Houston County Broadband Profile 2025: Yellow Rating: Ranking out 53 of 87

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Rank: 53
Code:  Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Houston 85.95 64 85.51 53 64.96 36 12

Houston County: incremental change

Houston County broadband coverage has dipped since last year. It’s within an acceptable margin but it also reflects three years of stagnation.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 1,594 locations in Houston County. The majority of locations will get fiber but some will get a satellite or fixed wireless connection, which does not qualify as served in the MN statute. That sets up a divide of different qualities.

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

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

With slow progress, Houston County retains their Yellow ranking.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 85.51 86 85.89 82.98 75.26 69.66 67.81 66.63 65.08
25/3 (2022 goal) 85.95 88.43 88.11 92.87 92.86 77.1 72.94 71.29 72.23

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 Houston: 1,549
The locations include a majority of fiber with some satellite and fixed wireless connections.

County Ace Telephone Association Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC IBT Group USA, LLC Mediacom LLC MiEnergy Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Fiber Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fixed Wireless Fiber Fiber Low Earth Orbit Satellite
Houston                                   691                                   251                                   211                                         1                                   390                                         5                              1,549 Houston

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 Houston, $75,000 was invested on two projects 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, Houston ranked 19 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Past Grants:

  • 2022: The investment, provided through the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s ReConnect program, will help connect over 6,000 people, 150 businesses, and 680 farms across Freeborn, Morrison, Stearns, Houston, and Todd counties.
  • 2019: AcenTek – Rural Houston Exchange FTTH – GRANT $2,895,318

Find more articles on broadband in Houston County. (http://tinyurl.com/zst4kf5)

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)

Hennepin County Broadband Profile 2024: Green Rating: Ranking out 6 of 87

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

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Hennepin 99.69 7 99.64 6 59.83 43 20

 Hennepin County: population density helps attract broadband

Hennepin County benefits from being an urban/suburban county. It is easier to make a business case for serving broadband in most of Hennepin County.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 1,329 locations in Hennepin 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. (Hennepin 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.

Hennepin is so close to goal, they retain their Green Status.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 99.64 99.4 99.11 98.69 98.98 98.97 98.94 98.97 98.57
25/3 (2022 goal) 99.69 99.5 99.19 99.14 99.21 99.4 99.39 99.18 99.16

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 Hennepin: 1,329
The locations include some fiber with a majority of satellite and fixed wireless connections.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC IBT Group USA, LLC Midco Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fixed Wireless Fiber Low Earth Orbit Satellite
Hennepin                                   451                                   655                                   165                                      58                              1,329 Hennepin

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 Hennepin, $296,846 was invested in two projects over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • L2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $27.7 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, Hennepin ranked 7 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Past Grants:

  • 2022: Comcast Cable Communications LLC, $1,941,841.00
  • 2017 – Mediacom Minnesota LLC – Medina 2018 Broadband Build – GRANT $62,219
  • 2021: Mediacom Minnesota LLC – Minnestrista Project – GRANT $189,752 This last mile project will serve 80 unserved households in Minnestrista in Hennepin County.

Checklist:

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

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)

Grant County Broadband Profile 2025: Yellow Rating: Ranking out 29 of 87

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Rank: 29
Code:  Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Grant 99.93 4 95.54 29 95.54 10 12

Grant County: code changes from Red to Yellow

Grant County made great strides in the last year, from 75 percent access to 95.

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 Grant County.

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

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

Given the great strides Grant has made, I have lifted them from Red to Yellow status. I considered going straight to Green status but the lack of prospects from BEAD held me back.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 95.54 75.14 77.18 77.71 71.99 60.3 43.02 39.93 39.93
25/3 (2022 goal) 99.93 92 92.15 96 95.44 88.22 87.85 87.85 75.73

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 Grant: 3
The locations will get satellite connections.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite
Grant                                         3                                         3 Grant

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 Grant $202,963 was invested in one project over the years.

No New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $6.4 million to get ubiquitous broadband in the county. (I haven’t updated the number because recent report offers scenarios of costs based on BEAD funding rules that make current estimates less predictable than in the past. Yet, I think the number is still helpful.)

Past Grants:

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

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

The maps below 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)

Goodhue County Broadband Profile 2025: Red Rating: Ranking out 72 of 87

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Rank: 72
Code: Red
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Goodhue 80.57 74 79.15 72 71.51 30 20

Goodhue County: still holding onto haves and have-nots

Goodhue County’s broadband access has been stagnant for several years. Access has declined in the last year, although within an acceptable margin.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 2,302 locations in Goodhue County. Some of the locations will get fiber but a 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. (Goodhue 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.

Stagnation and mixed expectations with BEAD disbursement keep Goodhue at a Red status.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 79.15 80.13 80.51 78.56 76.09 75.15 71.84 55.99 60.33
25/3 (2022 goal) 80.57 81.95 82.14 81.78 81.66 83.9 79.44 77.1 87.46

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: 2,302
The locations include fiber as well as satellite and fixed wireless connections.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC IBT Group USA, LLC Midco Nuvera Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fixed Wireless Fiber Fiber Low Earth Orbit Satellite
Goodhue                              1,098                                   825                                   102                                   257                                      20                              2,302 Goodhue

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 Goodhue, 15,000 was invested for one project over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $33 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, Goodhue ranked 11 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Past Grants:

  • Nuvera Communications, Inc. – Nuvera White Rock
    Grant: $1,884,429, Local Match: $628,143, Total Budget: $2,512,572
  • 2022: $4 million grant Red Wing Ignite received to encourage broadband-based entrepreneurship and innovation
  • 2017 – Midco (Midcontinent Communications) – Wanamingo – GRANT $768,600
  • 2017 – New Ulm Telecom, Inc. – White Rock Rural East FTTP – GRANT $411,704
  • 2016 – NEW ULM TELECOM, INC. GOODHUE-BELLECHESTER – GRANT: $ 332,328
  • 2015 – New Ulm Telecom Goodhue Fiber Project – Grant award: $115,934
  • BEVCOMM (Pine Island Telephone Company) – NE Pine Island Fiber Project Phase I – GRANT $222,222
  • Nuvera Communications, Inc. – Goodhue Welch FTTP – GRANT $340,790 This last mile project south of Welch will serve 100 unserved and 15 underserved locations in Goodhue County.
  • Nuvera Communications, Inc. – Goodhue West FTTP – GRANT $532,232 – This last mile project will serve 148 unserved and two underserved locations in Goodhue, Zumbrota, Minneola, and Belle Creek townships in Goodhue County and Chester Township in Wabasha County.

Find more articles on broadband in Goodhue County. (http://tinyurl.com/z3jwte4)

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)

Freeborn County Broadband Profile 2025: Red Rating: Ranking out 36 of 87

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

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Freeborn 89.76 47 88.72 43 88.55 15 15

Freeborn County: Slow progress

Freeborn County has been stagnant for several years. Access has declined in the last year, although within an acceptable margin.

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 Freeborn County.

There is still Line Extension funding yet to be distributed, which helps connect handfuls of  houses just beyond existing infrastructure. (Freeborn has benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that seems like a new route to consider.)

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

After a few years of stagnation and no prospects with BEAD funding, Freeborn has slipped to Red status.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 88.72 89.55 89.1 86.36 85.89 84.51 83.88 34.18 94.59
25/3 (2022 goal) 89.76 90.52 89.96 86.98 88 87.94 87.92 84.31 99.44

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 Freeborn: 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.

Freeborn has not invested over the years.

No New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $12.6 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, Freeborn ranked 52 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

They had the unfortunate distinction from Recon Analytics to be named the unhappiest broadband county in the US.

Past Grants:

  • Blue Earth Valley Telephone Company Faribault County Fiber Expansion Project – Final Phase
    Grant: $1,779,163, Local Match: $5,337,488, Total Budget: $7,116,651
  • 2022: ReConnect program, will help connect over 6,000 people, 150 businesses, and 680 farms across Freeborn, Morrison, Stearns, Houston, and Todd counties.
  • 2017 – BEVCOMM (Cannon Valley Telephone) – Freeborn Southwest Rural Final – GRANT $122,460
  • 2016 – CANNON VALLEY TELECOM, INC. (DBA BEVCOMM) RURAL FREEBORN – GRANT:  $150,700
  • 2015 – BEVCOMM Cannon Valley Telecom – Rural Freeborn Fiber-to-the-Premises Project – Grant award: $149,625
  • Freeborn is also getting almost $2 million in FCC funding but that is over the next 10 years.
  • Winnebago Cooperative Telecom Association – SE Faribault/W Freeborn County FTTP – GRANT $953,842 This last-mile fiber optic project will bring service to 319 unserved locations, including 289 homes, 16 businesses, 11 farms, and three community anchor institutions in the townships of Clark, Foster, Kiester, Seely, Alden, Carlston, Manchester, Mansfield, and Pickerel Lake located in Southeastern Faribault and Western Freeborn counties.

Find more articles on broadband in Freeborn County. (http://tinyurl.com/hw7ptnz)

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)

Fillmore County Broadband Profile 2025: Yellow Rating: Ranking out 73 of 87

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Rank: 73
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Fillmore 82.76 72 78.93 73 53.24 53 15

Fillmore County: Moving forward at a pace

Fillmore County has seen steady progress in broadband expansion in the last couple years. The receive funding at the end of 2024, which may not have been completely realized by now.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 765 locations in Fillmore County. Some locations will get fiber and some 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. (Fillmore has not benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that may be a new route to consider.)

Statewide, there have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty. But some of that change has increased provider engagement in Fillmore County, which is part of how they retain their Yellow status.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 78.93 73.52 74.18 64.95 56.36 53.47 50.3 44.19 44.11
25/3 (2022 goal) 82.76 78.19 79.54 79.18 92.42 61.52 57.89 45.02 59

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 Fillmore: 765
The locations include a mix of fiber as well as satellite and fixed wireless connections.

County Ace Telephone Association Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC IBT Group USA, LLC MiEnergy Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Fiber Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fixed Wireless Fiber Low Earth Orbit Satellite
Fillmore                                   194                                   217                                   144                                   203                                         7                                   765 Fillmore

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 $168,000 was invested in two projects over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 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:

  • Ace Telephone Association Rural Canton
    Grant: $2,567,200, Local Match: $3,850,800, Total Budget: $6,418,000
  • MiEnergy Cooperative South West Fremont
    Grant: $3,164,721, Local Match: $4,747,086, Total Budget: $7,911,807
  • Mediacom LLC – Mediacom – Oakhill/Spring Valley
    Grant: $33,863, Local Match: $79,015, Total Budget: $112,878
  • 2023: Harmony Telephone Company – North Fountain Fiber-To-The-Premises GRANT – $2,991,038
  • 2023: Harmony Telephone Company – Rural Preston Fiber-To-The-Premises GRANT – $1,044,436
  • 2022: Harmony Telephone Company, $1,129,740.00
  • 2017 – Rushford Village/Rural Rushford Fiber Build – Grant $2,011,628
  • 2017 – Mediacom Minnesota LLC – Fountain 2018 Broadband Build – GRANT $202,125
  • 2016 – ACENTEK RURAL LANESBORO FIBER BUILD – GRANT: $1,777,936
  • (2020), Harmony Telephone received a USDA ReConnect award to better serve Fillmore County. They received a $2.7 million ReConnect Program loan and a $2.7 million ReConnect Program grant.
  • AcenTek – Rural Peterson Exchange FTTH – GRANT $1,492,096 This last mile project will serve 214 unserved households, 18 unserved businesses, 88 unserved farms, and two unserved community anchor institutions as well as 47 underserved households and five underserved businesses in areas of Fillmore and Winona counties. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota and Fillmore County EDA, AcenTek will improve these 374 locations’ broadband levels up to 1 Gbps download and 100 Mbps upload.
  • MiBroadband, LLC – Rural Preston FTTP – GRANT $1,173,330 The Rural Preston fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) project will serve 231 unserved and 26 underserved locations in the rural portions of southern Fillmore County.

Find more articles on broadband in Fillmore County. (http://tinyurl.com/hxe6jal)

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)

Faribault County Broadband Profile 2025: Green Rating: Ranking out 27 of 87

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Rank: 27
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Faribault 96.67 28 95.77 27 95.77 9 13

Faribault County: Found traction to move forward

Faribault County has seen great increases in broadband coverage in the last two years.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 7 locations in Faribault County. They will all get satellite connections, which does not qualify as served in the MN statute. Also, it’s telling that so few providers bid on the area, that being said, there are providers who are coming into the area without the incentive.

There is still Line Extension funding yet to be distributed, which helps connect handfuls of  houses just beyond existing infrastructure. (Faribault hasn’t benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that might be a new route to funding.) Statewide, there have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which may lead to uncertainty, which may be helpful or hurtful to the area.

Faribault retains their Green status; they seem on they way to meeting state goals.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 95.77 91.83 70.43 72.68 43.95 40.56 39.2 42.28 49.13
25/3 (2022 goal) 96.67 93.46 89.01 97.63 92.42 82.1% 71.0% 64.0% 43.5%

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 Faribault: 7
The locations include all satellite 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
Faribault                                         6                                         1                                         7 Faribault

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.

Faribault has invested $55,000 in six projects over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $17.4 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:

  • Blue Earth Valley Telephone Company Faribault County Fiber Expansion Project – Final Phase
    Grant: $1,779,163, Local Match: $5,337,488, Total Budget: $7,116,651
  • Bevcomm (Easton) Telephone – Bevcomm (Easton) Rural MN Lake
    Grant: $435,838, Local Match: $1,016,956, Total Budget: $1,452,794
  • In December 2022, Blue Earth Valley Telephone received a Border to Border grant for $1.4 million to serve 371 underserved and 2 unserved homes, businesses, and farms in the rural areas of Bricelyn, Elmore and Guckeen within Faribault and Martin Counties.
  • 2022: Blue Earth Valley Telephone Co., dba Bevcomm and Cannon Valley Telecom, Inc.,dba Bevcomm, $1,444,030.00
  • 2017 – BEVCOMM (Easton Telephone Company) – Delavan SE Rural Project – GRANT $220,350
  • 2016 – BLUE EARTH VALLEY TELEPHONE CO. (DBA BEVCOMM) RURAL WINNEBAGO – GRANT:  $152,828
  • 2015 – BEVCOMM Blue Earth Valley Telephone – Rural Winnebago Fiber-to-the-Premises Project – Grant award: $142,690
  • BEVCOMM (Blue Earth Valley Telephone Company & Easton Telephone Company) – Rural Faribault County Project – GRANT: $579,781
  • BEVCOMM received CARES Act funding from the County for broadband expansion.
  • 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.
  • Winnebago Cooperative Telecom Association – SE Faribault/W Freeborn County FTTP – GRANT $953,842 This last-mile fiber optic project will bring service to 319 unserved locations, including 289 homes, 16 businesses, 11 farms, and three community anchor institutions in the townships of Clark, Foster, Kiester, Seely, Alden, Carlston, Manchester, Mansfield, and Pickerel Lake located in Southeastern Faribault and Western Freeborn counties.

Find more articles on broadband in Faribault County. (http://tinyurl.com/jzwv3gx)

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)

 

Douglas County Broadband Profile 2025: Yellow rating: Ranking out 55 of 87

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Rank:  55
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Douglas 91.92 41 85.49 55 39.98 64 14

Douglas County: Slow improvement but engaged providers

Douglas County has seen incremental increase in broadband access in the last year, after a nice climb the year before.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 484 locations in Douglas County. Some of the locations will get fiber and some 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. (Douglas 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.

Douglas will get some fiber when the BEAD funding is disbursed but they will also get satellite, which will not meet the state goals. Douglas retains their Yellow status.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 85.94 83.48 77.58 74.59 72.89 70 68.82 25.56 7.68
25/3 (2022 goal) 91.92 90.59 94.06 91.22 90.94 83.63 88.25 82.96 75.1

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 Douglas: 484
The locations include a mix of fiber and satellite connections.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Company Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fiber Low Earth Orbit Satellite
Douglas                                   108                                   373                                         3                                   484 Douglas

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 Douglas invested $72,4000 on two programs over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $39 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, Douglas ranked 15 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Past Grants:

  • Gardonville Cooperative Telephone – Gardonville – Douglas Cty
    Grant: $223,521, Local Match: $223,522, Total Budget: $447,043
  • Gardonville Cooperative Telephone – Buckskin – GRANT $857,013
  • 2023 Gardonville Cooperative Telephone – Carlos – GRANT $665,950
  • 2022: Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association, $1,212,337.50
  • 2022: ReConnect Tekstar Communications $12,602,274
  • 2017 – Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association – Douglas County: Country Estates FTTH Project – GRANT $101,624
  • 2017 – Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association – Douglas County: Pospisil Drive FTTH Project – GRANT $54,155
  • 2016 – GARDONVILLE COOPERATIVE TELEPHONE DOUGLAS COUNTY LAKE LOUISE – GRANT: $68,240
  • 2016 – RUNESTONE TELEPHONE HOLMES CITY 2 — GRANT: $700,674
  • 2015 – Runestone Telephone Association – Holmes City – Grant award: $189,990
  • 2019: Charter Communications – Lake Carlos Project – GRANT $74,540
  • 2019: Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association – Krohnfeldt Drive FTTH Project – GRANT $42,921
  • 2019: Runestone Telecom Association – South Alexandria Project – GRANT $1,760,423
  • Arvig (Tekstar Communications, Inc.) – Lake Osakis, Sauk Lake & Smith Lake Project – GRANT $486,458 This middle and last mile project will upgrade approximately 230 unserved and 39 underserved locations in Todd and Douglas counties.
  • Charter Communications (Spectrum) – West Lake Carlos – GRANT $24,450
    This middle and last mile project will serve approximately 42 unserved households on the west side of Lake Carlos in Douglas County.
  • Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association – Douglas County – County Road 34 FTTH Project – GRANT $1,551,370 This last mile project will serve 71 unserved and 544 underserved locations in Ida and Carlos townships in Douglas County.
  • Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association – Douglas County – Hazel Hill Road FTTH Project – GRANT $692,929 This middle and last mile project will serve 212 unserved households, 79 unserved businesses and one unserved farm in Alexandria Township in Douglas County.
  • Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association – Douglas County – Town Hall Road FTTH Project – GRANT $90,251 This last mile project will serve 46 unserved and 3 underserved locations in La Grand Township in Douglas County

Find more articles on broadband in Douglas County. (http://tinyurl.com/jqpohsc)

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)

Dodge County Broadband Profile 2025: Yellow Rating: Ranking out 42 of 87

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Rank:  42
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Dodge 90.24 45 88.86 42 88.06 16 16

Dodge County: steady progress has stalled

Dodge County broadband coverage has been stagnant at 88 percent for several years.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 94 locations in Dodge County. However, all 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. (Dakota has benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that seems hopeful for them as well.) Statewide here have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty.

Dodge County retains their yellow status due to stagnation and little prospects from the potential BEAD funding.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 88.86 88.96 88.5 84.2 80.62 77.37 77.08 74.59 94.9
25/3 (2022 goal) 90.24 90.8 89.87 88.48 84.86 84.02 82.78 76.4 99.37

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 Dodge: 94
The locations will all get 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
Dodge                                      92                                         2                                      94 Dodge

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.

Dodge has not invested over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $8.4 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, Dodge ranked 9 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Past Grants:

  • 2023: KM Telecom – Rural Byron & Salem Corners Fiber Build – GRANT $1,931,046
  • 2021: KMTelecom – Rock Dell Northwest Fiber Build – GRANT $385,173
  • 2021: KMTelecom – Rock Dell Southwest Fiber Build – GRANT $404,709
  • 2017 – KMTelecom – Rural Kasson Fiber Build – GRANT $606,108
  • 2016 – KMTELECOM RURAL MANTORVILLE – GRANT: $764,663

Find more articles on broadband in Dodge County. (http://tinyurl.com/znpmlfr)

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)

Dakota County Broadband Profile 2025: Green Rating: Ranking out 20 of 87

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

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Dakota 97.69 26 97.39 20 53.24 52 18

 Dakota County: always getting closer

Dakota County has been hovering around 97-98 percentage coverage for several years. While the Dakota County broadband board was dissolved in January 2024, staff continue to work on broadband use and deployment.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 928 locations in Dakota County. While some locations will get fiber, 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. (Dakota 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.

Dakota County has been close to getting to the MN state broadband goal for years but because they are so close, they retain their Green status.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 97.39 97.54 97.17 96.82 97.75 97.42 97.56 64.89 64.18
25/3 (2022 goal) 97.69 97.89 97.48 97.37 97.98 98.31 98.46 97.54 98.47

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 Dakota: 928
The locations include some fiber 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
Dakota                                   456                                   315                                   131                                      26                                   928 Dakota

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 Dakota County $106,538 was invested in two projects over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $33.8 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:

  • 2022: JTN Communications, $113,076.00
  • 2022: Spectrum Mid-America, LLC managed by Charter Communications Inc., $98,750.00
  • 2020: Charter Communications – Rosemount North Project – GRANT $499,072
  • 2020: Dakota County approved $800,000 in CARES Act funding for broadband.
  • Nuvera Communications, Inc. – Webster Rural FTTP – GRANT $431,260 This last mile project will serve 103 unserved and 178 underserved locations in Wheatland and Webster townships in Rice County, Eureka and Greenvale townships in Dakota County, and New Market and Cedar Lake townships in Scott County.

Find more articles on broadband in Dakota County. (http://tinyurl.com/hxslue9)

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)

Crow Wing County Broadband Profile 2025: Green Rating: Ranking out 32 of 87

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Rank: 32
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Crow Wing 96.24 33 94.83 32 72.21 28 15

 Crow Wing County: Could be helped by BEAD funding

Crow Wing County has remained stagnant in 2025 but they are in line to get a lot of fiber connections when the BEAD funds are disbursed. Unfortunately, the locations that aren’t getting fiber and going to get satellite, which does not qualify to help them reach the MN State speed goals. That may cause a divide between based on access their locations.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 94.83 93.32 85.84 87.51 86.38 86.6 88.04 41.66 33.13
25/3 (2022 goal) 96.24 94.97 90.27 89.54 90.01 90.61 92.84 92.29 87.78

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 Crow Wing: 1,174
The locations include a majority of fiber and some satellite 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
Crow Wing                                   228                                   934                                      12                              1,174 Crow Wing

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.

Crow Wing has not invested over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $51 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, Crow Wing ranked 30 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Past Grants:

  • 2022: Tri-Co Technologies, LLC dba Crosslake Communications, $343,552.00
  • 2016 – TDS TELECOM CASS & CROW WING COUNTIES — GRANT: $3,000,000
    2015 – Consolidated Telecommunications Company – Fort Ripley Phase II
    Grant award: $759,525
  • 2014 – Consolidated Telephone Cooperative, Region 5 Virtual Highway Project – Amount $2 million
  • 2020: CTC (Consolidated Telephone Company) – Fort Ripley/Executive Acres Project – GRANT $830,587
  • Consolidated Telephone Company (CTC) – Stark-Ross Lake Area – GRANT $350,805 This last mile project will serve approximately 180 unserved locations in a portion of Ross Lake Township in Crow Wing County.
  • Crosslake Communications – O’Brien/Goodrich Lake Fiber Project – GRANT $618,970 This last mile O’Brien/Goodrich Lake Fiber Project will serve approximately 232 unserved households in Crow Wing County.

Find more articles on broadband in Crow Wing County. (http://tinyurl.com/zechgaw)

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)

Cottonwood 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
Cottonwood 78.57 79 73.21 78 55.59 50 17

 Cottonwood County: still stagnant

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 649 locations in Cottonwood County. The majority of locations will get fiber, just a few will get 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. (Cottonwood 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.

With little movement, Cottonwood retains their Red status.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 73.21 68.46 67.15 67.02 67.2 66.67 66.67 66.34 19.24
25/3 (2022 goal) 78.57 76.27 74.17 74.11 71.12 72.79 74.17 67.89 60.52

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 Cottonwood: 649
The locations include a majority fiber connections.

County AMG Technology Investment Group, LLC d/b/a Nextlink Internet Federated Rural Electric Association Nuvera Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Fixed Wireless Fiber Fiber
Cottonwood                                         4                                   576                                      69                                   649 Cottonwood

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.

Cottonwood has not invested over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $14.8 million to get ubiquitous broadband in the county. (I haven’t updated the number because recent report offers scenarios of costs based on BEAD funding rules that make current estimates less predictable than in the past. Yet, I think the number is still helpful.)

Past Grants:

  • Hanson Communications – Hanson – Comfrey FTTP
    Grant: $395,138, Local Match: $592,711, Total Budget: $987,849
  • 2016 – WOODSTOCK TELEPHONE WESTBROOK – GRANT: $412,391
  • 2015 – MVTV Wireless Middle Mile – Grant award: $808,080
  • 2010 – ARRA funding for City of Windom – SWMBG will build FTTP (Fiber to the Premise) infrastructure to eight rural communities in Southwestern Minnesota.

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

The maps below 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)

Clearwater County Broadband Profile 2025: Green Rating: Ranking out 16 of 87

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Rank: 16
Code: Green
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Clearwater 99.24 14 98.37 16 98.21 7 8

 Clearwater County: Stagnant but so close

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 8 locations in Clearwater County. However, all of locations will get a satellite, which does not qualify as served in the MN statute. It’s telling to see that only 8 addresses in the county got BEAD bids.

There is still Line Extension funding yet to be distributed, which helps connect handfuls of  houses just beyond existing infrastructure. (Clearwater has not benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. Maybe it’s something worth considering.) Statewide, there have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty.

Despite staying stagnant, Clearwater is too close to goal to get any ranking other than green.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 98.37 98.33 98.28 98.85 99.59 89.32 89.3 89.3 73.41
25/3 (2022 goal) 99.24 99.25 99.26 99.29 99.76 99.74 99.74 99.58 99.58

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 Clearwater: 8
The locations will all get satellite 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
Clearwater                                         5                                         3                                         8 Clearwater

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.

Clearwater has not invested over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $558,000 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.)

2024 Grants:

  • Garden Valley Telephone Company 2024 Rural Mahnomen County
    Grant: $4,626,012, Local Match: $1,542,008, Total Budget: $6,168,020
  • In 2018, Garden Valley Telephone Company received a $20 million loan from the USDA to deploy fiber in Polk, Clearwater, Pennington, Marshall and Red Lake counties.

Find more articles on broadband in Clearwater County. (http://tinyurl.com/homdjrt)

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)

Cook County Broadband Profile 2025: Yellow Rating: Ranking out 35 of 87

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Rank: 35
Code: Yellow
(See Blandin Foundation interactive map)

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Cook 93.02 40 92.97 35 92.97 12 8

 Cook County: stalled and not much help coming from BEAD

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 83 locations in Cook County. All of the locations will get satellite connections, 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. (Cook has not benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So maybe that’s a route to consider.) Statewide, there have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty.

Cook County has been so close for so long but the proposed BEAD funding will not help Cook County reach the MN State speed goals, so I have to bump them to a Yellow status.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 92.97 91.61 90.36 90.95 94.5 94.5 94.5 94.5 94.46
25/3 (2022 goal) 93.02 92.01 90.68 90.99 94.5 94.5 94.5 94.5 94.5

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 Cook: 83
The locations all satellite 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
Cook                                      77                                         6                                      83 Cook

 

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 Cook County, $8,000 was invested in one project over the years.

No New Posts from 2025

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $4.5 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, Cook ranked 29 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.

Past Grants:

  • 2010: Cook County formed a partnership with Arrowhead Electric Cooperative, which applied for and was awarded over $16 million in federal stimulus grants and low interest loans to build a fiber-to-the-home broadband network throughout Cook County.
  • In addition, Cook County awarded Arrowhead Cooperative a $4 million grant from the 1% sales tax fund.

Find more articles on broadband in Cook County. (http://tinyurl.com/hgbzlt7)

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)

Clay County Broadband Profile 2025: Green Rating: Ranking out 34 of 87

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

county 25/3 253 rank 100/20 10020 rank Gig gig rank Providers
Clay 95.87 34 93.61 34 19.91 85 14

Clay County: Continued improvement gets closer to the goal

Clay County has seen continued improvement in broadband access, most recent cause was probably their $5 million ReConnect award.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 30 locations in Clay County. Some of the locations will get fiber and some 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. (Clay 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.

Clay County retains green status due to continued progress.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
100/20 (2026 goal) 93.61 87.89 90.71 92.06 89.08 87.57 82.32 82.52 74.13
25/3 (2022 goal) 95.87 93.23 96.75 95.56 95.66 90.31 95.82 95.45 83.15

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 Clay: 30
The locations include a majority of satellite and fixed wireless connections.

County Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services LLC Tekstar Communications, Inc. (Arvig) Locations         Grand Total County
Technology Type Low Earth Orbit Satellite Fiber
Clay                                      13                                      17                                      30 Clay

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.

Clay has not invested over the years.

New Posts from 2025:

Highlights from Past Reports

  • 2023 estimates indicated that it would cost $2.6 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, Clay ranked 27 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.
  • Clay County will benefit from a ReConnect award: Red River Rural Telephone Association – The investment will be used to deploy high-speed fiber optics to 17 businesses, 55 farms, and one school in Clay County, and 482 people will benefit. They received $5,166,742 as a grant.

Past Grants

  • Red River Communications – Red River – Rural Hawley
    Grant: $970,411, Local Match: $970,411, Total Budget: $1,940,822
  • 2022: 702 Communications – Western Clay County Kragnes Township– GRANT $2,624,830
  • 2019: Arvig (Loretel Systems, Inc.) – Cormorant Lakes Area Project – GRANT $430,780

Find more articles on broadband in Clay County. (http://tinyurl.com/hcgg9rm)

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)