Category Archives: MN County Profiles 2025

Marshall County Broadband Profile 2025: Green rating: Ranking out 23 of 87

Posted on by
Reply

Rank: 23
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Marshall 97.92 24 96.95 23 92.25 13 11

Marshall County continued momentum into green ranking

Marshall County broadband coverage has been steady since 2018 and improvement continues, which is why their retain Green status.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 10 locations in Marshall County, but they will all get satellite, which does not qualify as served in the MN statute.

There is still Line Extension funding yet to be distributed, which helps connect handfuls of  houses just beyond existing infrastructure. (Marshall has benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that may be a strategy worth considering.)

Statewide, there have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty.

Given their proximity to 90 percent coverage, Marhsall County retains their green ranking.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 96.95 93.55 89.15 82.9 77.31 71.6 53.08 48.2 9.2
25/3 (2022 goal) 97.92 94.61 89.15 83.43 78.36 85.3 56.11 50.84 33.49

Possible BEAD support

The Minnesota BEAD Final Proposal has not yet been approved so the information below is subject to change; it includes the number of locations by county specifying provider and broadband type. (Learn more.)

Locations in Anoka: 10
The locations include only satellite connections.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite
Marshall                                      10                                      10 Marshall

Local Government Match for State Broadband Grants:

Over the years, many local governments (County, Municipal, Tribal) have invested in broadband deployment. This year, I have tracked how much local investment has been used to match MN State Grants. Local governments invest in other ways too, but this was one number I could realistically find and quantify investment by county, which means investment in that county, whether by county, cities or other local government entity.

In Marshall 0 was invested over the years.

No New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $362,700 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.)

Past Grants:

  • 2023: Garden Valley Technologies – 2023 Rural Warren SW – GRANT $1,488,322
  • 2022: Garden Valley Technologies – Rural Warren East & Rural Oslo – GRANT $1,462,569 (serves Marshall and Polk)
  • 2022: Wikstrom Telephone Co. Inc – Wiktel NW MN Broadband 2022 – GRANT $665,699 (serves Kittson, Lake of the Woods, & Marshall)
  • MN State Grant awarded in 2021: Garden Valley Technologies – Northwest Thief River Falls and Euclid – GRANT $1,640,722 This middle and last mile project will serve 104 unserved and 22 underserved locations in portions of Marshall and Polk counties.
  • 2017 – Wikstrom Telephone – Wiktel NW MN Broadband – GRANT $1,307,785
  • 2016 – GARDEN VALLEY TELEPHONE COMPANY RURAL THIEF RIVER FALLS EAST – GRANT: $2,027,035
  • 2016 – WIKSTROM TELEPHONE COMPANY (WITH BEAMCO, INC.) RURAL ALVARADO – GRANT: $43,481
  • 2016 – WIKSTROM TELEPHONE COMPANY WIKTEL NW MN – GRANT: $950,823
  • 2014 – Wikstrom Telephone, Kittson, Marshall, Roseau Broadband Extension – Award $425,000
  • Wikstrom Telephone – Wiktel NW MN Broadband Project – GRANT $1,151,526

Find more articles on broadband in Marshall County (http://tinyurl.com/zamfwj3)

The maps below come from the 

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)

Mahnomen County Broadband Profile 2025: Red rating: Ranking out 70 of 87

Posted on by
Reply

Rank: 70
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Mahnomen 86.7 60 79.83 70 29.6 70 6

Mahnomen: Back to red status

Mahnomen County broadband coverage has dipped this year after staying stagnant for a while. Some of that may be to map corrections but still not a good sign. They were awarded two grants in 2024, but the impact is not yet showing on the maps. Subsequently, their status has dipped from Yellow to Red.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 110 locations in Mahnomen County. The majority of locations will get fiber but some will get satellite, which does not qualify as served in the MN statute.

There is still Line Extension funding yet to be distributed, which helps connect handfuls of  houses just beyond existing infrastructure. (Mahnomen has benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that seems hopeful for them as well.)

Statewide, there have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 78.69 82.54 70.81 71.73 57.82 17.31 13.53 13.03
25/3 (2022 goal) 88.33 90.52 84.08 87.15 81.58 89.87 76.93 71.95

Possible BEAD support

The Minnesota BEAD Final Proposal has not yet been approved so the information below is subject to change; it includes the number of locations by county specifying provider and broadband type. (Learn more.)

Locations in Mahnomen: 110
The locations include a mix of fiber as well as satellite and fixed wireless connections.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Tekstar Communications, Inc. (Arvig) Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fiber
Mahnomen                                      33                                         3                                      74                                   110 Mahnomen

Local Government Match for State Broadband Grants:

Over the years, many local governments (County, Municipal, Tribal) have invested in broadband deployment. This year, I have tracked how much local investment has been used to match MN State Grants. Local governments invest in other ways too, but this was one number I could realistically find and quantify investment by county, which means investment in that county, whether by county, cities or other local government entity.

In Mahnomen 0 was invested over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $2.8 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.)

Past Grants:

  • County: Clearwater, Mahnomen – Garden Valley Telephone Company 2024 Rural Mahnomen County
    Grant: $4,626,012, Local Match: $1,542,008, Total Budget: $6,168,020
  • County: Mahnomen – Arvig – Arvig – Naytahwaush Area
    Grant: $326,111, Local Match: $326,111, Total Budget: $652,222
  • 2017 – Garden Valley Telephone Company – Bejou – GRANT $1,304,421

Find more articles on broadband in Mahnomen County (https://tinyurl.com/4bfrr34x)

The maps below come from the 

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)

Lyon County Broadband Profile 2025: Red rating: Ranking out 51 of 87

Posted on by
Reply

Rank: 51
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Lyon 86.36 63 85.89 51 12.97 86 14

Lyon County: Incremental upgrades

Lyon County’s broadband percentage has remained stagnant for four years, and has actually dipped this year, although within an acceptable margin. That and limited potential support from BEAD means they retain their Red status.

Lyon County has been in potentially precarious position because there is a big discrepancy between wireline access and wireline with fixed wireless, which impacts their BEAD eligibility.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 22 locations in Lyn County and that is all for satellite access, which does not qualify as served in the MN statute.

There is still Line Extension funding yet to be distributed, which helps connect handfuls of  houses just beyond existing infrastructure. (Lyon has benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards . So that seems hopeful for them as well.)

Statewide, there have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty.

Broadband Access:

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 85.89 86.83 86.81 84.27 82.31 79.92 81.89 72.77 0
25/3 (2022 goal) 86.36 87.21 87.07 85.29 84.52 85.82 85.8 80.71 72.37

Possible BEAD support

The Minnesota BEAD Final Proposal has not yet been approved so the information below is subject to change; it includes the number of locations by county specifying provider and broadband type. (Learn more.)

Locations in Lyon: 22
The locations include a majority of satellite and fixed wireless connections.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite Low Earth Orbit Satellite
Lyon                                      20                                         2                                      22 Lyon

Local Government Match for State Broadband Grants:

Over the years, many local governments (County, Municipal, Tribal) have invested in broadband deployment. This year, I have tracked how much local investment has been used to match MN State Grants. Local governments invest in other ways too, but this was one number I could realistically find and quantify investment by county, which means investment in that county, whether by county, cities or other local government entity.

In Aitkin $7,5000 was invested in one project over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $10.5 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, Lyon ranked 84th using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Past Grants:

  • Woodstock Telephone Company – Lynd FTTP – GRANT $325,548 (Lyon County) – This middle and last mile project will serve 203 underserved households, three underserved businesses and three underserved anchor institutions in the City of Lynd in Lyon County.
  • 2017 – MVTC (Minnesota Valley Telephone Company, Inc.) – Milroy Broadband Project – GRANT $742,365
  • 2017 – Woodstock Telephone Company – Balaton FTTP – GRANT $413,009
  • 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 Lyon County (http://tinyurl.com/hzlzzvs)

The maps below come from the 

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)

Lincoln County Broadband Profile 2025: Green rating: Ranking out 9 of 87

Posted on by
Reply

Rank: 9
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Lincoln 99.48 12 99.48 9 99.41 5 11

Lincoln County – doing well

Lincoln County rank has fluctuated over the years, which likely has to do with the difference in mapping, not a change in the county. But the percentage of access is more than 99 percent.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 1 location in Linson County and that’s for satellite which does not qualify as served in the MN statute.

There is still Line Extension funding yet to be distributed, which helps connect handfuls of  houses just beyond existing infrastructure. (Lincoln has not benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that that might be a new strategy worth considering.)

Statewide, there have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 99.48 98.08 100 99.99 99.03 40.42 39.21 39.21 40
25/3 (2022 goal) 99.48 98.08 100 99.99 99.33 60.91 59.7 53.44 54.27

Possible BEAD support

The Minnesota BEAD Final Proposal has not yet been approved so the information below is subject to change; it includes the number of locations by county specifying provider and broadband type. (Learn more.)

Locations in Lincoln: 2
The location will get satellite.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite
Lincoln                                         2                                         2 Lincoln

Local Government Match for State Broadband Grants:

Over the years, many local governments (County, Municipal, Tribal) have invested in broadband deployment. This year, I have tracked how much local investment has been used to match MN State Grants. Local governments invest in other ways too, but this was one number I could realistically find and quantify investment by county, which means investment in that county, whether by county, cities or other local government entity.

In Lincoln 0 was invested over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost nothing 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.)

Past Grants:

  • 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile – Grant award: $808,080
  • 2014 – Interstate Telecommunications Cooperative (ITC), Hendricks Town FTTP – Award: $700,000.

Find more articles on broadband in Lincoln County (http://tinyurl.com/jxqwlab)

The maps below come from the 

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)

Le Sueur County Broadband Profile 2025: Yellow rating: Ranking out 56 of 87

Posted on by
Reply

Rank: 56
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Le Sueur 87.27 58 85.29 56 57.98 47 17

Le Sueur County: When Federal Funding gets in the way

Le Sueur County has seen incremental improvements in broadband since 2022 but they are still below 90 percent access, which means they retain their Yellow status.

Le Sueur became a Blandin Broadband Community and the Le Sueur County Broadband Initiative  is active with an annual booth at the County Fair and other activities.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 1,129 locations in Le Sueur County. The majority of locations will get fiber but a few will get satellite or fixed wireless connection, which does not qualify as served in the MN statute.

There is still Line Extension funding yet to be distributed, which helps connect handfuls of  houses just beyond existing infrastructure. (Le Sueur has benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that seems hopeful for them as well.)

There have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty. Le Sueur is keeping an eye on changes in their area.

Broadband Access:

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 85.29 82.79 81.23 74.92 76 70.67 70.33 70.65 82.78
25/3 (2022 goal) 87.27 84.87 83.68 80.61 79.35 80.45 79.91 72.68 90.39

Possible BEAD support

The Minnesota BEAD Final Proposal has not yet been approved so the information below is subject to change; it includes the number of locations by county specifying provider and broadband type. (Learn more.)

Locations in Le Sueur: 1,129
The locations include a majority of satellite and fixed wireless connections.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC AMG Technology Investment Group, LLC d/b/a Nextlink Internet IBT Group USA, LLC Mediacom LLC Midco Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fixed Wireless Fixed Wireless Fiber Fiber
Le Sueur                                         8                                   237                                         1                                   252                                   631                              1,129 Le Sueur

Local Government Match for State Broadband Grants:

Over the years, many local governments (County, Municipal, Tribal) have invested in broadband deployment. This year, I have tracked how much local investment has been used to match MN State Grants. Local governments invest in other ways too, but this was one number I could realistically find and quantify investment by county, which means investment in that county, whether by county, cities or other local government entity.

In Le Sueur, $814,00 was invested in three projects over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 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, Lake ranked 26 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.
  • They were hit hard when LTD Broadband was awarded federal funding and then funding was revoked. They lost the funding but also lost time when they were unable to apply for grants because of LTD Broadband’s award.
  • In May 2024, Le Sueur was awarded $1 million for the Le Sueur County Broadband Initiative. These funds will be used to expand broadband access throughout the county.

Past Grants:

  • County: Le Sueur – Bevcomm Inc Tyrone Township Fiber Expansion Project
    Grant: $1,101,801, Local Match: $367,267, Total Budget: $1,469,068
  • 2022: Bevcomm – Rural Le Sueur County Broadband Expansion Project – Phase Two – GRANT $941,576 (Learn more)
  • 2016 – ECKLES TELEPHONE COMPANY (DBA BEVCOMM) RURAL HEIDELBERG– GRANT:  $188,000
  • BEVCOMM (Eckles Telephone Company) – Le Sueur County Project – GRANT $1,857,376

Find more articles on broadband in Le Sueur County (http://tinyurl.com/jbg7ghy)

The maps below come from the 

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)

Lake of the Woods County Broadband Profile 2025: Yellow rating: Ranking out 36 of 87

Posted on by
Reply

Rank: 36
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Lake of the Woods 93.78 37 91.79 36 47.38 56 5

Lake of the Woods County: Progress in the last year

Lake of the Woods County saw incremental progress in the last year. Last year, they saw nice progress in the last year and that is why their ranking went from red to yellow. The incremental increase in 2025 helps them retain their Yellow.

I don’t hear much about their broadband efforts and they have had no Line Extension or MN Broadband grants in 2024 but I’m hoping the latest success build a momentum leading up to BEAD opportunities.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 1,437 locations in Anoka County. However, the majority of locations will get a satellite or fixed wireless connection, which does not qualify as served in the MN statute.

There is still Line Extension funding yet to be distributed, which helps connect handfuls of  houses just beyond existing infrastructure. (Anoka has benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that seems hopeful for them as well.) There have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty.

Broadband Access:

2025 2024 2023 2022 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 91.79 90.22 78.82 74.26 74.31 53.93 50.47 0
25/3 (2022 goal) 93.78 92.93 85.45 74.6 74.55 57.42 50.47 50.61

Possible BEAD support

The Minnesota BEAD Final Proposal has not yet been approved so the information below is subject to change; it includes the number of locations by county specifying provider and broadband type. (Learn more.)

Locations in Lake of the Woods: 329
The locations include a majority of satellite and fixed wireless connections with some fiber.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Wikstrom Telephone Company Inc Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fiber    
Lake of the Woods                                   191                                         8                                   130                                   329 Lake of the Woods

Local Government Match for State Broadband Grants:

Over the years, many local governments (County, Municipal, Tribal) have invested in broadband deployment. This year, I have tracked how much local investment has been used to match MN State Grants. Local governments invest in other ways too, but this was one number I could realistically find and quantify investment by county, which means investment in that county, whether by county, cities or other local government entity.

In Lake of the Woods 0 was invested over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $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, Lake of the Woods ranked 82 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.
  • Lake of the Woods was a Blandin Broadband Community.

Past Grants:

  • 2022: Wikstrom Telephone Co. Inc, $665,699.00 (to serve Beltrami, Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Marshall)
  • 2016 – SJOBERG’S INC. ROSEAU AND LAKE OF THE WOODS COUNTIES — GRANT: $354,740
  • 2016 – WIKSTROM TELEPHONE COMPANY WIKTEL NW MN – GRANT: $950,823
  • 2019: Wikstrom Telephone – Wiktel NW MN Broadband Project – GRANT $1,151,526

Find more articles on broadband in Lake of the Woods County (http://tinyurl.com/gpfu7dd)

The maps below come from the 

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)

Lake County Broadband Profile 2025: Red rating: Ranking out 69 of 87

Posted on by
Reply

Rank: 69
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Lake 80.11 76 80.02 69 74.71 24 10

Lake County: Seems to be going backwards

Lake County seems to be losing ground. I’m sure this is part of a map correction but it’s disheartening. It is the reason they retain their Red status.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 1,360 locations in Lake County. However, the majority of locations will get a satellite, which does not qualify as served in the MN statute.

There is still Line Extension funding yet to be distributed, which helps connect handfuls of  houses just beyond existing infrastructure. (Lake has not benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So perhaps that’s a strategy worth considering.)

Statewide, there have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty.

Broadband Access:

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 80.02 82.54 88.56 84.15 93.32 93.39 93.4 94.3 94.32
25/3 (2022 goal) 80.11 82.61 88.59 84.2 93.34 93.85 93.86 94.3 94.32

Possible BEAD support

The Minnesota BEAD Final Proposal has not yet been approved so the information below is subject to change; it includes the number of locations by county specifying provider and broadband type. (Learn more.)

Locations in Lake: 1,360
The locations include a majority of satellite and fixed wireless connections.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC IBT Group USA, LLC Mediacom LLC Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fixed Wireless Fiber Low Earth Orbit Satellite
Lake                              1,124                                   204                                      26                                         6                              1,360 Lake

Local Government Match for State Broadband Grants:

Over the years, many local governments (County, Municipal, Tribal) have invested in broadband deployment. This year, I have tracked how much local investment has been used to match MN State Grants. Local governments invest in other ways too, but this was one number I could realistically find and quantify investment by county, which means investment in that county, whether by county, cities or other local government entity.

In Aitkin 0 was invested over the years. (But they did invest in a large federal grant years ago.)

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • Over the years, Lake County (or cities within) has not invested matches for any successful MN Broadband grants. But they received an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) award in 2010 to build Fiber to the Home (FTTH).
  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $7.6 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, Lake ranked 37 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Past Grants:

  • In 2010, Lake County received an ARRA award of $66.3 million to improve broadband access in their area; about $10 million of the award was an outright grant; the rest was a low-interest loan. There were bumps along the road to getting fiber to the community but now they are well served.

Find more articles on broadband in Lake County (http://tinyurl.com/j7pu3le)

The maps below come from the 

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)

Lac qui Parle County Broadband Profile 2025: Green rating: Ranking out 2 of 87

Posted on by
Reply

Rank: 2
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Lac qui Parle 99.94 3 99.94 2 99.94 2 11

Lac Qui Parle (LqP) County: still nearly perfect

LqP County ranks 2 (up three places) for broadband access out of 87 counties. They have had nearly ubiquitous broadband since 2019.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 1 location in LqP County and that location will get satellite, which does not qualify as served in the MN statute.

There is still Line Extension funding yet to be distributed, which helps connect handfuls of  houses just beyond existing infrastructure. (LqP has benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that seems hopeful for them as well.)

Statewide, there have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty. But LqP has had engaged providers are several years.

Broadband Access:

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 99.94 99.94 99.94 99.86 99.83 99.57 97.35 97.35 99.36
25/3 (2022 goal) 99.94 99.94 99.94 99.86 99.84 99.57 97.35 97.35 99.36

Possible BEAD support

The Minnesota BEAD Final Proposal has not yet been approved so the information below is subject to change; it includes the number of locations by county specifying provider and broadband type. (Learn more.)

Locations in Lac qui Parle: 1
The locations include a majority of satellite and fixed wireless connections.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite
Lac qui Parle                                         1                                         1 Lac qui Parle

Local Government Match for State Broadband Grants:

Over the years, many local governments (County, Municipal, Tribal) have invested in broadband deployment. This year, I have tracked how much local investment has been used to match MN State Grants. Local governments invest in other ways too, but this was one number I could realistically find and quantify investment by county, which means investment in that county, whether by county, cities or other local government entity.

In Lac qui Parle $400,000 was invested over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

Past Grants:

  • 2009, Blandin Foundation funded a feasibility study for LqP County and Farmers Telephone Cooperative. The feasibility study’s engineering, operational, and market development plans were later used to support the partners’ successful ARRA funding
  • 2010 The county and Farmers were awarded a $9.6 million ARRA award
  • 2017 – Farmers Mutual Telephone – City of Watson and SW Lac qui Parle County FTTP – GRANT $760,501
  • 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile – Grant award: $808,080

Find more articles on broadband in Lac qui Parle. (http://tinyurl.com/zc2tfay)

The maps below come from the 

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)

Kittson County Broadband Profile 2025: Green Rating: Ranking out 12 of 87

Posted on by
Reply

Rank: 12
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Kittson 99.2 15 98.82 12 98.82 6 8

Kittson County: keeps improving and getting close

Kittson County has continued to improve for the last few years and now they are very close to goal, which is why they retain their Green status.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 14 locations in Kittson County. However, the majority of locations will get a satellite and only 14 locations are slated to get support.

There is still Line Extension funding yet to be distributed, which helps connect handfuls of  houses just beyond existing infrastructure. (Kittson has benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that seems hopeful for them as well.)

Statewide, there have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty.

Broadband Access:

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 98.92 95.92 92.69 87.57 80.13 80.11 74.99 71.38 3.46
25/3 (2022 goal) 99.2 97 92.69 87.71 80.2 80.11 74.99 71.38 65.62

Possible BEAD support

The Minnesota BEAD Final Proposal has not yet been approved so the information below is subject to change; it includes the number of locations by county specifying provider and broadband type. (Learn more.)

Locations in Kittson: 14
The locations will get satellite.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite
Kittson                                      14                                      14 Kittson

Local Government Match for State Broadband Grants:

Over the years, many local governments (County, Municipal, Tribal) have invested in broadband deployment. This year, I have tracked how much local investment has been used to match MN State Grants. Local governments invest in other ways too, but this was one number I could realistically find and quantify investment by county, which means investment in that county, whether by county, cities or other local government entity.

In Kittson 0 was invested over the years.

No new Posts from 2025

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $534,000 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, Kittson ranked 67 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Past Grants:

  • County: Kittson – Wikstrom Telephone Co, Inc. – Wiktel – NW MN Broadband RD9
    Grant: $3,066,630, Local Match: $1,022,210, Total Budget: $4,088,840
  • 2023: Wikstrom Telephone Company – Wiktel NW MN Broadband 2023 – GRANT $2,531,488
  • 2022: Wikstrom Telephone Co. Inc, $665,699.00 (serving Beltrami, Kittson, Lake of the Woods and Marshall)
  • 2017 – Wikstrom Telephone – Wiktel NW MN Broadband – GRANT $1,307,785
  • 2016 – WIKSTROM TELEPHONE COMPANY WIKTEL NW MN – GRANT: $950,823
  • 2014 – Wikstrom Telephone, Kittson, Marshall, Roseau Broadband Extension – Award $425,000
  • 2019 Wikstrom Telephone – Wiktel NW MN Broadband Project – GRANT $1,151,526

Find more articles on broadband in Kittson. (https://bit.ly/2kcNnpz)

The maps below come from the 

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)

Koochiching County Broadband Profile 2025: Red Rating: Ranking out 71 of 87

Posted on by
Reply

Rank: 71
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Koochiching 81.11 73 79.7 71 68.78 33 10

Koochiching County: incremental increases

Koochiching County saw some increased access in 2025, but it’s still less than 80 percent, which is not good, which is how they retain their Red status.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 1,689 locations in Koochiching County. Most locations will get fiber majority but some of locations will get a satellite, which does not qualify as served in the MN statute.

There is still Line Extension funding yet to be distributed, which helps connect handfuls of  houses just beyond existing infrastructure. (Koochiching has not benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that may be a strategy to consider.)

Statewide, there have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 79.7 74.92 73.83 72.3 72.85 68.6 73.41 73.44 68.55
25/3 (2022 goal) 81.11 76.94 76.37 75.8 80.2 81.57 81.22 73.5 68.6

Possible BEAD support

The Minnesota BEAD Final Proposal has not yet been approved so the information below is subject to change; it includes the number of locations by county specifying provider and broadband type. (Learn more.)

Locations in Koochiching: 1,689
The locations include a mix of fiber and satellite connections.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC PAUL BUNYAN COMMUNICATIONS Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Wikstrom Telephone Company Inc Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fiber Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fiber
Koochiching                                   683                                      517                                   166                                   323                              1,689 Koochiching

Local Government Match for State Broadband Grants:

Over the years, many local governments (County, Municipal, Tribal) have invested in broadband deployment. This year, I have tracked how much local investment has been used to match MN State Grants. Local governments invest in other ways too, but this was one number I could realistically find and quantify investment by county, which means investment in that county, whether by county, cities or other local government entity.

In Koochiching $26,000 was invested in one program over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 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.)

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

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)

Kandiyohi County Broadband Profile 2025: Yellow Rating: Ranking out 67 of 87

Posted on by
Reply

Rank: 67
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Kandiyohi 87.09 59 80.69 67 64.83 37 21

Kandiyohi County: stagnant at 80 percent coverage

After some nice expansion last year, Kandiyohi County broadband access stayed stagnant in 2025. They retain their Yellow access because they have been engaged for years and seem to be in line for some fiber funding when BEAD is disbursed.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 712 locations in Kandiyohi County. A little more than half of locations will get fiber while the rest will get a satellite, which does not qualify as served in the MN statute.

There is still Line Extension funding yet to be distributed, which helps connect handfuls of  houses just beyond existing infrastructure. (Kandiyohi has benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that seems hopeful for them as well.)

Statewide, there have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty.

Broadband Access:

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 80.69 80.43 69.12 68.18 74.82 73.78 72.89 10.64 8.14
25/3 (2022 goal) 87.09 86.87 80 86.78 88.68 88.97 86.23 77.2 77.25

Possible BEAD support

The Minnesota BEAD Final Proposal has not yet been approved so the information below is subject to change; it includes the number of locations by county specifying provider and broadband type. (Learn more.)

Locations in Kandiyohi: 712
The locations include a mix of fiber as well as f satellite and fixed wireless connections.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC Meeker Cooperative Light and Power Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fiber Low Earth Orbit Satellite
Kandiyohi                                   267                                   342                                         8                                   617 Kandiyohi

Local Government Match for State Broadband Grants:

Over the years, many local governments (County, Municipal, Tribal) have invested in broadband deployment. This year, I have tracked how much local investment has been used to match MN State Grants. Local governments invest in other ways too, but this was one number I could realistically find and quantify investment by county, which means investment in that county, whether by county, cities or other local government entity.

In Kandiyohi $3,144,780 was invested for three project over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $19.5 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, Kandiyohi ranked 84th using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Past Grants

  • County: Kandiyohi – Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association Gennessee Township
    Grant: $662,430, Local Match: $809,637, Total Budget: $1,472,067
  • County: Kandiyohi – Representative Dave Baker, Senator Andrew R. Lang – Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association 58 – Kandiyohi Township
    Grant: $744,965, Local Match: $910,513, Total Budget: $1,655,478
  • County: Kandiyohi – Federated Telephone Cooperated – Federated Tel – W Kandiyohi
    Grant: $8,202,000, Local Match: $8,202,000, Total Budget: $16,404,000
  • County: Kandiyohi – Meeker Coop Light & Power Association – Meeker Fahlun
    Grant: $590,709, Local Match: $590,710, Total Budget: $1,181,419
  • 2023: Meeker Coop Light & Power – Lake Elizabeth-East Lake Lillian Townships – GRANT $1,428,066
  • 2023: Meeker Coop Light & Power – Harrison Township – GRANT $533,959
  • 2022: Federated Telephone Cooperative, $4,913,505.50
  • 2016 – FRONTIER KANDIYOHI INITIATIVE – GRANT: $1,015,275
  • 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile – Grant award: $808,080
  • 2017, Consolidated Telecommunications Co. (CTC) was awarded a $4.94 million grant to improve serves in New London, Spicer and Willmar, and Frontier was awarded a grant of $1.02 million to improve service in rural Kandiyohi County. Unfortunately, the CTC project did not work out.

Find more articles on broadband in Kandiyohi. (http://tinyurl.com/z9wk7bm)

The maps below come from the 

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)

Jackson County Broadband Profile 2025: Red Rating: Ranking out 83 of 87

Posted on by
Reply

Rank: 83
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Jackson 73.84 83 72.89 80 72.89 26 16

Jackson County sees improvements

Jackson County saw a nice increase in broadband in 2025, which is a nice change from stagnation and even going backwards.

Looking last year we saw that Jackson County was 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, which may explain why Jackson only had bids on 197 locations. (At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved.) Most of the locations will get fiber; the rest will fixed wireless connection, which does not qualify as served in the MN statute.

There is still Line Extension funding yet to be distributed, which helps connect handfuls of  houses just beyond existing infrastructure. (Jackson has benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that seems hopeful for them as well.)

Statewide, there have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty.

I wish I could color Jackson Orange, rather than keep them in red but with limited prospects proposed in BEAD, they retain their Red status.

Broadband Access:

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 72.89 60.86 62.34 61.98 68.84 68.84 68.84 68.79 68.9
25/3 (2022 goal) 73.84 62.7 63.88 63.8 69.86 70.05 70.42 68.83 68.9

Possible BEAD support

The Minnesota BEAD Final Proposal has not yet been approved so the information below is subject to change; it includes the number of locations by county specifying provider and broadband type. (Learn more.)

Locations in Jackson: 197
The locations include a majority of satellite and fixed wireless connections.

County AMG Technology Investment Group, LLC d/b/a Nextlink Internet Federated Rural Electric Association Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Fixed Wireless Fiber
Jackson                                      22                                   175                                   197 Jackson

Local Government Match for State Broadband Grants:

Over the years, many local governments (County, Municipal, Tribal) have invested in broadband deployment. This year, I have tracked how much local investment has been used to match MN State Grants. Local governments invest in other ways too, but this was one number I could realistically find and quantify investment by county, which means investment in that county, whether by county, cities or other local government entity.

In Jackson 0 was invested over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 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 84th using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

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 come from the 

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)

Kanabec County Broadband Profile 2025: Green Rating: Ranking out 49 of 87

Posted on by
Reply

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

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Kanabec 88.8 51 86.16 49 72 29 11

Kanabec County: makes it from last to 49!

Congrats to Kanabec County for going from bottom ranking to 49 by increasing broadband by 50 percentage points! It sounds as if East Central Energy has been busy at work. I have bumped them from Red to Green Status given the extreme increase and potential for more with BEAD funding.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 1,026 locations in Kanabec County. The majority of locations will get fiber but some will get a satellite, which does not qualify as served in the MN statute. That does leave a community discrepancy.

There is still Line Extension funding yet to be distributed, which helps connect handfuls of  houses just beyond existing infrastructure. (Kanabec has not benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that might be a strategy worth considering.)

Statewide, there have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty. Although changes in the past, have been positive for Kanabec.

Broadband Access:

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 86.16 36.52 20.45 23.46 26.24 26.41 26.93 38.54 26.07
25/3 (2022 goal) 88.8 51.06 38.42 36.51 60.34 60.75 66.05 67.07 34.04

Possible BEAD support

The Minnesota BEAD Final Proposal has not yet been approved so the information below is subject to change; it includes the number of locations by county specifying provider and broadband type. (Learn more.)

Locations in Kanabec: 1,026
The locations include a majority of fiber connections.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC East Central Energy Fiber Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fiber
Kanabec                                      57                                   969                              1,026 Kanabec

Local Government Match for State Broadband Grants:

Over the years, many local governments (County, Municipal, Tribal) have invested in broadband deployment. This year, I have tracked how much local investment has been used to match MN State Grants. Local governments invest in other ways too, but this was one number I could realistically find and quantify investment by county, which means investment in that county, whether by county, cities or other local government entity.

In Kanabec $147,800 was invested two projects over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 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.

Past 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

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

The maps below come from the 

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)

Itasca County Broadband Profile 2025: Green Rating: Ranking out 25 of 87

Posted on by
Reply

Rank: 25
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Itasca 96.43 31 96.17 25 80.85 21 15

Itasca County: recent grant will help improve access

Itasca County continues to increase. It’s exciting to see the improvements over the last three years. That continued improvement earns them a Green status.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 266 locations in Itasca County. However, the majority of locations will get a satellite or fixed wireless connection, which does not qualify as served in the MN statute.

There is still Line Extension funding yet to be distributed, which helps connect handfuls of  houses just beyond existing infrastructure. (Itasca has benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that seems hopeful for them as well.) There have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty.

 

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 96.17 91.62 88.39 85.5 86.65 84.14 83.06 79.44 76.35
25/3 (2022 goal) 96.43 92.39 94.6 92.85 93.03 87.67 93.12 86.15 78.92

Possible BEAD support

The Minnesota BEAD Final Proposal has not yet been approved so the information below is subject to change; it includes the number of locations by county specifying provider and broadband type. (Learn more.)

Locations in Itasca: 266
The locations include a majority of satellite and fixed wireless connections with some fiber.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC Mediacom LLC PAUL BUNYAN COMMUNICATIONS Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fiber Fiber
Itasca                                   218                                         6                                         42                                   266 Itasca

Local Government Match for State Broadband Grants:

Over the years, many local governments (County, Municipal, Tribal) have invested in broadband deployment. This year, I have tracked how much local investment has been used to match MN State Grants. Local governments invest in other ways too, but this was one number I could realistically find and quantify investment by county, which means investment in that county, whether by county, cities or other local government entity.

In Itasca 0 was invested over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

Past Grants:

  • 2023: Paul Bunyan Telephone awarded $10 million in ReConnect funds for networks in Hubbard, Itasca, and St. Louis counties
  • 2017 – Paul Bunyan Communications – North Central Fiber – GRANT $802,620
  • 2016 MEDIACOM HARRIS TOWNSHIP – GRANT: $224,369
  • 2016 – PAUL BUNYAN COMMUNICATIONS HUBBARD, BECKER & ITASCA COUNTIES – GRANT: $1,742,232
  • 2015 – Paul Bunyan Central Itasca County Fiber – Grant Award: $1,980,000
  • Paul Bunyan Communications – North Central Minnesota Fiber Project– GRANT $2,562,916

Find more articles on broadband in Itasca County. (http://tinyurl.com/grujo6t)

The maps below come from the 

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)

Hubbard County Broadband Profile 2025: Green Rating: Ranking out 21 of 87

Posted on by
Reply

Rank: 21
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Hubbard 97.94 23 97.35 21 58.87 45 9

Hubbard County: Progress continues

Hubbard County broadband growth has been incremental, but steady and they are close enough to retain their green rank.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 74 locations in Hubbard County. Some of the locations will get fiber and some of locations will get a satellite or fixed wireless connection, which does not qualify as served in the MN statute. More striking is the fact that only 74 locations got bids.

There is still Line Extension funding yet to be distributed, which helps connect handfuls of  houses just beyond existing infrastructure. (Hubbard has benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that seems hopeful for them as well.)

Statewide, there have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 97.35 96.87 93.63 90.07 91.71 91.39 74.21 46.61 46.43
25/3 (2022 goal) 97.94 97.43 99.25 97.66 97.18 91.47 97.97 95.65 87.42

Possible BEAD support

The Minnesota BEAD Final Proposal has not yet been approved so the information below is subject to change; it includes the number of locations by county specifying provider and broadband type. (Learn more.)

Locations in Hubbard: 74
The locations include a mix of fiber as well as satellite and fixed wireless connections.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC PAUL BUNYAN COMMUNICATIONS Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Tekstar Communications, Inc. (Arvig) Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fiber Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fiber    
Hubbard                                      36                                         30                                         4                                         4                                      74 Hubbard

 Local Government Match for State Broadband Grants:

Over the years, many local governments (County, Municipal, Tribal) have invested in broadband deployment. This year, I have tracked how much local investment has been used to match MN State Grants. Local governments invest in other ways too, but this was one number I could realistically find and quantify investment by county, which means investment in that county, whether by county, cities or other local government entity.

In Hubbard 0 was invested over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $8.2 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.)

Grants:

  • 2017 – Paul Bunyan Communications – North Central Fiber – GRANT $802,620
  • 2016 – PAUL BUNYAN COMMUNICATIONS HUBBARD, BECKER & ITASCA COUNTIES – GRANT: $1,742,232

Find more articles on broadband in Hubbard County. (http://tinyurl.com/hy7et5e)

The maps below come from the 

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)