Stearns County
| Year | 100/20 Mbps | 1 Gbps |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #37 – 91.07% | #66 – 32.74% |
| 2024 | #37 – 89.28% | |
| 2023 | #42 – 84.68% | |
| 2022 | #33 – 84.69% | |
| 2021 | #36 – 84.71% | |
| 2020 | #34 – 82.41% | |
| 2019 | #32 – 81.07% | |
| 2018 | #64 – 40.17% | |
| 2017 | #58 – 38.01% |
Red dots represent unserved locations.
Stearns County: bump up from yellow to green with grants on the way
Stearns County saw a great increase in broadband access in 2025. They are set up to get funding for fiber through BEAD, which helped bump them into Green Status.
At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 1,651 locations in Stearns County. The majority of locations will fiber rest 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. (Stearns has benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that seems hopeful for them as well.)
Statewide, there have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty.
Household Density
36.9
Number of Providers
27
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
2024 Grants:
- County: Stearns
Runestone Telecom Association Crow Lake
Grant: $1,538,614
Local Match: $512,875
Total Budget: $2,051,489
This Low Density Runestone Telecom Association Crow Lake project will be a Last Mile project within Crow Lake Township in rural western Stearns County, improving the available broadband service speeds from under 25 Mbps to 1,000 Mbps, with room for future bandwidth needs for schools, farms, businesses, anchor institutions, and residents. This project will serve 153 locations, including 114 unserved and 39 served locations. Crow Lake Township is a funding partner with a contribution of $18,000. - County: Stearns
Arvig Stearns County Wakefield & Luxemburg Area
Grant: $708,790
Local Match: $866,299
Total Budget: $1,575,089
The Arvig Stearns County Wakefield & Luxemburg Area project will serve locations in Stearns County around the Wakefield and Luxemburg area, bringing fiber-to-the-home up to 10 Gbps download speeds and 1 Gbps upload, and to 10 Gbps for businesses. This project will bring reliable, fast fiber internet to this area for the first time, opening opportunities for 113 locations, including 46 unserved and 67 underserved locations. Stearns County is contributing $661,537 towards this project. - County: Stearns
Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association Paynesville Township
Grant: $542,077
Local Match: $662,538
Total Budget: $1,204,615
The Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association Paynesville Township project will provide fiber-to-the premise broadband access to rural sites in Paynesville Township in Stearns County, Minnesota. This project will improve unserved/underserved levels of service up to 1 gigabit per second download and upload speeds resulting in more efficient and effective e-learning, telemedicine options and enhanced precision agriculture tools to 108 locations, including 102 unserved and 6 underserved addresses. Stearns County and Paynesville Township have pledged $357,845 towards this project. - County: Stearns
AMTA – Stearns Phase 2
Grant: $7,123,175
Local Match: $13,287,069
Total Budget: $20,410,244
Albany will bring fiber to 1,395 locations. Albany’s Phase 2 project is east of its Stearns County Phase 1, currently under construction around the Holdingford area of Central Stearns County. In collaborating with Stearns County, Albany added a small area south of Interstate 94 south of Avon, as well as the rural area south of St. Joseph. Stearns County is a funding partner on this project, contributing $2.85M. - County: Stearns
Arvig
Arvig – Stearns Cty
Grant: $910,537
Local Match: $303,512
Total Budget: $1,214,049
This Border-to-Border project will extend broadband services to 55 locations in portions of Elrosa, Lake Henry, and Roscoe in Stearns County. All locations would be able to receive up to 10 Gbps download speeds and 1 Gbps upload (even to 10 Gbps for businesses). $218,528.81 of the project cost will be covered by Stearns County. Farms within the project area will have the opportunity for farmers to incorporate more technology to their farming efforts such as using smart irrigation systems and self-driving machinery.
2023 – Runestone Telephone Assoc. – Stearns County West Phase 2 – GRANT $4,800,000
2022 – Albany Mutual Telephone, $746,964.00
2022 – Melrose Telephone Co. dba Arvig, $4,974,570.00 (Learn more)
ReConnect funding through Upsala Cooperative Telephone Association in Morrison, Stearns and Todd counties.
MN State Grant awarded in 2021: Sytek Communications – Morrison/Todd/Stearns County FTTP Project – GRANT $1,048,668 This last mile project will bring service to 130 locations in Southwest Morrison, Southeastern Todd and Northeastern Stearns counties.
2017 – Albany Mutual Telephone Association – Two Rivers Area – GRANT $616,743
2016 – ALBANY MUTUAL TELEPHONE ASSOCIATION BIG WATAB LAKE – GRANT: $726,185
Arvig (Melrose Telephone Company) – Eden Valley & Melrose Area Project – GRANT $393,890
Government Districts
U.S. Congress: CD 6, CD 7
MN Senate: 12, 13, 14
MN House: 12A, 12B, 13A, 13B, 14A, 14B