Pine County Broadband Profile 2025: Yellow rating: Ranking out 82 of 87

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Rank: 82
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Pine 75.27 82 71.29 83 51.75 54 15

Pine County: Progress is coming

Pine County’s broadband coverage increased greatly in the last year and with BEAD proposing to fund fiber in more than 2000 locations, their status has been upgraded from Red to Yellow.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 2,587 locations in Pine County. The majority of locations will get fiber, however 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. (Pine has benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that seems like a strategy worth considering.)

Statewide, there have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty. The emergence of East Central Energy has been a positive force in Pine County.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 71.29 61.63 40.71 35.1 39.89 39.13 37.26 38.18 37.37
25/3 (2022 goal) 75.27 68.4 49.95 44.74 52.02 60.24 58.28 42.84 40.12

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: 2,587
The locations include a majority of fiber and a few satellite and fixed wireless connections.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC East Central Energy Fiber IBT Group USA, LLC Mediacom LLC Midco Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fiber Fixed Wireless Fiber Fiber Low Earth Orbit Satellite
Pine                                      84                              1,975                                      24                                   123                                   374                                         7                              2,587 Pine

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 Pine $160,000 was invested in one project over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $84.4 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.)

Past Grants

  • Savage Communications Inc – SCI – East Central MN
    Grant: $3,563,817, Local Match: $3,713,817, Total Budget: $7,277,634
  • 2022: East Central Energy, $4,750,000.00 (serving Pine and Kanabec) (Learn more)
  • 2022: East Central Energy – Kanabec Central – GRANT $4,403,000
  • 2017 – SCI (Savage Communications Inc.) — Dell Grove Township Broadband Expansion – GRANT $118,248

Find more articles on broadband in Pine County (http://tinyurl.com/ha8burg)

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)

Pennington County Broadband Profile 2025: Green rating: Ranking out 10 of 87

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Rank: 10
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Pennington 99.5 11 99.44 10 89.77 14 9

Pennington County: inching closer

In 2018, Pennington went from 9 percent access to 90 percent with the help of state (border to border) and federal loan (USDA to Garden Valley). They have had steady improvement ever since, which is why they earn a green code. They are very close to goal and 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 86 locations in Pennington County. The 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. (Pennington has 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.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 99.44 99.51 99.53 99.4 98.19 96.95 96.18 90.75 9.63
25/3 (2022 goal) 99.5 99.6 99.55 99.4 99.37 98.53 97.21 91.78 91.78

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 Pennington: 86
The locations qualify for satellite.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite Low Earth Orbit Satellite
Pennington                                      85                                         1                                      86 Pennington

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 Pennington 0 was invested over the years.

No New Posts from 2025

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $241,800 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:

  • 2017 – Sjoberg’s Inc. – NW MN Rural Broadband – GRANT $307,088
  • 2016 – CENTURYLINK THIEF RIVER MIDDLE MILE – GRANT: $1,324,400
  • 2016 – GARDEN VALLEY TELEPHONE COMPANY RURAL THIEF RIVER FALLS EAST – GRANT: $2,027,035
  • 2019: Wikstrom Telephone – Wiktel NW MN Broadband Project – GRANT $1,151,526

Find more articles on Pennington County https://blandinonbroadband.org/?s=pennington&submit=Search

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)

Otter Tail County Broadband Profile 2025: Green rating: Ranking out 40 of 87

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

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Otter Tail 94.98 35 90.16 40 22.61 82 16

Otter Tail County: getting in stride

Otter Tail County continues slow and steady progress. BEAD funding should help boost fiber connectivity, which would be helpful. They maintain 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 933 locations in Otter Tail County. Many of the locations qualify for fiber; the rest 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. (Otter Tail 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) 90.16 88.12 77.72 70.54 67.02 65.55 35.34 2.36 1.75
25/3 (2022 goal) 94.98 93.44 94.48 92.69 90.97 75.02 92.93 89.56 59.34

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 Otter Tail: 933
The locations include a mix of fiber and satellite and fixed wireless connections.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC Midco Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Spectrum Mid-America, LLC Tekstar Communications, Inc. (Arvig) Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fiber Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fiber Fiber
Otter Tail                                   235                                      65                                         6                                   124                                   503                                   933 Otter Tail

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 Otter Tail $3,671,557 was invested in five projects 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.)

Past Grants

  • County: Otter Tail – Otter Tail Telcom West Fergus Falls
    Grant: $3,700,198, Local Match: $1,233,399, Total Budget: $4,933,598
  • 2023: Otter Tail Telcom – South Battle Lake – GRANT $2,331,792
  • 2022: East Otter Tail Telephone Co. dba Arvig, $1,140,704.90
  • 2022: Otter Tail Telcom, LLC, $3,381,661.00 (Learn more)
  • 2017 – Arvig – Pelican Rapids rural non-ACAM – GRANT $633,642
  • 2017 – Otter Tail Telcom LLC – Red Oak Drive – GRANT $173,683
  • 2017 – WCTA (West Central Telephone Association) – Wadena Rural Phase III – GRANT $874,581
  • 2016 – OTTER TAIL TELCOM BATTLE LAKE – GRANT: $ 238,170
  • 2016 – OTTER TAIL TELCOM FERGUS FALLS AREA – GRANT: $ 279,271
  • 2016 – WCTA WADENA RURAL NORTH — GRANT: $718,850
  • 2015 – Otter Tail Telcom Fergus Falls 864 – Hwy 59 – Grant award: $295,432
  • 2015 – Otter Tail Telcom Hwy 59/94 PRT to POM – Grant award: $164,207
  • 2014 – Otter Tail Telcom, Stuart Lake – Award: $105,364.
  • 2014 – Otter Tail Telcom, 245th – Award: $108,553.
  • 2019: Otter Tail Telcom LLC – Long and Fish Lakes Project – GRANT $156,954
  • 2019: Arvig (Loretel Systems, Inc.) – Cormorant Lakes Area Project – GRANT $430,780

Find more articles on Otter Tail County https://blandinonbroadband.org/?s=otter+tail&submit=Search

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)

Olmstead County Broadband Profile 2025: Green rating: Ranking out 26 of 87

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Rank: 26
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Olmsted 96.64 29 96.16 26 96.11 8 17

Olmsted County: almost there

Olmsted County’s broadband coverage dipped a little from last year, but not beyond an acceptable margin. They are not going to get a lot of help from BEAD funding in terms of meeting MN state broadband goals but they are so close and that’s 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 2,329 locations in Olmsted County. Some locations will get fiber but 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. (Olmsted has benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that seems like a 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) 96.16 97.23 95.42 94.38 93.9 92.87 92.66 41.29 34
25/3 (2022 goal) 96.64 97.77 96.18 95.41 95.88 95.74 94.63 93.7 97.75

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 Olmsted: 2,329
The locations include a mix of Fiber as well as 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
Olmsted                                   989                              1,175                                      43                                   122                              2,329 Olmsted

 

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 Olmsted 0 was invested over the years.

No New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $22.1 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.)

Past Grants

  • County: Fillmore, Olmsted, Winona – MiEnergy Cooperative South West Fremont
    Grant: $3,164,721, Local Match: $4,747,086, Total Budget: $7,911,807
  • County: Olmsted – Kasson & Mantorville Telephone Company Rural North Byron
    Grant: $515,564, Local Match: $630,134, Total Budget: $1,145,699
  • 2023: KM Telecom – Rural Byron & Salem Corners Fiber Build – GRANT $1,931,046
  • 2022: Kasson & Mantorville Telephone Company, $1,620,007.00
  • 2016 – KMTELECOM RURAL MANTORVILLE – GRANT: $764,663
  • 2019: BEVCOMM (Pine Island Telephone Company) – NE Pine Island Fiber Project Phase I – GRANT $222,222
  • MN State Grants awarded in 2021: Charter Communications (Spectrum) – Cambridge Hills – GRANT $28,950 This middle and last mile project will serve approximately 41 unserved households in Marion Township in Olmsted County.
  • KMTelecom – Rock Dell Northwest Fiber Build – GRANT $385,173 This last mile project will serve approximately 125 unserved locations in the rural Ashland and Vernon townships in Dodge County and Salem Township in Olmsted County.

Find more articles on broadband in Olmsted County (http://tinyurl.com/gmslyhe)

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)

Norman County Broadband Profile 2025: Red rating: Ranking out 77 of 87

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Rank: 77
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Norman 98.56 20 73.33 77 20.79 84 9

Norman County: recent progress but needs more

Norman County has seen a nice increase in broadband in the last year, unfortunately they still have a long way to go. They are not in line for any BEAD funding and I haven’t seen any action in the county. 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 0 locations in Norman County. It’s telling to see that a county with need would not get any bids for service.

There is still Line Extension funding yet to be distributed, which helps connect handfuls of  houses just beyond existing infrastructure. (Norman has not benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that seems like a 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) 73.33 63.1 54.22 55.52 55 54.44 20.62 20.55 20.52
25/3 (2022 goal) 98.56 95.16 99.73 99.34 79.45 66.63 98.45 98.02 37.67

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 Norman County: 0

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 Norman 0 was invested over the years.

No New Posts from 2025

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023estimates indicated that it would cost $10.9 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:

  • none

Find more articles on broadband in Norman County (http://tinyurl.com/zs7nuqj)

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)

Nobles County Broadband Profile 2025: Red rating: Ranking out 52 of 87

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

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Nobles 88.37 53 85.58 52 24.2 80 17

Nobles County: Stagnant but building relationships

Nobles County’s broadband coverage has remained stagnant for three years. They have been building a relationship with a local provider. But unfortunately, it looks they will not get much help from BEAD funding. That is why they have dropped from Yellow to Red status.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 65 locations in Nobles County. However, locations will get a 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. (Nobles has not benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that seems like a 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) 85.58 85.17 85.35 80.27 81.24 81.24 77.66 77.18 59.25
25/3 (2022 goal) 88.37 87.99 87.76 83.1 83.71 83.54 80.89 79.24 75.69

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 Nobles: 65
The locations include fixed wireless connections.

County AMG Technology Investment Group, LLC d/b/a Nextlink Internet Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Fixed Wireless
Nobles                                      65                                      65 Nobles

 

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 Murray $50,000 was invested in one project over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $9.4 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.)

Past Grants

  • County: Nobles – Lismore Cooperative Telephone Co City of Bigelow FTTP
    Grant: $208,598, Local Match: $486,730, Total Budget: $695,328
  • 2023: Lismore Cooperative Telephone Company ReConnect grant: $13,688,114 and loan: $5,723,996
  • 2016 LISMORE COOPERATIVE TELEPHONE NOBLES COUNTY BROADBAND – GRANT: $2,944,578
  • 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile – Grant award: $808,080

Find more articles on broadband in Nobles County (http://tinyurl.com/j52xvxu)

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)

Nicollet County Broadband Profile 2025: Red rating: Ranking out 66 of 87

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Rank: 66
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Nicollet 84.01 69 80.91 66 63.23 39 17

Nicollet County: stagnant since 2019

Nicollet County has not seen broadband progress in the last year, so 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 1,130 locations in Anoka County. Locations qualify for an even split between fiber and satellite/fixed wireless connections, which do 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. (Nicollet 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.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 80.91 80.72 76.25 77.29 78.49 78.29 78.42 33.29 54.54
25/3 (2022 goal) 84.01 85.23 85.19 86.83 83.87 83.67 82.68 83.91 86.1

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 Nicolett: 1,130
The locations include a pretty even split between fiber and satellite or fixed wireless connections.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC AMG Technology Investment Group, LLC d/b/a Nextlink Internet IBT Group USA, LLC Midco Nuvera Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fixed Wireless Fixed Wireless Fiber Fiber
Nicollet                                         4                                   551                                         1                                   531                                      43                              1,130 Nicollet

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 Nicollet 0 was invested over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $25 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, Nicollet ranked 17 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Past grants:

  • 2022: Nuvera Communications, Inc. – Nicollet County RTF DTF FTTP – GRANT $479,011 (Learn more)
  • 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile = Grant award: $808,080
  • MN State Grant awarded in 2021: Nuvera Communications, Inc. – New Ulm HDT 202 FTTP – GRANT $444,386 This last mile project north of New Ulm will serve approximately 80 unserved and 67 underserved locations in Nicollet County.

Find more articles on broadband in Nicollet County (http://tinyurl.com/h3zwpbd)

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)

Murray County Broadband Profile 2025: Red rating: Ranking out 87 of 87

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Rank: 87
Code:  Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Murray 61.25 87 57.44 87 28.02 71 15

Murray County: still at bottom of the ranking

Murray County’s broadband coverage has remained stagnant over the last few years. That has kept them at the bottom of the ranking and keeps them with a Red status.

Murray has been in a precarious position because looking maps there is a big discrepancy between wireline access and wireline with fixed wireless. 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 made a difference to who is eligible for BEAD funding.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 13 locations in Murray County. There is a mix of fiber and satellite connections, which does not qualify as served in the MN statute. But with such low coverage it’s the number of locations awarded funding that is notable.

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.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 57.44 57.12 55.9 51.38 54.37 51.59 51.59 50.78 41.65
25/3 (2022 goal) 61.25 61.09 58.69 57.5 58.05 65.2 65.37 51 50.47

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 Murray: 13
The locations include a majority of satellite and fixed wireless connections.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC Woodstock Xfinity Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fiber Fiber
Murray                                         4                                         9                                      13 Murray

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 Murray $1,326,455 was invested in two projects over the years.

No New Posts from 2025

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $18 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, Murray ranked 62 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Past Grants

  • County: Murray – Woodstock Telephone Company Skandia FTTH Low Density
    Grant: $2,914,733, Local Match: $971,578, Total Budget: $3,886,311
  • 2022: Woodstock Telephone Company – Lake Sarah Township FTTP – GRANT $1,333,199
  • 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile – Grant award: $808,080
  • Lismore Cooperative Telephone Company (Lismore Broadband) – Iona FTTP – GRANT  $219,714 This last mile and middle mile project will serve approximately 100 unserved locations including 75 households, nine businesses, 13 farms, and three community institutions within the town of Iona.
  • MN State Grants awarded in 2021: Lismore Cooperative Telephone Company (Lismore Broadband) – Iona FTTP – GRANT  $219,714 This last mile and middle mile project will serve approximately 100 unserved locations including 75 households, nine businesses, 13 farms, and three community institutions within the town of Iona.

Find more articles on broadband in Murray County (http://tinyurl.com/j9sr5gf)

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)

Mower County Broadband Profile 2025: Yellow rating: Ranking out 46 of 87

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Rank: 46
Code:  Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Mower 88.41 52 87.19 46 82.23 20 19

Mower County incremental improvement

Mower County continues on their path of incremental improvement. They ran into a road block 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. It looks like BEAD funding won’t help much but there are other providers in the area. They retain their Yellow status – barely.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 165 locations in Anoka County. Some locations will get fiber but the majority 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. (Mower has recently 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, as Mower saw with LTD Broadband (aka GigFire).

Broadband Access:

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 87.19 86.44 83.61 83.25 84.95 79.03 78.56 23.31 90.2
25/3 (2022 goal) 88.41 87.78 87.37 88.91 90.13 81.14 85.22 78.47 94.78

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 Mower: 165
The locations include a majority of satellite and fixed wireless connections.

County Ace Telephone Association Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Fiber Low Earth Orbit Satellite Low Earth Orbit Satellite
Mower                                      10                                   153                                         2                                   165 Mower

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 Mower 0 was invested over the years. However, in Nov 2024, they  approved an investment of $100,00 Spectrum’s broadband deployment in Austin if they got funding.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $22.8 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, Mower ranked 51 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Past Grants

  • County: Mower – Arvig – Arvig – Mower Cty
    Grant: $3,129,412, Local Match: $1,043,137, Total Budget: $4,172,549
  • County: Mower – Spectrum Mid-America, LLC – Spectrum-Mower County
    Grant: $414,699, Local Match: $614,698, Total Budget: $1,029,397
  • MN State Grant awarded in 2021: KMTelecom – Rock Dell Southwest Fiber Build – GRANT $404,709 This last mile project will serve approximately 96 unserved households, 70 farms and five unserved businesses in rural Vernon Township in Dodge County and Sargeant Township in Mower County.

Find more articles on broadband in Mower County (http://tinyurl.com/j9sr5gf)

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)

Morrison County Broadband Profile 2025: Yellow rating: Ranking out 47 of 87

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Rank: 47
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Morrison 88.98 49 87.02 47 62.6 41 15

Morrison County: steady progress but BEAD funding is not likely to help

Morrison County has had incremental broadband expansion in the last few years, which is why they retain their Yellow status. They been actively engaged in seeking better broadband for several years, including as part of the Resilient Region as a Blandin Broadband Community. They are making slow progress. Unfortunately, it seems that BEAD is funding primarily satellite connections, which doesn’t help meet state goals.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 687 locations in Morrison County. Some locations will qualify for fiber, but the majority 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. (Morrison 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) 87.02 84.91 82.53 77.57 73.96 70.03 69.64 42.74 28.83
25/3 (2022 goal) 88.98 87.15 85.16 79.08 79 82.7% 70.9% 65.1% 82.7%

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 Morrison: 687
The locations include a majority of satellite and some fiber connections.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC CTC Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fiber Low Earth Orbit Satellite
Morrison                                   546                                   128                                      13                                   687 Morrison

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.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $24.1 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.)

Past Grants

  • County: Morrison – Benton Cooperative Telephone Company Buckman Township
    Grant: $1,248,430, Local Match: $2,318,518, Total Budget: $3,566,948
  • County: Morrison – Upsala Coop Tel Assoc dba Sytek – Sytek Swanville North Moose Lake
    Grant: $3,689,967, Local Match: $1,229,989, Total Budget: $4,919,956
  • 2022: Morrison County will benefit from a ReConnect grant through Upsala Cooperative.
  • 2017 – Benton Cooperative Telephone Company – Rice Ramey – GRANT $765,015
  • 2016 – BENTON COOPERATIVE TELEPHONE COMPANY BUCKMAN – GRANT: $276,230
  • 2014 – Consolidated Telephone Cooperative, Region 5 Virtual Highway Project – Amount $2 million
  • 2019: CTC (Consolidated Telephone Company) – Fort Ripley/Executive Acres Project – GRANT $830,587
  • 2019: Benton Cooperative Telephone Company – Ramey Phase I – GRANT $936,759
  • MN State Grants awarded in 2021: Benton Cooperative Telephone Company – Ramey Phase 2 Project – GRANT $338,011 This last mile project will serve 119 unserved locations in the Ramey telephone exchange located in portions of Lakin and Mount Morris townships in Morrison County and a small portion of Dailey and Page townships located in Mille Lacs County.
  • Sytek Communications – Morrison/Todd/Stearns County FTTP Project – GRANT $1,048,668 This last mile project will bring service to 130 locations in Southwest Morrison, Southeastern Todd and Northeastern Stearns counties.

Find more articles on broadband in Morrison County (http://tinyurl.com/hxkk5ur)

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)

Mille Lacs County Broadband Profile 2025: Yellow rating: Ranking out 60 of 87

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Rank: 60
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Mille Lacs 87.45 57 84.06 60 45.06 58 14

Mille Lacs County: More progress made

Mille Lacs County has seen good broadband expansion in the last year, they have the opportunity to get more fiber in the area with BEAD funding and continue to engage with local coop East Central Energy (ECE), subsequently they get bumped from Red to Yellow status.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 453 locations in Mille Lacs County. The majority of locations will get fiber but the rest will received a mix of 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. (Mille Lacs has not 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. In Mille Lacs, that uncertainty is mitigating with the arrival of ECE.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 84.06 75.76 68.72 66.71 60.1 58.9 52.77 54.42 47.07
25/3 (2022 goal) 87.45 82.23 75.01 75.42 74.46 87.15 83.86 62 47.86

 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: 453
The locations include a majority of fiber with some satellite and fixed wireless connections.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC East Central Energy Fiber IBT Group USA, LLC Midco Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fiber Fixed Wireless Fiber Fiber Low Earth Orbit Satellite    
Mille Lacs                                      47                                   346                                         3                                      33                                      19                                         5                                   453 Mille Lacs

 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 Mille Laces $242,200 was invested in two programs over the years.

No New Posts from 2025

Highlights from Past Reports

Past Grants

  • County: Mille Lacs – East Central Energy Mille Lacs North
    Grant: $3,604,567, Local Match: $5,637,915, Total Budget: $9,242,482
  • County: Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs – East Central Energy Mille Lacs Central
    Grant: $3,267,902, Local Match: $5,111,333, Total Budget: $8,379,235
  • County: Isanti, Mille Lacs – East Central Energy – ECE Mille Lacs South
    Grant: $4,885,809, Local Match: $8,319,081, Total Budget: $13,204,890
  • 2022: Savage Communications Inc. (SCI) – Northern Mille Lacs County 2022: Broadband Expansion – GRANT $476,108
  • Benton Cooperative Telephone Company – Borgholm Township Project – GRANT $1,118,289 (Learn more)
  • 2016 – BENTON COOPERATIVE TELEPHONE COMPANY BOCK – GRANT: $510,000
  • 2019: Benton Cooperative Telephone Company – Ramey Phase I – GRANT $936,759
  • MN State Grants awarded in 2021: Savage Communications Inc. (SCI) – Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe (Onamia) Broadband Expansion – GRANT $70,261 This last mile fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) project will serve 102 unserved households within the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Reservation in Mille Lacs County.
  • Benton Cooperative Telephone Company – Ramey Phase 2 Project – GRANT $338,011 This last mile project will serve 119 unserved locations in the Ramey telephone exchange located in portions of Lakin and Mount Morris townships in Morrison County and a small portion of Dailey and Page townships located in Mille Lacs County.

Find more articles on broadband in Mille Lacs County (http://tinyurl.com/h7wcdjj)

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)

Meeker County Broadband Profile 2025: Yellow rating: Ranking out 63 of 87

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Rank: 63
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Meeker 83.21 71 81.4 63 73.17 25 19

Meeker County: local providers should be a help

Meeker County has had steady, incremental increase in access since 2017. Meeker County is making good progress. They have several providers interested in the area, yet with less than 80 percent coverage, they retain their yellow ranking.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 554 locations in Meeker County. The majority of locations will get fiber access but the rest 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. (Meeker 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. That might be hopeful for Meeker County with the creation of MC Fiber, under Consolidated Telephone Company and Meeker Cooperative Light and Power, which is located in Meeker County.

Broadband Access:

2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 84.27 78.04 72.85 53.86 45.08 45.08 38.13
25/3 (2022 goal) 85.93 81.27 75.01 62.46 71.72 71.45 98.58

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 Meeker: 554
The locations include a majority of 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
Meeker                                         9                                   540                                         5                                   554 Meeker

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.

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, Meeker ranked 50 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Pass Grants:

  • 2023: ReConnect grant connecting nearly 500 people, 124 farms, 16 businesses, and one educational facility to high-speed internet in Kandiyohi, Meeker and Stearns counties.
  • 2022: Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association (Vibrant Broadband) – Big Swan Lake – GRANT $94,182
  • 2022: Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association (Vibrant Broadband) – Collinwood Lake – GRANT $104,337
  • 2022: Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association (Vibrant Broadband) – Dunns & Richardson Lakes – GRANT $80,202
  • 2022: Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association (Vibrant Broadband) – Lake Erie – GRANT $19,093
  • 2022: Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association (Vibrant Broadband) – Long Lake – GRANT $29,702 (Learn more)
  • MN State Grant awarded in 2021: Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association (Vibrant Broadband) – Lake Koronis – GRANT $41,927 This last mile project will serve approximately 28 unserved and seven underserved locations in Union Grove Township in Meeker County.
  • 2019: Nuvera Communications, Inc. – Hutchinson W Project – GRANT $346,282

Find more articles on broadband in Meeker County (http://tinyurl.com/gltzvoc)

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)

McLeod County Broadband Profile 2025: Yellow rating: Ranking out 64 of 87

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Rank: 64
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
McLeod 86.68 61 81.33 64 54.25 51 16

 McLeod County: still plugging along

McLeod County rank has dropped and the coverage remains stagnant. However, there has been interest in the area from a couple providers in 2025 and 300+ locations may have access to fiber through BEAD, which is why they retain their Yellow status.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 625 locations in McLeod County. The majority of locations will get fiber but the others qualify only for satellite funding, 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. (McLeod has not 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.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 81.33 81.59 77.21 75.48 58.09 56.13 58.59 58.57 56.92
25/3 (2022 goal) 86.68 86.62 78.91 81.07 82.86 87.32 81.01 83.53 98.58

 

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 McLeod: 625
The locations include a mix of fiber as well as satellite and fixed wireless connections.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC Mediacom LLC Midco Nuvera Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fiber Fiber Fiber Low Earth Orbit Satellite
McLeod                                   106                                   105                                   136                                   247                                      31                                   625 McLeod

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 McLeod 0 was invested over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $27 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:

  • 2022: Nuvera Communications, Inc. – Belle Lake and Hutchinson East FTTP – GRANT $1,840,250
  • 2022: Mediacom Minnesota LLC – Swan Lake – GRANT $99,156 (Learn more)
  • MN State Grants awarded in 2021: Nuvera Communications, Inc. – Hutchinson SE FTTP – GRANT $169,369 This last mile project will serve 42 unserved and five underserved locations in the Hutchinson area of McLeod County.
  • Winthrop Telephone Company, Inc. – Bismarck & Transit Township FTTP Project – GRANT $716,000 This last mile project will serve 148 unserved and six underserved locations, including homes, businesses and farms, in Bismarck, Transit and Round Grove townships in Sibley and McLeod counties.

Find more articles on broadband in McLeod County (http://tinyurl.com/hx65gqh)

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)

Martin County Broadband Profile 2025: Red rating: Ranking out 74 of 87

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

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Martin 80.27 75 77.22 74 23.81 81 13

Martin County: slow, incremental growth

Martin County’s broadband coverage growth has been incremental and slow. In 2024, a MN State grant for $8 million was awarded in the area but the impact of that has not yet been reflected on the maps that is why they have been bumped into red status.

In Martin County there has historically had a discrepancy between wireline access and wireline with fixed wireless. Minnesota doesn’t currently take fixed wireless into consideration when defining areas eligible for grants; the BEAD does include access to fixed wireless, which means those fixed wireless locations do not qualify for BEAD.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 50 locations in Martin County. All of those locations qualify for fiber access, which is nice.

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

Martin County

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 77.22 74.65 72.6 67.03 66.71 68.24 55.22 54.8 54.06
25/3 (2022 goal) 80.27 80.06 78.92 83.59 81.51 71.81 80.29 56.38 55.64

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 Martin: 50
The locations all qualify for fiber.

County Federated Rural Electric Association Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Fiber
Martin                                      50                                      50 Martin

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 $804842 was invested in one project over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $22.3 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, Martin ranked 61using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Past Grants

  • County: Martin – Federated Rural Electric Association Martin County Low Density
    Grant: $8,008,419, Local Match: $2,669,473, Total Budget: $10,677,892
  • 2022: Grants: Bevcomm – Rural Faribault and Martin Counties Fiber Expansion Project – Phase Three – GRANT $1,444,030 (serving Faribault and Martin Counties)
  • MN State Grant awarded in 2021: BEVCOMM (Blue Earth Valley Telephone Company, Easton Telephone Company & Cannon Valley Telecom) – Rural Faribault County and Martin County Fiber Expansion Phase 2 Project – GRANT $1,182,818 This last mile project will serve approximately two unserved households, 203 underserved households, 46 underserved businesses, and 181 underserved farms in portions of Faribault and Martin counties.
  • 2017- BEVCOMM (Granada Telephone Company) — Granada Rural Final – GRANT: $202,410
  • 2016 – GRANADA TELEPHONE COMPANY (DBA BEVCOMM) SOUTH RURAL GRANADA – GRANT:  $157,920
  • 2016 – MARTIN COUNTY (WITH FRONTIER) RURAL BROADBAND INITIATIVE – GRANT: $1,677,823
  • BEVCOMM (Blue Earth Valley Telephone Company & Easton Telephone Company) – Rural Faribault County Project – GRANT: $579,781

Find more articles on broadband in Martin County (http://tinyurl.com/h37zf6l)

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)

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

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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)