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Itasca County

Table of goal data by year
Year Rank 100/20 Mbps
2023 #31 of 87 88.39%
2022 #31 of 87 85.5%
2021 #29 of 87 86.65%
2020 #28 of 87 84.14%
2019 #27 of 87 83.06%
2018 #23 of 87 79.44%
2017 #21 of 87 76.35%

Itasca County: Recent Grant Will Help Improve Access

Itasca County ranks 31 for broadband access out of 87 counties. They have 88.39 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up. They have 2806 households without access to broadband at that speed. Estimates indicate that it will cost $26 million to get to ubiquitous broadband in the county.

Itasca County is home to the Blandin Foundation and the community is engaged in broadband development; in early 2022, they looked at the local digital divide before and after/during COVID pandemic.

They have hovered around 85 percent coverage to broadband of 100 Mbps down and 20 up since 2019. In 2023, Paul Bunyan Telephone was awarded $10 million in ReConnect funds for networks in Hubbard, Itasca, and St. Louis counties. That should help close some gaps but not to the point of earning a green versus yellow ranking.

Household Density

8.3

Number of Providers

17

As of 2023 · Source: MN DEED

Households with Device Access

A Device 85.1% 95.5%
statewide
Desktop or Laptop 73.6% 83.2%
statewide
Smartphone 67.4% 90.1%
statewide
Tablet 52.0% 65.8%
statewide
Other 2.5% 2.3%
statewide

Has Worked with Blandin Foundation

Yes

Has Received MN Grant(s)

Yes

2015 – Paul Bunyan Central Itasca County Fiber – Grant Award: $1,980,000

2016 MEDIACOM HARRIS TOWNSHIP – GRANT: $224,369

2016 – PAUL BUNYAN COMMUNICATIONS HUBBARD, BECKER & ITASCA COUNTIES – GRANT: $1,742,232

2017 – Paul Bunyan Communications – North Central Fiber – GRANT $802,620

Paul Bunyan Communications – North Central Minnesota Fiber Project– GRANT $2,562,916

2023 – Paul Bunyan Telephone awarded $10 million in ReConnect funds for networks in Hubbard, Itasca, and St. Louis counties

Government Districts

U.S. Congress: CD 8

MN Senate: 02, 03, 06, 07

MN House: 02B, 03A, 06A, 07A

Find Your Representatives

Overlapping MN Reservations

Bois Forte Reservation

Leech Lake Reservation

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