Douglas County
| Year | Rank | 100/20 Mbps |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | #53 of 87 | 83.48% |
| 2023 | #57 of 87 | 77.58% |
| 2022 | #58 of 87 | 74.59% |
| 2021 | #59 of 87 | 72.89% |
| 2020 | #57 of 87 | 70% |
| 2019 | #56 of 87 | 68.82% |
| 2018 | #76 of 87 | 25.56% |
| 2017 | #80 of 87 | 7.68% |
Red dots represent unserved locations.
Wired (wireline) and wireless (fixed, non-mobile) served location percentage at various speeds.
Douglas County: Slow Improvement but Engaged Providers
Douglas County ranks 53 (up four places) for broadband access out of 87 counties. Douglas has seen incremental gains up to for several years. Douglas County has historically done well with border to border grants because they have a few providers that are engaged. They continue to make incremental progress but retain their yellow rank until they get closer to goal.
- Over the years, Douglas County (or cities within) has invested $72,400 (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.
- Douglas County will benefit from a 2024 $223,521 MN Broadband grant award that will serve 52 locations.
- Douglas County will benefit from 9 line extension awards (Rounds 1 and 2), which extend broadband to individual locations.
- Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $39 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, Douglas ranked 15 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.
Household Density
26.1
Number of Providers
15
As of 2023 · Source: MN DEED
Households with Device Access
statewide
statewide
statewide
statewide
statewide
Has Worked with Blandin Foundation
No
Has Received MN Grant(s)
Yes
2015 – Runestone Telephone Association – Holmes City – Grant award: $189,990
2016 – GARDONVILLE COOPERATIVE TELEPHONE DOUGLAS COUNTY LAKE LOUISE – GRANT: $68,240
2016 – RUNESTONE TELEPHONE HOLMES CITY 2 — GRANT: $700,674
2017 – Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association – Douglas County: Country Estates FTTH Project – GRANT $101,624
2017 – Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association – Douglas County: Pospisil Drive FTTH Project – GRANT $54,155
2019 – Charter Communications – Lake Carlos Project – GRANT $74,540
2019 – Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association – Krohnfeldt Drive FTTH Project – GRANT $42,921
2019 – Runestone Telecom Association – South Alexandria Project – GRANT $1,760,423
Arvig (Tekstar Communications, Inc.) – Lake Osakis, Sauk Lake & Smith Lake Project – GRANT $486,458 This middle and last mile project will upgrade approximately 230 unserved and 39 underserved locations in Todd and Douglas counties.
Charter Communications (Spectrum) – West Lake Carlos – GRANT $24,450
This middle and last mile project will serve approximately 42 unserved households on the west side of Lake Carlos in Douglas County.
Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association – Douglas County – County Road 34 FTTH Project – GRANT $1,551,370 This last mile project will serve 71 unserved and 544 underserved locations in Ida and Carlos townships in Douglas County.
Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association – Douglas County – Hazel Hill Road FTTH Project – GRANT $692,929 This middle and last mile project will serve 212 unserved households, 79 unserved businesses and one unserved farm in Alexandria Township in Douglas County.
Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association – Douglas County – Town Hall Road FTTH Project – GRANT $90,251 This last mile project will serve 46 unserved and 3 underserved locations in La Grand Township in Douglas County
Gardonville Cooperative Telephone – Buckskin – GRANT $857,013
2022 – Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association, $1,212,337.50
2022 – ReConnect Tekstar Communications $12,602,274
2023 – Gardonville Cooperative Telephone – Carlos – GRANT $665,950
2024:
- County: Douglas
Gardonville Cooperative Telephone
Gardonville – Douglas Cty
Grant: $223,521
Local Match: $223,522
Total Budget: $447,043
Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association, a non-profit cooperative since 1943 and based in Brandon, MN, will build fiber to 5 non-contiguous areas across Douglas County to include parts of La Grand Township, Hudson Township, and Alexandria Township. This project will improve broadband speeds up to 1 Gbps and will serve 52 locations, primarily households and home based businesses. With 30% of Alexandria Public School District’s students lacking broadband at home, the project will help more students access the wide array of online learning opportunities, thereby providing more tools for the schools to bridge the achievement gaps they struggle to eliminate.
Government Districts
U.S. Congress: CD 7
MN Senate: 09, 12
MN House: 09B, 12B