Rank: 74
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Koochiching County: incremental increases

Koochiching County ranks 74 (down 7 places) for broadband access out of 87 counties. Koochiching County has been hovering around 73 percent coverage for a while now.  It seems as if the small grant they received last year helped with incremental progress but as of know there are no MN State grant funds coming in 2024 so it doesn’t look optimistic.

• Over the years, Koochiching County (or cities within) has invested $26,000 (total) for matches for 1 successful MN Broadband grants. This is an indicator of local government that is engaged and (literally) invested in better, local broadband.
• Koochiching County will not benefit from a 2024 MN Broadband grant award.
• Koochiching County will not benefit from line extension awards.
• Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $16.9 million to get ubiquitous broadband in the county. (I haven’t updated the number because recent report offers scenarios of costs based on BEAD funding rules that make current estimates less predictable than in the past. Yet, I think the number is still helpful.)
• In 2022, Koochiching ranked 78 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Past Grants

• 2023: Koochiching County – Koochiching County International Falls Economic Development – GRANT $77,300
• 2015 – Midcontinent Little Fork Middle Mile – Grant award: $277,448
• Paul Bunyan Communications – North Central Minnesota Fiber Project– GRANT $2,562,916

Checklist:

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

The maps below on the left comes from the Office of Broadband Development interactive map, reflecting data updated on December 16, 2024. Red dots represent locations unserved locations. Above I have tracked wireline access because that is the Minnesota definition of broadband. The info below includes wired and wireless. BEAD includes fixed wireless connections as served locations. (I wrote more on the distinction between the two last year, which may be if interest in the numbers range greatly for your 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. 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: 87
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Kanabec County: ranking last again but making strides

Kanabec County continues to hole rank 87 for broadband access out of 87 counties. However, broadband coverage went from 20 percent to 36 percent. That’s a real step forward for a county that hasn’t seen growth in years.

In December 2022, East Central Energy was awarded three Border to Border grants that have helped close the broadband gap in Kanabec. Hopefully, this is the start of an ongoing relationship with East Central Energy. But they remain with a red ranking.

• Over the years, Kanabec County (or cities within) has invested $147,800 (total) for matches for 3 successful MN Broadband grants. This is an indicator of local government that is engaged and (literally) invested in better, local broadband.
• Kanabec County will not benefit from a 2024 MN Broadband grant (Round 10).
• Kanabec County will not benefit from any line extension awards.
• Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $54.4 million to get ubiquitous broadband in the county. (I haven’t updated the number because recent report offers scenarios of costs based on BEAD funding rules that make current estimates less predictable than in the past. Yet, I think the number is still helpful.)
• In 2022, Kanabec ranked 87 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Broadband Access:

Grants:

• 2022: East Central Energy – Isanti North – GRANT $5,000,000
• 2022: East Central Energy – Kanabec Central – GRANT $4,403,000
• 2022: East Central Energy – Pine South – GRANT $4,750,000
• 2016 – BENTON COOPERATIVE TELEPHONE COMPANY BOCK – GRANT: $510,000

Checklist:

• Find more articles on broadband in Kanabec County. (http://tinyurl.com/gvyes6n)

The maps below on the left comes from the Office of Broadband Development interactive map, reflecting data updated on December 16, 2024. Red dots represent locations unserved locations. Above I have tracked wireline access because that is the Minnesota definition of broadband. The info below includes wired and wireless. BEAD includes fixed wireless connections as served locations. (I wrote more on the distinction between the two last year, which may be if interest in the numbers range greatly for your 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. 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: 83
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Jackson County stuck near the bottom of the ranking

Jackson County ranks 83 (down 5 places) for broadband access out of 87 counties. Their rank and percentage have gone down this year. That is probably because the maps saw greater scrutiny this year but it’s a second setback since we have been track progress.

Jackson County is in a precarious position when it comes to federal (BEAD) funding because looking at access in Chippewa County using the FCC National Map there is a big discrepancy between wireline access (60.86) percent coverage) and wireline with fixed wireless (97.86 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.

• Over the years, Jackson County (or cities within) has not invested in match for any successful MN Broadband grants.
• Jackson County will not benefit from a 2024 MN Broadband grant.
• Jackson County will benefit from 27 line extension awards (Rounds 1 and 2), which extend broadband to individual locations.
• Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $15.9 million to get ubiquitous broadband in the county. (I haven’t updated the number because recent report offers scenarios of costs based on BEAD funding rules that make current estimates less predictable than in the past. Yet, I think the number is still helpful.)
• In 2022, Jackson ranked 84^th using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.
• . In 2023, Federated Rural Electric got a $7 million Border to Border grant to serve 480 households, businesses, and farms in Jackson County.

Broadband Access:

Past Grants:

• 2023: Federated Rural Electric Assoc. – Jackson County Fiber-To-The-Premises – GRANT $7,068,222
• In 2010, Southwest Minnesota Broadband Services (SMBS) received ARRA funds to deploy fiber to the home in Jackson and other counties. Through SMBS, Jackson County was also part of the Blandin Broadband Communities initiative in 2015-2016
• 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile – Grant award: $808,080

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

The maps below on the left comes from the Office of Broadband Development interactive map, reflecting data updated on December 16, 2024. Red dots represent locations unserved locations. Above I have tracked wireline access because that is the Minnesota definition of broadband. The info below includes wired and wireless. BEAD includes fixed wireless connections as served locations. (I wrote more on the distinction between the two last year, which may be if interest in the numbers range greatly for your 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. 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: 67
Code:  Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Grant County: code changes from yellow to red

Grant County ranks 67 (down 8 places) for broadband access out of 87 counties. Growth has been stagnant in Grant County for years. One potential problem is the difference between coverage of 25/3 access and 100/20. Some residence may be currently satisfied with 25/3 but that will be less satisfactory as more applications go online and more online applications are being built for faster connections.

• Over the years, Grant County (or cities within) has invested $202,963 (total) for matches for 1 successful MN Broadband grant. This is an indicator of local government that is engaged and (literally) invested in better, local broadband.
• Grant County will not benefit from a MN Broadband grant.
• Grant County will not benefit from any line extension awards.
• Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $6.4 million to get ubiquitous broadband in the county. (I haven’t updated the number because recent report offers scenarios of costs based on BEAD funding rules that make current estimates less predictable than in the past. Yet, I think the number is still helpful.)
• In 2022, Grant ranked 49 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Past Grants:

• Runestone Telephone Association, $2,493,637.00 (to serve Grant, Stevens and Traverse counties)

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

The maps below on the left comes from the Office of Broadband Development interactive map, reflecting data updated on December 16, 2024. Red dots represent locations unserved locations. Above I have tracked wireline access because that is the Minnesota definition of broadband. The info below includes wired and wireless. BEAD includes fixed wireless connections as served locations. (I wrote more on the distinction between the two last year, which may be if interest in the numbers range greatly for your 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. 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: 77
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Cottonwood County: still stuck with less than 70 percent coverage

Cottonwood County ranks 76 (down 1) for broadband access out of 87 counties. Cottonwood has been hovering at the same percentage since 2018.

Windom, the county seat of Cottonwood County, has had an enviable municipal broadband network since 2004. Households in Windom are well served. But outside of Windom, connections are mixed.

Next Century Cities profiled in 2024:
Cottonwood County
Population: 11,356
Households without a computer: 9.3%
Households without Internet: 17%
Persons in Poverty: 13.2%

• Over the years, Cottonwood County (or cities within) has not invested matching funds for any successful MN Broadband grants.
• Cottonwood County will benefit from a 2024 $395,138 MN Broadband grant (Round 10) award that will serve 425 locations between Cottonwood and Brown Counties.
• Cottonwood County will not benefit from line extension awards.
• Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $14.8 million to get ubiquitous broadband in the county. (I haven’t updated the number because recent report offers scenarios of costs based on BEAD funding rules that make current estimates less predictable than in the past. Yet, I think the number is still helpful.)
• In 2022, Cottonwood ranked 77 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

2024 Grants:

• County: Brown, Cottonwood
  Hanson Communications
  Hanson – Comfrey FTTP
  Grant: $395,138
  Local Match: $592,711
  Total Budget: $987,849
  Hanson Communications will build and operate a Fiber to the Premises network to cover the unserved and underserved areas in Comfrey, MN. Hanson has identified this project as an area in need of better broadband as nearly 85% of the town is unserved according to the Minnesota definition of broadband service. There are 245 total fiber passings in the project including 161 unserved households, 47 unserved businesses, and 5 unserved community anchor institutions, including the school, the fire station, the City office, the post office and the community center. There are an additional 27 underserved households, and 5 businesses. Many of the people who work and live in Comfrey are connected to agriculture in some way, shape or form. Farmers, specifically, can achieve heightened efficiency and tap into new markets and resources by integrating broadband into their farming and livestock operations. The city of Comfrey has contributed $10,000 toward the project.

Past Grants:

• 2016 – WOODSTOCK TELEPHONE WESTBROOK – GRANT: $412,391
• 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile – Grant award: $808,080
• 2010 – ARRA funding for City of Windom – SWMBG will build FTTP (Fiber to the Premise) infrastructure to eight rural communities in Southwestern Minnesota.

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

The maps below on the left comes from the Office of Broadband Development interactive map, reflecting data updated on December 16, 2024. Red dots represent locations unserved locations. Above I have tracked wireline access because that is the Minnesota definition of broadband. The info below includes wired and wireless. BEAD includes fixed wireless connections as served locations. (I wrote more on the distinction between the two last year, which may be if interest in the numbers range greatly for your 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. 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: 76
Code:  Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Cass County: a long way to go

Cass County ranks 76, up 4, for broadband access out of 87 counties. But their coverage has gone from 56.15 percent to 69.15 percent. That’s a nice increase and they lifted themselves out of the bottom 10 ranking, but they still have a way to go. Unfortunately, Cass County will retain their red ranking.

• Over the years, Cass County (or cities within) has invested $125,000 (total) for matches for 1 successful MN Broadband grants. This is an indicator of local government that is engaged and (literally) invested in better, local broadband.
• Cass County will not benefit from a recent MN Broadband grant award.
• Cass County will benefit from 8 line extension awards (Rounds 1 and 2), which extend broadband to individual locations.
• Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $95 million to get ubiquitous broadband in the county. (I haven’t updated the number because recent report offers scenarios of costs based on BEAD funding rules that make current estimates less predictable than in the past. Yet, I think the number is still helpful.)
• In 2022, Cass ranked 68 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.
• One concern over the years is that they have had decent access to 25/3 for many years, which may make some people feel complacent with the access they have and then broadband dips in community priority.

Past Grants:

• 2-22: Consolidated Telephone Company (CTC) was one of the grant recipients, receiving $4,857,030 in funding (to cover St. Louis, Carlton, and Cass counties)

• 2016 – TDS TELECOM CASS & CROW WING COUNTIES — GRANT: $3,000,000
• 2014 – Consolidated Telephone Cooperative, Region 5 Virtual Highway Project – Award $2 million
• 2020: CTC received CARES Act funding from both Crow Wing and Cass County.
• 2019: Paul Bunyan Communications – North Central Minnesota Fiber Project– GRANT $2,562,916
• 2019: WCTA (West Central Telephone Association) – Rural Staples Phase I Project – GRANT $555,355
• West Central Telephone Association – Rural Staples Phase 2 – GRANT $465,050 This last mile project will serve 56 unserved locations in extremely rural areas of Wadena and Cass counties.

Find more articles on broadband in Cass County. (http://tinyurl.com/hgtulgm)

The maps below on the left comes from the Office of Broadband Development interactive map, reflecting data updated on December 16, 2024. Red dots represent locations unserved locations. Above I have tracked wireline access because that is the Minnesota definition of broadband. The info below includes wired and wireless. BEAD includes fixed wireless connections as served locations. (I wrote more on the distinction between the two last year, which may be if interest in the numbers range greatly for your 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. 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: 78
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Carlton County: making progress despite obstacles

Carlton County’s rank has bumped up from 82 to 78. It’s not much but it’s positive and gets them out of the bottom 10 counties.

Unfortunately, Carlton County is one of several counties that is served primary with one national provider, who may not be as invested locally as a local provider or cooperative. The County has shown an interest in investing federal (ARPA) money; they need engaged providers. Increased federal funding may open doors for them. The recent MN Broadband grant will definitely help.

Carlton County still gets a red ranking but I’m hopeful that the influx of funding will encourage more. If I could, I’d give them an orange rank.

• Over the years, Carlton County (or cities within) has invested $766,654 (total) for matches for 2 successful MN Broadband grants. This is an indicator of local government that is engaged and (literally) invested in better, local broadband.
• Carlton County will benefit from a 2024 $2,127,530 MN Broadband grant award that will serve 770 locations.
• Carlton County will benefit from 11 line extension awards (Rounds 1 and 2), which extend broadband to individual locations.
• Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $59.5 million to get ubiquitous broadband in the county. (I haven’t updated the number because recent report offers scenarios of costs based on BEAD funding rules that make current estimates less predictable than in the past. Yet, I think the number is still helpful.)
• In 2022, Carlton ranked 73 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.
• Pine Knot News featured Carlton’s Broadband project in June, “The transformational $10.9 million project features 180 miles of fiber optic cable, and will bring higher internet speeds and greater reliability to households across a wide area of rural Carlton County, all the way north to Munger and Solway Township. Mediacom is responsible for the project that has potential to reach 1,679 homes, 420 of those in Thomson Township, should they choose to sign up for the service.”

2024 Grants:

• County: Carlton
  Consolidated Telephone Company CTC Round 10 Wrenshall Community Broadband Project
  Grant: $2,127,530
  Local Match: $2,127,530
  Total Budget: $4,255,060
  The Consolidated Telephone Company Round 10 Wrenshall Community Broadband project will provide fiber-to-the premise in 770 locations, of which 481 are unserved and 289 underserved. This project will support efforts of residents to work from home, keep up or continue their education, and for businesses to further their community’s vitality.

Past Grants:

• 2023: Carlton County Broadband Expansion – GRANT $1,271,835
• 2022: Mediacom Minnesota LLC, $801,834.27 – for a project with a cost of $2,719,526
• 2022: Consolidated Telephone Company (CTC) was one of the grant recipients, receiving $4,857,030 in funding (to cover St. Louis, Carlton, and Cass counties)
• 2017 – Carlton County w/ Frontier – Phase I: Cromwell/Kettle River – GRANT: $569,058
• Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa – Big Lake Road Project – GRANT $602,916

Find more articles on broadband in Carlton County. (http://tinyurl.com/z4me5k4)

The maps below on the left comes from the Office of Broadband Development interactive map, reflecting data updated on December 16, 2024. Red dots represent locations unserved locations. Above I have tracked wireline access because that is the Minnesota definition of broadband. The info below includes wired and wireless. BEAD includes fixed wireless connections as served locations. (I wrote more on the distinction between the two last year, which may be if interest in the numbers range greatly for your 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. 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: 52
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Brown County: maybe some deployment will spur more

Brown County is up from 54 to 52 rank after a drop last year from 45 to 54 for broadband access out of 87 counties. They will benefit from a recent MN Broadband Grant award but they have no line extension awards and haven’t invested any local government funding into broadband.

Brown gets a red ranking because their growth continues to be very slow.

• Over the years, Brown County (or cities within) has not invested for matches for any successful MN Broadband grants.
• Brown County will benefit from a 2024 $395,138 MN Broadband grant award that will serve 245 locations between Brown and Cottonwood Counties.
• Brown County will not benefit from line extension awards.
• Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $21 million to get ubiquitous broadband in the county. (I haven’t updated the number because recent report offers scenarios of costs based on BEAD funding rules that make current estimates less predictable than in the past. Yet, I think the number is still helpful.)
• In 2022, Brown ranked 34 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

2024 Grants:

County: Brown, Cottonwood
Hanson Communications
Hanson – Comfrey FTTP
Grant: $395,138
Local Match: $592,711
Total Budget: $987,849
Hanson Communications will build and operate a Fiber to the Premises network to cover the unserved and underserved areas in Comfrey, MN. Hanson has identified this project as an area in need of better broadband as nearly 85% of the town is unserved according to the Minnesota definition of broadband service. There are 245 total fiber passings in the project including 161 unserved households, 47 unserved businesses, and 5 unserved community anchor institutions, including the school, the fire station, the City office, the post office and the community center. There are an additional 27 underserved households, and 5 businesses. Many of the people who work and live in Comfrey are connected to agriculture in some way, shape or form. Farmers, specifically, can achieve heightened efficiency and tap into new markets and resources by integrating broadband into their farming and livestock operations. The city of Comfrey has contributed $10,000 toward the project.

Past Grants:

• 2107 – New Ulm Telecom, Inc.– Hanska A&D FTTP – GRANT $324,894
• 2016 – New Ulm Telecom, Inc. – Hanska – GRANT: $ 200,397
• 2019: Nuvera Communications, Inc. – New Ulm SW Project – GRANT $385,600
• Minnesota Valley Telephone Company (MVTC) – Rural Franklin Fiber Project – GRANT $226,800. This middle and last mile project will serve approximately 45 unserved locations in the City of Franklin and the townships of Sherman, Eden, Camp and Birch Cooley in Redwood, Renville and Brown counties.

Find more articles on broadband in Brown County. (http://tinyurl.com/z2wwkye)

The maps below on the left comes from the Office of Broadband Development interactive map, reflecting data updated on December 16, 2024. Red dots represent locations unserved locations. Above I have tracked wireline access because that is the Minnesota definition of broadband. The info below includes wired and wireless. BEAD includes fixed wireless connections as served locations. (I wrote more on the distinction between the two last year, which may be if interest in the numbers range greatly for your 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. 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: 63
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

Blue Earth County: Middle of the pack and dropping

Blue Earth County dropped from 61 to 63 following a dip of 41 to 61 the year before for broadband out of 87 counties.

Blue Earth County had a broadband feasibility study done in 2019. They might do well to loop back to that study for ideas of what to do to prepare for future funding. They are getting a red ranking because they have moved backwards and there doesn’t seem to be a current push to move forward.

• Over the years, Blue Earth County (or cities within) has invested $39,249 (total) for matches for 1 successful MN Broadband grant. This is an indicator of local government that is engaged and (literally) invested in better, local broadband.
• Blue Earth County will benefit from a 2024 435,838 MN Broadband grant (Round 10) award that will serve 101 locations between Blue Earth and Faribault Counties.
• Blue Earth County will not benefit from line extension awards.
• Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $49.1 million to get ubiquitous broadband in the county. (I haven’t updated the number because recent report offers scenarios of costs based on BEAD funding rules that make current estimates less predictable than in the past. Yet, I think the number is still helpful.)
• In 2022, Blue Earth ranked 18 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

2024 Grants:

• County: Blue Earth, Faribault
  Bevcomm (Easton) Telephone
  Bevcomm (Easton) Rural MN Lake
  Grant: $435,838
  Local Match: $1,016,956
  Total Budget: $1,452,794
  Bevcomm will build an underground fiber broadband network to 101 locations (86 unserved and 15 underserved), offering speeds up to a Gigabit symmetrically with unlimited data, to portions of rural Faribault and Blue Earth Counties. This project will impact 55 farms, 32 households, and 14 businesses. Faribault County EDA has pledged $5,000 and Minnesota Lake Township has pledged $1,000 toward project costs. Bevcomm has to date received 25 state grants, all of which have been successfully deployed and completed on time.

Past Grants:

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

Find more articles on broadband in Blue Earth County. (http://tinyurl.com/j5pe9kr)

The maps below on the left comes from the Office of Broadband Development interactive map, reflecting data updated on December 16, 2024. Red dots represent locations unserved locations. Above I have tracked wireline access because that is the Minnesota definition of broadband. The info below includes wired and wireless. BEAD includes fixed wireless connections as served locations. (I wrote more on the distinction between the two last year, which may be if interest in the numbers range greatly for your 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. 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)