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Carlton County

Table of goal data by year
Year Rank 100/20 Mbps
2023 #82 of 87 54.47%
2022 #83 of 87 48.71%
2021 #79 of 87 52.08%
2020 #77 of 87 52.02%
2019 #73 of 87 47.57%
2018 #44 of 87 58.22%
2017 #40 of 87 52.32%

Carlton County: Hard Overcoming a National Incumbent Provider

Carlton County ranks 82 for broadband access of 73 counties; up one place from last year. They have 6407 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $59.5 million to get to ubiquitous broadband in the county.

Carlton County saw a slight bump from 83 to 82 but they are still in the bottom 10 ranking. Two projects in Carlton County got funding at the end of 2022, totaling more than $5 million so that will help them reach the broadband goal. In 2023, SCI did get $1.3 million grant Border to Border grant to serve 503 households and businesses in the townships of Barnum, Eagle Lake, Lakeview and Moose Lake. Upsala Cooperative Telephone has applied for the latest (and undecided at time of posting) round of Border to Border funding for a project in Carlton County.

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

Carlton County residents were awarded 11 line extension funding requests, which means state funding will subsidize last mile broadband extension to their homes.

Carlton County still gets a red ranking but I’m hopeful that the influx of funding will encourage more.

Household Density

16.1

Number of Providers

16

As of 2023 · Source: MN DEED

Households with Device Access

A Device 85.1% 95.5%
statewide
Desktop or Laptop 73.5% 83.2%
statewide
Smartphone 71.0% 90.1%
statewide
Tablet 54.1% 65.8%
statewide
Other 2.2% 2.3%
statewide

Has Worked with Blandin Foundation

Yes

Has Received MN Grant(s)

Yes

2017 – Carlton County w/ Frontier – Phase I: Cromwell/Kettle River – GRANT: $569,058

Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa – Big Lake Road Project – GRANT $602,916

2022 – Mediacom Minnesota LLC, $801,834.27 – for a project with a cost of $2,719,526

2022 – Consolidated Telephone Company (CTC) was one of the grant recipients, receiving $4,857,030 in funding (to cover St. Louis, Carlton, and Cass counties)

2023 – Carlton County Broadband Expansion – GRANT $1,271,835

Government Districts

U.S. Congress: CD 8

MN Senate: 11

MN House: 11A

Find Your Representatives

Overlapping MN Reservations

Fond du Lac Reservation

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