Blue Earth County

Table of goal data by year

Year	Rank	100/20 Mbps
2021	#40 of 87	80.76%
2020	#43 of 87	77.81%
2019	#40 of 87	77.91%
2018	#83 of 87	14.13%
2017	#37 of 87	55.6%

Coverage Map

Rank: 40 (out of 87) for access to 100/20 megabits per second (Mbps)

Blue Earth County saw a big leap in access in 2019. Since then they have been stagnant, although they saw a small increase this year, getting them over 80 percent.

In 2020, they unveiled a feasibility study that said it could cost more than $35 million to install 1,067 miles of fiber to connect all rural areas of Blue Earth County, excluding the Mankato area and larger cities such as Lake Crystal and Madison Lake. A combination of wireless networks and fiber, about 161 miles in total, would cost about $11 million to install.

That feasibility study gives them a blueprint of plans to use to apply for federal funding being made available post- pandemic, including the Capital Project Funding and American Rescue Plan (ARP). Projection for allocation of ARP funds in Blue Earth is $13,120,883; broadband is one possible use. Working on the feasibility indicates a renewed community focus on broadband. That is why their ranking is bumped from red to yellow.

Past Grants: none

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