Traverse County but they did come up in a regional broadband discussion hosted by Blandin Foundation. Someone asked for an update on the county…

What was the story in Traverse County?
They found an interested provider in the area. They cut a deal where the county lent the company money and provided some easier access to towers. Once the provider got a certain number of providers, they had to look at paying back the loan. They’ve been successful. It’s wireless. It’s maybe not 25/3 but it’s better than what people had before.
Wireless isn’t wireless – it’s wireless to a tower that needs fiber.
Fixed wireless isn’t a long terms acceptable solution for Minnesota. They are akin to party lines. MY connectivity cannot depend on my neighbor’s trees (or on whether they build a new barn).
But fixed wireless is working in places like Renville Sibley County – where people can get fixed wireless and are happy to have it until FTTH becomes available.

Mediacom has announced upgrades to Gig service in parts of Traverse County, specifically Wheaton.

Info on Access:

The speeds reflect the Minnesota speed goals:

• 25 Mbps down and 3 up by 2022
• 100 Mbps down and 20 up by 2026

Current ranking for 100/20 access: 56

• Find more articles on broadband in Traverse County (http://tinyurl.com/gmvojv8)
• There is a matrix of Minnesota broadband adoption projects.
• Districts: CD 7
  Senate: 12
  House: 12A

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.

Todd County broadband ranking has improved slightly from 83 to 81. But at less than 20 percent access to speeds of 100/20, they need help. Even access to 25/3, at 68 percent is not very good.

It looks like Todd may get some help with West Central Telephone and a grant from the last state funding round…

West Central Telephone Association will receive a grant of $902,695 for a project in northern Todd County. The project will serve 209 unserved households and six unserved businesses within portions of Staples Township and Villard Township.

The total eligible cost is $1,805,390, with a $902,695 local match.

Info on Access:

The speeds reflect the Minnesota speed goals:

• 25 Mbps down and 3 up by 2022
• 100 Mbps down and 20 up by 2026

Current ranking for 100/20 access: 81

• Find more articles on broadband in Todd County (http://tinyurl.com/gl47tgq)
• There is a matrix of Minnesota broadband adoption projects
• Districts: CD 7
  Senate: 09
  House: 09A, 09B

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.

Swift County broadband ranking has increased from 64 to 41.

Swift has joined the most recent Blandin Broadband Communities (BBC) cohort, starting last summer (2018). That should help build awareness and increase adoption in the area.

Swift County was part of an informal but informative speed test survey at the end of 2017. It demonstrated the wide range of access available in the region.

Various providers are making changes. AT&T has announced their investment in the area. TDS will be expanding in the area using federal funds but only for speeds ranging from 25/3 to 4/1. And Mediacom has announced upgrades to Gig access in Appleton and Clontarf.

Info on Access:

The speeds reflect the Minnesota speed goals:

• 25 Mbps down and 3 up by 2022
• 100 Mbps down and 20 up by 2026

Current ranking for 100/20 access: 41

• Swift County is working with the Blandin Foundation
• Find more articles on broadband in Swift County (http://tinyurl.com/zfptnnz)
• There is a matrix of Minnesota broadband adoption projects.
• Districts: CD 7
  Senate: 17
  House: 17A

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.

Sibley County broadband ranking has slipped from 41 to 42.

There has been some back and forth on the RS Fiber cooperative broadband provider project, a which provides broadband (fixed wireless and/or FTTH) to parts of Renville and Sibley County. Because there’s so much news I’ll present this county (and Sibley) a little differently. I’ll provide headlines to the various articles related to the county – starting with the earliest article since the last county profile (Feb 2017):

• RS Fiber starts broadband construction on final four cities Brownton, Buffalo Lake, Fairfax, and Stewart
• RS Fiber Cooperative Recognized with Broadcast Communities “Cornerstone Award”
• RS Fiber Cooperative Celebrates Two Year Anniversary
• RS Fiber Announces Faster Wireless Broadband Speeds and Expanded Coverage
• RS Fiber – look back at impact of being a Blandin Broadband Community
• RS Fiber cooperative held up as model solution in New York
• Update on RS Fiber Financial Situation – shortfall notification
• MN Telecom Alliance response to RS Fiber financial news
• RS Fiber Cooperative Enters the Growth Phase
• Despite what the telecom industry says, RS Fiber is a house of opportunity, not a house of cards
• RS Fiber Renville County broadband grant project on track for June 2019 completion
• More info on Border to Border grants in Redwood, Renville, Brown and Watonwan Counties

Also Sibley County was featured in a case study Blandin published on the community return on public investment in broadband. Here is an excerpt…

RS Fiber was born. Phase 1 of the project had the 10 cities commit to a $8.7 million Generally Obligated Tax Abatement Bond in the form of an economic development loan to the RS Fiber Cooperative to construct the fiber backbone connecting the cities and a FTTH network in each community. In Phase 2, which could begin in 2019, the 17 townships will be asked to loan $5 million in G.O Tax Abatement dollars to the cooperative to begin construction of a fiber to the farm network. The cooperative will make the bond payments on behalf of the cities and townships. The cooperative will borrow another $42 million from various bank sources to construct and operate the network.

RS Fiber hired Hiawatha Broadband Communications to manage the network build-out, operations and marketing. As they build out their fiber-to-the-home network, RS Fiber is offering fixed wireless services (50 Mbps down and 25 Mbps up) to customers to hold them over until fiber is available. The build out continues, and as it does it impacts the local community.

Knowing that access is only half the battle, RS Fiber focused attention on building broadband demand by becoming a Blandin Broadband Community (BBC). They worked together to create a plan to increase demand for and use of broadband in the community with classes for the community, including computer basics and more specialized classes; they distributed computers to low incomes households; they created an Innovation Center in Winthrop with things like hotspots, broadcast technology and a drone obstacle course.

And a breakdown on investments and returns:

he following investments have been made in the community:

• $8.7 million Generally Obligated Tax Abatement Bond (between Sibley and Renville Counties)
• $1 million Minnesota Border-to-Border Broadband Grant (2015) to RS Fiber
• $150,011 from Blandin Foundation for broadband adoption
• Total: $9,850,011

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

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

Info on Access:

The speeds reflect the Minnesota speed goals:

• 25 Mbps down and 3 up by 2022
• 100 Mbps down and 20 up by 2026

Current ranking for 100/20 access: 42

• RS Fiber has worked with the Blandin Foundation
• Find more articles on broadband in Sibley County(http://tinyurl.com/ztm6c9n)
• There is a matrix of Minnesota broadband adoption projects.
• Districts: CD 7
  Senate: 18
  House: 18B

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.

Stevens County broadband ranking has slipped slightly from 5 to 7; access to speeds of 100/20 have stayed the same as last year. They are still well poised but I haven’t heard much from them in the last year. They may want to make a concerted effort to get ubiquitous coverage by the goal deadline of 2026.

Info on Access:

The speeds reflect the Minnesota speed goals:

• 25 Mbps down and 3 up by 2022
• 100 Mbps down and 20 up by 2026

Current ranking for 100/20 access: 7

• Stevens County has worked with the Blandin Foundation
• Find more articles on broadband in Stevens County (http://tinyurl.com/joutu2h)
• There is a matrix of Minnesota broadband adoption projects.
• Districts: CD 7
  Senate: 12
  House: 12A