Rank: 65
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Wright County: still stalled at 80 percent coverage

Wright County ranks 65 (down 16 points) for broadband access out of 87 counties. They have 75.43 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up. They have 2708 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $25.1 million to get to ubiquitous broadband in the county.

Last year’s report from the Institute for Local Self Reliance looked at broadband in Monticello and Buffalo in Wright County.

In December 2022, the Office of Broadband Development (OBD) awarded Border to Border grants that will benefit Wright County

• Spectrum received $2.8 million to cover 626 households and 12 businesses
• Meeker Cooperative received $104,337 to serve 86 unserved rural households, 16 underserved rural households and 5 farms in central Minnesota.
• Spectrum received $1 million to provide reliable high speed internet to 387 homes and 25 business in portions of the City of St. Michaels and the Township of Rockford in Wright County

Wright County is a code yellow community in part because their percentage of access has been stalled and the reporting is inconsistent.

In 2023, OBD awarded Border to Border grants that will benefit Wright County

• Arvig received $879,747 to build to 256 households, farms and businesses throughout parts of rural Wright County
• Frontier received $829,800 to provide 5 Gbps symmetrical service to 316 households, businesses, community anchor institutions and farms
• Meeker Cooperative received $1.2 million to serve 525 households, businesses and the French Lake Township Hall in central Minnesota

Also, Meeker and Midco have applications in to the latest (still open) round of Border to Border funding; results should be available in early 2024.

Wright County has a lot going on for broadband right now. That will help them increase coverage and prepare them to take advantage of federal (BEAD) funds. The retain their yellow ranking.

Grant:

• 2023: Frontier – Wright County – City of Clearwater – GRANT $829,800
• 2023 Arvig (Tekstar) – Wright County Area Fiber Extension – GRANT $879,747
• 2023: Meeker Coop Light & Power – French Lake Township – Wright County – GRANT $1,270,132
• 2022: Spectrum Mid-America, LLC managed by Charter Communications Inc., $2,832,155.00 (Learn more)
• 2022: Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association (Vibrant Broadband) – Collinwood Lake – GRANT $104,337
• Spectrum Mid-America, LLC managed by Charter Communications Inc. – Wright County Project 4 – GRANT $1,008,146

• 2017 – Midco (Midcontinent Communications) – Annandale East – GRANT $537,050
• Meeker Coop. Light & Power Assoc. (Vibrant Broadband) – Lake Louisa/Lake Marie Project – GRANT $297,940

Find more article on Wright County https://blandinonbroadband.org/?s=%22wright+county%22&submit=Search

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)

The maps below on the left comes from the Office of Broadband Development interactive map, reflecting data updated on Oct 31, 2023. Red dots represent locations unserved with wireline broadband; the Orange dots represent underserved locations. The map on the right comes from the FCC National Broadband map showing access to wired and licensed fixed wireless access, the darker the color, the greater percentage of broadband coverage.

Rank: 79
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Yellow Medicine County: improvement but too slow

Yellow Medicine County ranks 79 (down one point) for broadband access out of 87 counties. They 61.09 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up. They have 1695 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $15.7 million to get to ubiquitous broadband in the county.

Yellow Medicine has steadily increased broadband coverage, unfortunately they are far away from the goal. They will need a concerted effort to get closer to the goal. In 2023, Interstate Telecom was awarded almost $5 million in Border to Border funding to construct a 100% fiber-to-the-premises broadband network with speeds capable of up to 1 Gbps download and 1 Gbps upload. The project will serve 483 locations in Yellow Medicine County. ITC has another application in to the latest (still open) round of Border to Border funding; results should be available in early 2024.

They may also be concerned about being in a potentially precarious position because looking at access in the County using the FCC National Map there is a big discrepancy between wireline access (56.69 percent coverage) and wireline with fixed wireless (99.5 percent). Minnesota doesn’t currently take fixed wireless into consideration when defining areas eligible for grants; the federal government does include access to fixed wireless. That could make a big difference to who is eligible for BEAD funding.

It seems as if Yellow Medicine has an engaged provider that might be able to help them reach the broadband goal with state or upcoming federal (BEAD) funding.

Grants:

• 2023: Interstate Telecommunications Company – Yellow Medicine County West Fiber-To-The-Home Project – GRANT $4,988,174
• 2016 – MIDCO CANBY TO MARSHALL MIDDLE MILE AND LAST MILE – GRANT AMOUNT: $623,000
• 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile – Grant award: $808,080

Find more articles on broadband in Yellow Medicine County (http://tinyurl.com/zhsj3ke)

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)

The maps below on the left comes from the Office of Broadband Development interactive map, reflecting data updated on Oct 31, 2023. Red dots represent locations unserved with wireline broadband; the Orange dots represent underserved locations. The map on the right comes from the FCC National Broadband map showing access to wired and licensed fixed wireless access, the darker the color, the greater percentage of broadband coverage.

Rank: 39
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Winona County: pretty good access and needs a push for ubiquitous

Winona County ranks 39 (down 9 points) for broadband access out of 87 counties. They have 85.33 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up. They have 2525 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $23 million to get to ubiquitous broadband in the county.

Winona County has been focused on broadband for years; they were part of the Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities (MIRC) starting in 2010, a Blandin-led and federal (ARRA) funded broadband adoption project.

In 2022, HBC announced 10 Gig residential service in the City of Winona. Two months later they announced expansion in rural parts of the county.

In December 2022, Ace Telephone received $3.2 million to serve 486 underserved households, 34 underserved businesses, and 88 underserved farms in Winona County.  Broadband-leaning conversations were happening in Winona in 2023, the was an active Digital Connection Committee that shared their views with the Digital Equity Report that the Office of Broadband Development (OBD) submitted to the NTIA as part of the federal funding (BEAD) application and OBD hosted a discussion about the Equity Plan in draft form.

Winona County residents were awarded 35 line extension funding requests, which means state funding will subsidize last mile broadband extension to their homes.

Winona has been hovering around 85 percent coverage for a long time but recent conversations and grants in the area should help prepare Winona to take advantage of federal (BEAD) funding so they retain their yellow ranking.

Grants:

• 2022: Ace Telephone Association, Inc., $3,218,201.00

• 2016 – WINONA COUNTY PICKWICK AREA – GRANT: $416,640
• 2015 – Hiawatha Broadband Communications – Winona County Whitewater Area – Grant Award: $247,000
• 2015 – Winona County Hiawatha Broadband Communications – Cedar Valley Area – Grant award: $314,450
• 2019: AcenTek – Rural Houston Exchange FTTH – GRANT $2,895,318

• MN State Grant awarded in 2021: AcenTek – Rural Peterson Exchange FTTH – GRANT $1,492,096 This last mile project will serve 214 unserved households, 18 unserved businesses, 88 unserved farms, and two unserved community anchor institutions as well as 47 underserved households and five underserved businesses in areas of Fillmore and Winona counties.

Find more articles on broadband in Winona County (http://tinyurl.com/hqsckxg)

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)

The maps below on the left comes from the Office of Broadband Development interactive map, reflecting data updated on Oct 31, 2023. Red dots represent locations unserved with wireline broadband; the Orange dots represent underserved locations. The map on the right comes from the FCC National Broadband map showing access to wired and licensed fixed wireless access, the darker the color, the greater percentage of broadband coverage.

Rank: 49
Code:  Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Wilkin County: going the wrong way – need to focus

Wilkin County ranks 49 for broadband access out of 87 counties. They have 81.97 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up. They have 464 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $4.3 million to get to ubiquitous broadband in the county.

They have hovered around 77 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up since 2020 but recent grants may change that.

In December 2022, Red River Rural Telephone received $2.1 million to upgrade approximately 315 underserved locations near the Breckenridge, Doran and Foxhome area of Wilkin County. In 2023, Red River got two more grants: one for $2.2 million to  serve 128 locations in North Wilkin County, located near Breckenridge and Foxhome and $2 million to upgrade approximately 86 unserved locations near the rural Doran and Campbell areas of Wilkin County.

The recent grants help Wilkin County shift from red to yellow ranking.

Grant:

• 2023: Red River Rural Telephone Association – Rural Campbell – GRANT $2,035,500
• 2023 Red River Rural Telephone Association – North Wilkin County – GRANT $2,227,363
• 2022 Red River Rural Telephone Association, $2,157,663

• 2017 – Advantenon – Rural Grant, Stevens and Wilkin Counties – Grant $316,554

Find more articles on broadband in Wilkin County (http://tinyurl.com/zh64v29)

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)

The maps below on the left comes from the Office of Broadband Development interactive map, reflecting data updated on Oct 31, 2023. Red dots represent locations unserved with wireline broadband; the Orange dots represent underserved locations. The map on the right comes from the FCC National Broadband map showing access to wired and licensed fixed wireless access, the darker the color, the greater percentage of broadband coverage.

Rank: 52
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Traverse County: a nice increase this year

Traverse County ranks 52 (up 18 points) for broadband access out of 87 counties. They have 80 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up. They have 326 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $3 million to get to ubiquitous broadband in the county.

Broadband in Traverse County has been increasing at a good clip in the last two years. I don’t hear much about what’s happening there but something is. In December 2022, Runestone Telephone received $2.5 million to expand broadband in Grant, Stevens, and Traverse Counties.

They retain their yellow ranking.

Grants

• 2022: Runestone Telephone Association – Herman-Dumont – GRANT $2,493,637

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Traverse County (http://tinyurl.com/gmvojv8)

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)

The maps below on the left comes from the Office of Broadband Development interactive map, reflecting data updated on Oct 31, 2023. Red dots represent locations unserved with wireline broadband; the Orange dots represent underserved locations. The map on the right comes from the FCC National Broadband map showing access to wired and licensed fixed wireless access, the darker the color, the greater percentage of broadband coverage.