Cook County

Table of goal data by year

Year	Rank	100/20 Mbps
2024	#33 of 87	91.61%
2023	#26 of 87	90.36%
2022	#22 of 87	90.95%
2021	#16 of 87	94.5%
2020	#14 of 87	94.5%
2019	#13 of 87	94.5%
2018	#10 of 87	94.5%
2017	#12 of 87	94.46%

Red dots represent unserved locations.

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

Cook County: Stalled With Pretty Good Coverage

Cook County’s ranks dips from 26 to 33 for broadband access out of 87 counties. Cook County has had more than 90 percent broadband coverage at speeds of 100/20 Mbps since we started tracking progress, thanks to a federal ARRA funding in 2010.

Cook County has been so close for so long. However, there are reports on the impact of RDOF funded deployment. So despite the dip in ranking, Cook maintains a green rank.

• Over the years, Cook County (or cities within) has invested $8,000 (total) for matches for 1 successful MN Broadband grant. This is an indicator of local government that is engaged and (literally) invested in better, local broadband. (Cook also made a large investment in federal ARRA funds in 2010.)
• Cook County will not from a recent MN Broadband grant award.
• Cook County will not benefit from ant line extension awards.
• Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $4.5 million 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. Yet, I think the number is still helpful.)
• In 2022, Cook ranked 29 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.
• WTIP reports that in 2023, Arrowhead Cooperative oversaw the installment of 19.3 miles of infrastructure.