Rank: 24
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Carver County: CarverLink makes plans for 2024

Carver County ranks 24 (down from 19) for broadband access out of 87 counties. They have 2967 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $27.5 million to get to ubiquitous broadband in the county.

Carver County is lucky to have CarverLink, a publicly owned broadband fiber optics network that celebrated a 10-year anniversary in September 2023. (They shared a nice history of the project at the time.) Unfortunately, they have seen a slight dip in ranking and coverage in the last year, but that’s likely to be from map correction. But their they made a plan in September to help reverse that…

Sept 2023 the County Board unanimously approves moving forward with the preliminary 2024 recommended budget which includes $2.5 million that would be utilized to expand the current Connect Up Carver project with a Connect Up Carver 2.0 project. This project and funding would essentially provide the County what it needs to become the first County in the State of MN to make available high speed bandwidth to all locations within the County that want it.

With leadership from CarverLink, Carver County retains its green ranking.

Grants:

• 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.

Find more articles on broadband in Carver County. (http://tinyurl.com/jxj9v9x)

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: 6
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Big Stone County almost there

Big Stone County ranks 12 for broadband access out of 87 counties a bump up from 12 last year. They are at 99.71 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up since 2018. They have 7 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $65,000 to get to ubiquitous broadband in the county.

Big Stone is on the way to getting to goal coverage. They rank in the top 10 and that’s what they get a green rating. They got a great advantage when Federated Telephone got grant funding to building in the area in 2014.

Grants:

• 2014 – Federated Telephone Cooperative, Big Stone County

Find more articles on broadband in Big Stone County. (http://tinyurl.com/zfgwstd)

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: 20
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Benton County: getting traction toward goal again

Benton County ranks 20 for broadband, up from 25 last year. They have hovered around 89 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up since 2019. They have 769 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $7 million get to ubiquitous broadband in the county.

Benton County seems to be getting traction again. They have comfortably edged over 90 percent coverage. In 2023, Cooperative Telephone got almost $3 million to build to 836 households, businesses, farms, and community institutions in Glendorado Township and portions of Gilmanton, Maywood, Minden, and Saint George Townships.

Benton County gets a green ranking because they are so close to the goal and seem to have built momentum to getting it done.

Broadband Access:

Grants:

• 2023:  Cooperative Telephone – Benton County South of Trunk Highway 23 – GRANT $2,988,275
• 2017 – Benton Cooperative Telephone Company – Rice Ramey – GRANT $765,015
• 2017 – Palmer Wireless – Duelm Hwy 95 – GRANT $162,814
• 2014-CenturyLink Foley, Benton County–Balkan Township – Award: $382,883.
• 2020: Benton Cooperative Telephone Company – Ramey Phase I – GRANT $936,759
• Benton Cooperative Telephone Company – Ramey Phase 2 Project – GRANT $338,011

Find more articles on broadband in Benton County (https://blandinonbroadband.org/?s=benton+county&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: 12
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Beltrami County well served thanks to Paul Bunyan

Beltrami County ranks 12 for broadband access. They have hovered around 99 percent access to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up since 2019. They have 230 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $230,000 to get ubiquitous broadband in the county.

Beltrami County has fallen in the ranking for broadband coverage but that’s only because others have been catching up. They have an engaged cooperative provider and it seems likely that they should reach the goal of ubiquitous broadband. It’s worth noting that they rank number 4 for Gig access.

Grants:

• 2020: Paul Bunyan received a MN Border to Border grant to bring fiber to the Leach Lake Indian Reservation and the southeast Beltrami.

Checklist:

Find more articles on broadband in Beltrami County. (http://tinyurl.com/z5yvec6)

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: 41
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Becker County: eking toward total coverage

Becker County ranks 41 for broadband access out of 87 counties. That’s up from 48 last year. They have 84.75 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up. They have 2765 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $27.5 million to get to ubiquitous broadband in the county.

Becker County went from 6 percent coverage to 100/20 in 2020. They have had measured increase to the goal since. In 2022, local provider Arvig committed to spending almost $20 million on upgrades in Becker, Otter Tail and Redwood Counties. In 2023, Arvig announced their plan to use E-ACAM funds to bring 100Mbps broadband to Becker, Hubbard, Otter Tail, Redwood, Stearns, Todd Counties.

Becker County residents were awarded 34 line extension funding requests, which means state funding will subsidize last mile broadband extension to their homes.

They get a green rating because they continue to move toward the goal, they are closing the gap between access to 25/3 versus 100/20, which means expansion in the area is better quality and they have providers interested in building out.

Grants

• 2016 – PAUL BUNYAN COMMUNICATIONS HUBBARD, BECKER & ITASCA COUNTIES – GRANT: $1,742,232
• Arvig (Loretel Systems, Inc.) – Cormorant Lakes Area Project – GRANT $430,780

Find more articles on broadband in Becker County. (http://tinyurl.com/jkah37b)

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: 11
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Anoka County Almost there

Anoka County ranks 11 (up 4 places) for broadband access and 6 for digital equity out of 87 counties. They have stayed constant with about 96 percent coverage of broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up since 2017. They have 4367 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $43 million to get to ubiquitous broadband in the county.

Anoka received an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant in 2013, which has helped serve government facilities. It has taken a while for broadband to get to residents but at almost 99 percent coverage, it’s getting very close. In 2023, Comcast was awarded more than $2.5 million to bring fiber to more than 1200 residents in Nowthen. Both Comcast and MidCo have applied for Border to Border grants in to the Office of Broadband Development; decision should be announced Winter 2024.

Anoka gets a green ranking because they are so close to goal. Anoka is part of the seven county metro area, which means the population density is much of the county makes it an attractive market for providers, but there are certainly rural parts to Anoka County as well.

Broadband Access:

Previous Grants:

• 2023: Comcast-Xfinity – Comcast/City of Nowthen – GRANT $2,549,413
• 2022: Tekstar Communications Inc, dba Arvig, $219,727

• 2013: The County received federal (ARRA) funding in 2013. In partnership with Zayo, the County was able to build a 287-mile broadband network for government facilities.

Find more articles on broadband in Anoka County.(http://tinyurl.com/zuvt4x7)

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: 40
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Aitkin County sees great gains in 2022

Aitkin County went from ranking 77 last year to 40 in 2023. They have gone from 60.36 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up in 2022 to 93.96 percent coverage in 2023. They have 2100 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $19.5 million to get to ubiquitous broadband in the county.

In 2022, Aitkin County worked with  Blandin Foundation as an IRBC (Iron Range Broadband Community) and they were cohorts in Blandin’s inaugural Accelerate! program, a process to spur community acquisition and deployment of federal and state broadband funds.

In November 2022, the Mille Lacs Messenger reported that an $4.8 million broadband construction would be completed in fall of 2023. In December 2022, Paul Bunyan Communications shared more about a Minnesota State Border to Border funded project that would expand broadband to Aitkin, Itasca and St Louis Counties. And in June 2023, Paul Bunyan reported broadband expansion in Grand Rapids, Warba, Marble, Calumet and Waukenabo Township in  Aitkin County.  SCI was awarded a almost $800,000 from a Border to Border grant to serve 199 locations in the townships of Balsam, Logan, Spalding, Turner and Workman. Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative has two applications for Border to Border grants in to the Office of Broadband Development; decision should be announced Winter 2024.

Aitkin County residents were awarded 65 line extension funding requests, which means state funding will subsidize last mile broadband extension to their homes.

In the past, a roadblock for Aitkin was that the county is widely served by a national provider that has not been upgrading the connections in their area. It seems that is becoming less of a hindrance.

Aitkin is getting an optimistic green code after significant improvement in the last year and greater interest from the County and area providers.

Broadband Access:

Grants:

• 2023: SCI – Aitkin County Broadband Expansion – GRANT $794,822
• Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative, $1,231,818.00
• Paul Bunyan Communications, $3,052,120.00 (also serves Itasca and Louis)
• $4.8 million block grant McGrath Project that is scheduled to be completed by fall 2023

• Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative (MLEC) – Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative Phase 4 FTTH – GRANT $198,607. This fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) project will serve 80 unserved and five underserved locations along the southeast side of Farm Island Lake in Aitkin County. Through a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota, MLEC will bring 1 Gbps speeds to 84 homes and one business on the fiber route, exceeding the State’s 2022 and 2026 speed goals.
• 2017 – SCI – Shamrock Township Broadband Expansion – GRANT $148,503
• 2016 – MILLE LACS ENERGY COOPERATIVE FTTP PROJECT – GRANT: $1,757,640
• 2020 – Emily Cooperative Telephone Company – Round Lake Fiber Project – GRANT $376,000
• 2020 Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative (MLEC) – MLEC Phase 3 FTTH Project with CTC – GRANT $1,253,955
• 2020: SCI Broadband (Savage Communications Inc.) – Glen Township Broadband Expansion Project – GRANT $195,848

Find more articles on broadband in Aitkin County. (http://tinyurl.com/hdqdmhr)

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.