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Lake of the Woods County

Table of goal data by year
Year 100/20 Mbps 1 Gbps
2025 #36 – 91.79% #56 – 47.38%
2024 #34 – 90.22%
2023 #53 – 78.82%
2022 #59 – 74.26%
2021 #55 – 74.31%
2020 #73 – 54.66%
2019 #65 – 53.93%
2018 #52 – 50.47%
2017 #85 – 0%
Coverage map graphic

Red dots represent unserved locations.

Lake of the Woods County: Progress in the last year

Lake of the Woods County saw incremental progress in the last year. Last year, they saw nice progress in the last year and that is why their ranking went from red to yellow. The incremental increase in 2025 helps them retain their Yellow.

I don’t hear much about their broadband efforts and they have had no Line Extension or MN Broadband grants in 2024 but I’m hoping the latest success build a momentum leading up to BEAD opportunities.

At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 1,437 locations in Anoka 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. (Anoka 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

1.9

Number of Providers

5

As of 2025 · Source: MN DEED

Households with Device Access

A Device 81.7% 95.5%
statewide
Desktop or Laptop 70.2% 83.2%
statewide
Smartphone 62.8% 90.1%
statewide
Tablet 40.4% 65.8%
statewide
Other 1.1% 2.3%
statewide

Has Worked with Blandin Foundation

Yes

Has Received MN Grant(s)

Yes

2016 – SJOBERG’S INC. ROSEAU AND LAKE OF THE WOODS COUNTIES — GRANT: $354,740

2016 – WIKSTROM TELEPHONE COMPANY WIKTEL NW MN – GRANT: $950,823

2019 – Wikstrom Telephone – Wiktel NW MN Broadband Project – GRANT $1,151,526

2022 – Wikstrom Telephone Co. Inc, $665,699.00 (to serve Beltrami, Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Marshall)

Government Districts

U.S. Congress: CD 8

MN Senate: 02

MN House: 02A

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Overlapping MN Reservations

Red Lake Reservation

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