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Crow Wing County

Table of goal data by year
Year Rank 100/20 Mbps
2023 #37 of 87 85.84%
2022 #28 of 87 87.51%
2021 #30 of 87 86.38%
2020 #26 of 87 86.6%
2019 #22 of 87 88.04%
2018 #61 of 87 41.66%
2017 #63 of 87 33.13%

Crow Wing County: Need a Push to Get Ubiquitous Broadband

Crow Wing County ranks 37 (down 9) for broadband access out of 87 counties. They have 85.84 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up. They have 5482 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $51 million to get to ubiquitous broadband in the county.

Crow Wing County has been hovering at 87 percent access since 2019. This year their access and ranking have dipped. It’s likely due to map corrections or challenges but it does mean getting farther from their goal.

They did get some good news in the last year. In December 2022, Tri-Co Technologies got $343,552 to serve approximately 245 unserved households in Crow Wing County. In 2023, CTC began a $5.7 million project to expand its broadband fiber optic network to approximately 500 unserved or underserved locations. In June 2023, the Commissioners of Crow Wing County submitted a Request for Proposal from broadband providers interested in serving the area.

Crow Wing County residents were awarded 183 line extension funding requests, which means state funding will subsidize last mile broadband extension to their homes.

Crow Wing County is getting an optimistic green code; they have been stagnant but it seems as if actions are being made toward improvement.

Household Density

33.5

Number of Providers

16

As of 2023 · Source: MN DEED

Households with Device Access

A Device 88.4% 95.5%
statewide
Desktop or Laptop 77.4% 83.2%
statewide
Smartphone 73.3% 90.1%
statewide
Tablet 56.1% 65.8%
statewide
Other 2.9% 2.3%
statewide

Has Worked with Blandin Foundation

Yes

For a list of community broadband adoption projects, see the Blandin matrix…https://blandinfoundation.org/content/uploads/vy/BBC_2015-16_Project_Matrix.pdf

Has Received MN Grant(s)

Yes

2014 – Consolidated Telephone Cooperative, Region 5 Virtual Highway Project – Amount $2 million

2015 – Consolidated Telecommunications Company – Fort Ripley Phase II
Grant award: $759,525

2016 – TDS TELECOM CASS & CROW WING COUNTIES — GRANT: $3,000,000

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.

2022 – Tri-Co Technologies, LLC dba Crosslake Communications, $343,552.00

Government Districts

U.S. Congress: CD 8

MN Senate: 06, 10

MN House: 06A, 06B, 10A

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