Stearns County
| Year | Rank | 100/20 Mbps |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | #37 of 87 | 89.28% |
| 2023 | #42 of 87 | 84.68% |
| 2022 | #33 of 87 | 84.69% |
| 2021 | #36 of 87 | 84.71% |
| 2020 | #34 of 87 | 82.41% |
| 2019 | #32 of 87 | 81.07% |
| 2018 | #64 of 87 | 40.17% |
| 2017 | #58 of 87 | 38.01% |
Red dots represent unserved locations.
Wired (wireline) and wireless (fixed, non-mobile) served location percentage at various speeds.
Stearns Bump Up From Green to Yellow but With Grants on the Way
Stearns County ranks 65 (down 23 points) for broadband access and out of 87 counties; their coverage has also gone down, which is likely due to more stringent mapping.
Stearns County saw a great increase in broadband in 2019 and have been stagnant since that time. They will benefit from $10 million in MN State Broadband Grants. That should help bump up coverage for next year. For this year, they get a yellow rank.
- Over the years, Stearns County (or cities within) has invested $9,747,192 (total) for matches for 5 successful MN Broadband grants. This is an indicator of local government that is engaged and (literally) invested in better, local broadband.
- Stearns County will benefit from four Broadband grants:
$1.5 million to serve 153 locations
$700,000 to serve 113 locations,
$7.1 million to serve 108 locations and
$900,000 to serve 55 locations - Stearns County will benefit from 16 line extension awards (Rounds 1 and 2), which extend broadband to individual locations.
- Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $73.1 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, Stearns ranked 31 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.
Household Density
36.9
Number of Providers
25
As of 2023 · 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