Mower County (MN) Maps Broadband Expansion for Underserved Areas

Federal and state funds will be used to expand access to high speed Internet in underserved areas of Mower County (MN). While it's getting better, there is still work to do in getting high-speed Internet to all corners of the county. County Administrator Trish Harren laid out where the county currently stands in getting better broadband Internet coverage for the county. As of 2021, nearly 85% of the county's residents had access to broadband, but that access is mostly condensed to high population densities, which includes Austin and small town areas. Where Internet providers choose to build out has a direct correlation to population centers and the access to business. Nearly 90% of the geographical makeup of Mower remains underserved. That leaves large swaths of the county with either spotty coverage or no coverage at all. However, a pair of funding opportunities are allowing the county some flexibility in terms of filling out that coverage. Through the Federal Communications Commission's based Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) and Minnesota Border to Border (BTB) grants, Mower County is hoping to spread that access even further.