Wright County

Table of goal data by year

Year	25/3 Mbps	100/20 Mbps
2020	#27 of 87 89.69%	#33 of 87 82.51%
2019	#33 of 87 91.07%	#33 of 87 81.02%
2018	#32 of 87 87.89%	#21 of 87 80.61%
2017	#41 of 87 81.17%	#65 of 87 29.26%

Coverage Map

Rank: 32 (out of 87) for access to 100/20 megabits per second (Mbps)

Wright County is home to Monticello, one of the much-discussed municipal broadband networks. Monticello built their own fiber network – but in process, the incumbent also built a fiber network and even sued the city. But it has worked out in the end, as reported by Monticello’s City Planner Jeff O’Neill on Munitnetworks’ podcast (September 2020).

Wright County has benefited from MN Border to Border grants in the past and they will benefit again as a project in their area received funding in the last grant award. Hopefully that will be enough to kick start an effort for great expansion.

What we learned in the past:

Wright County is home to Monticello, one of the much-discussed municipal broadband networks. Monticello built their own fiber network – but in process the incumbent also built a fiber network and even sued the city.

Wright County has benefited from a broadband grant:

• 2017 – Midco (Midcontinent Communications) – Annandale East – GRANT $537,050

Update from 2020:

Winona County is looking at options, such as wireless for broadband deployment. They have also been working on adoption; Winona Engage created a Facebook page to help the community stay connected during the COVID shut down. Within 48 hours, they have 3,000 members.

Wright County will benefit from a MN Border to Border grant project funding in the last round.

• Meeker Coop. Light & Power Assoc. (Vibrant Broadband) – Lake Louisa/Lake Marie Project – GRANT $297,940
  This last mile project will upgrade approximately 206 unserved locations in rural South Haven in Wright County. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota, Vibrant Broadband will improve broadband service levels up to 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload, meeting or exceeding the 2022 and 2026 state speed goals. Building a fiber-to-the-premise high-speed broadband services network that will assist households, businesses and farms in the proposed grant area by providing access to critical school e-learning applications, making agricultural operations more efficient and enhancing crop production through enabled precision agriculture tools, and providing effective telemedicine options that offset rising health care costs. The broadband network will improve the lives of all the citizens of the area, lessening the “technological divide” between urban and rural areas.
• The total eligible cost is $993,134
• Local match is $695,194

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