MN Broadband Conference 2018

1. Le Sueur County Broadband
Plan
Planning Charrette Findings

2. Current Coverage

3. •Our vision: Universal access to high
quality broadband internet (Fiber to
the home/business preferred,
realistically multiple modalities )

4. • Existing providers:
Bevcomm
Frontier
Consolidated
Centurylink
Lonsdale Telephone Company
Jaguar
Comcast
Midco
Mediacom
LTD

5. • Demographics
• Le Sueur County Population 27,881
• Growth trends are slow to moderate growth over the foreseeable future
• Per capita income Le Sueur County $25,958 State average $29,582
• Road Miles
• Rural 890
• Urban 151
• Number of Passings
• 10,997 Households in Le Sueur County
• 50 multi-family buildings of 4 or more units, 922 rental units
• 1168 Commercial Parcels, About 800 Businesses
:

6. • Geography
Sandy loam to clay loam soil with isolated rocks
Gently rolling in majority of County with deep ravines and river valley in Western
Le Sueur County

7. Community survey results

8. Our Plan Summary
• Expand survey to more individuals
• Apply for Blandin Grant matching feasiblity study
• Conduct feasibility study
• Generate more grassroots involvement and interest
• Re-engage internet providers

9. Key Assets
• Good business and industry base
• Schools and Libraries involved in process
• Multiple internet providers in area with assets and interest in projects
• Early survey results that support broadband improvement
• Pole line with existing infrastructure
• Existing towers in place
• Location of county between to regional economic centers

10. Technology Decisions
• Hybrid Wireless vs. Fiber
• Aerial fiber vs. buried fiber

11. Partnerships
• Potential for multiple partnerships
• Willing partners involved
• Providers with a history of partnering
• Utility companies interested in participating
• Businesses eager to partner

12. Finance
• DEED Grants
• USDA Grants
• County has good bond rating (AA+) and bonding capacity
• Likely Township involvement

13. Challenges
• Financing
• Low hanging fruit has been picked
• Geography (river valley)
• High degree of tax burden on Agriculture
• School funding depends on same income source
• CAF II Awards creates competition uncertainly