Julio Ojeda-Zapata

Though slow in coming, access to high-speed Internet around the state of Minnesota is on the rise. This includes wired access with physical connections via copper, coaxial or fiber-optic technologies, and wireless from cellular operators AT&T and Verizon.

Wireless, though, usually complements and does not replace physical access for most consumers because of caps on data usage. Verizon Wireless, Minnesota's wireless-Internet leader, has blanketed most of the state with high-speed service.

Rival AT&T is hot on Verizon's heels, offering rapidly expanding wireless-data service of its own. This means most outstate Minnesotans, if they have AT&T or Verizon, have Internet-access speeds that would have seemed like science fiction a decade ago -- provided they're willing to access their carrier's data plan.