Lincoln County

Table of goal data by year

Year	Rank	100/20 Mbps
2024	#15 of 87	98.08%
2023	#1 of 87	100%
2022	#2 of 87	99.99%
2021	#7 of 87	99.03%
2020	#84 of 87	40.42%
2019	#76 of 87	39.21%
2018	#66 of 87	39.21%
2017	#54 of 87	40%

Red dots represent unserved locations.

Wired (wireline) and wireless (fixed, non-mobile) served location percentage at various speeds.

Lincoln County – Winning Ubiquitous Coverage

Lincoln County rank dipped from 1 to 15 with coverage to broadband at speeds of 100 Mbps down and 20 up. I suspect this has to do with the difference in mapping, not a change in the county. But with federal (BEAD) funding being distributed in the near future, it’s nice to be eligible for funding to finish the job if they need it.

In 2021, ITC announced a fiber-optic expansion to the City of Ivanhoe in Lincoln County. Along with ITC’s investment in the fiber-optic expansion, this project is funded by the City of Ivanhoe and Lincoln County.

• Over the years, Lincoln County (or cities within) has not invested in matches for any successful MN Broadband grants.
• Lincoln County will not benefit from a 2024 MN Broadband grant.
• Lincoln County will not benefit from a line extension awards.
• Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost nothing to get ubiquitous broadband in the county. (I haven’t updated the number because recent report offers scenarios of costs based on BEAD funding rules that make current estimates less predictable than in the past.)
• In 2022, Lincoln ranked 65 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.