Itasca County
| Year | 100/20 Mbps | 1 Gbps |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #25 – 96.17% | #21 – 80.85% |
| 2024 | #32 – 91.62% | |
| 2023 | #31 – 88.39% | |
| 2022 | #31 – 85.5% | |
| 2021 | #29 – 86.65% | |
| 2020 | #28 – 84.14% | |
| 2019 | #27 – 83.06% | |
| 2018 | #23 – 79.44% | |
| 2017 | #21 – 76.35% |
Red dots represent unserved locations.
Itasca County: recent grant will help improve access
Itasca County continues to increase. It’s exciting to see the improvements over the last three years. That continued improvement earns them a Green status.
At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 266 locations in Itasca County. However, 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. (Itasca 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.
Household Density
8.3
Number of Providers
15
As of 2025 · Source: MN DEED
Households with Device Access
statewide
statewide
statewide
statewide
statewide
Has Worked with Blandin Foundation
Yes
Has Received MN Grant(s)
Yes
2015 – Paul Bunyan Central Itasca County Fiber – Grant Award: $1,980,000
2016 MEDIACOM HARRIS TOWNSHIP – GRANT: $224,369
2016 – PAUL BUNYAN COMMUNICATIONS HUBBARD, BECKER & ITASCA COUNTIES – GRANT: $1,742,232
2017 – Paul Bunyan Communications – North Central Fiber – GRANT $802,620
Paul Bunyan Communications – North Central Minnesota Fiber Project– GRANT $2,562,916
2023 – Paul Bunyan Telephone awarded $10 million in ReConnect funds for networks in Hubbard, Itasca, and St. Louis counties
Government Districts
U.S. Congress: CD 8
MN Senate: 02, 03, 06, 07
MN House: 02B, 03A, 06A, 07A