Pennington County
| Year | 100/20 Mbps | 1 Gbps |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #10 – 99.44% | #14 – 89.77% |
| 2024 | #6 – 99.51% | |
| 2023 | #7 – 99.53% | |
| 2022 | #6 – 99.4% | |
| 2021 | #10 – 98.19% | |
| 2020 | #10 – 96.95% | |
| 2019 | #11 – 96.18% | |
| 2018 | #12 – 90.75% | |
| 2017 | #77 – 9.63% |
Red dots represent unserved locations.
Pennington County: inching closer
In 2018, Pennington went from 9 percent access to 90 percent with the help of state (border to border) and federal loan (USDA to Garden Valley). They have had steady improvement ever since, which is why they earn a green code. They are very close to goal and retain their Green status.
At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 86 locations in Pennington County. The locations will get a satellite, 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. (Pennington has benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that might be a strategy worth considering.)
Statewide, there have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty.
Household Density
9.0
Number of Providers
9
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
2019 – Wikstrom Telephone – Wiktel NW MN Broadband Project – GRANT $1,151,526
2017 – Sjoberg’s Inc. – NW MN Rural Broadband – GRANT $307,088
2016 – CENTURYLINK THIEF RIVER MIDDLE MILE – GRANT: $1,324,400
2016 – GARDEN VALLEY TELEPHONE COMPANY RURAL THIEF RIVER FALLS EAST – GRANT: $2,027,035
There is a matrix of Minnesota broadband adoption projects.