Waseca County
| Year | 100/20 Mbps | 1 Gbps |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #58 – 84.34% | #55 – 47.65% |
| 2024 | #69 – 74.91% | |
| 2023 | #64 – 76.12% | |
| 2022 | #55 – 75.12% | |
| 2021 | #52 – 75.02% | |
| 2020 | #46 – 75.34% | |
| 2019 | #43 – 75.2% | |
| 2018 | #25 – 75.06% | |
| 2017 | #3 – 98.75% |
Red dots represent unserved locations.
Waseca County: stalled at 85 percent broadband access
Waseca County’s broadband coverage increased nicely in 2025, enough to bump them from Red to Yellow status.
At the time of writing, the MN BEAD final proposal has not been approved, but the current proposal would mean coverage for 17 locations in Waseca County. The locations will get a 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. (Waseca has not benefitted from earlier Line Extension awards. So that seems like a strategy worth considering.)
Statewide, there have been changes with local and national broadband providers, which also leads to uncertainty.
Household Density
16.5
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
MN State Grants awarded in 2021: BEVCOMM (Cannon Valley Telecom, Inc.) – Rural Morristown Fiber Expansion Project – GRANT $210,692 This last mile project will serve approximately 14 unserved and 94 underserved locations in portions of Rice, Waseca, and Steele counties.
2024:
- County: Waseca
Bevcomm Inc Waseca County Fiber Expansion Project – Ph 2
Grant: $1,186,050
Local Match: $395,350
Total Budget: $1,581,400
This Low Density Bevcomm Inc Waseca County project will deploy underground fiber infrastructure across Alton, New Richland, and Saint Mary townships in rural Waseca County. This project will provide up to symmetrical Gigabit speeds with unlimited data to 163 homes, businesses, and farms, including 151 unserved and 12 underserved locations. Waseca County will be a funding partner for this project with a match amount of $165,000. - County: Waseca
Bevcomm Inc
Bevcomm – Waseca-Cty Fiber
Grant: $4,385,444
Local Match: $1,461,815
Total Budget: $5,847,259
This Lower-Density Population Grant application will build underground fiber infrastructure to 492 homes, businesses, and farms in rural Waseca County, delivering speeds up to a Gigabit symmetrically with unlimited data to each address served. This proposed project will cover 234 miles to portions of seven townships in Waseca County, including Alton, Byron, Freedom, Otisco, Saint Mary, Vivian, and Wilton. The project will serve a region that has been overlooked due to the high cost of building to rural agricultural areas. Waseca County is contributing $675,000.
Government Districts
U.S. Congress: CD 1
MN Senate: 19, 23
MN House: 19A, 19B, 23A