More, Better Broadband for Minnesota

Speed Test Fact Sheet
Connected Minnesota

Connected Minnesota is a spin-off of Connected Nation, a national non-profit organization begun in Kentucky.  The Minnesota Department of Commerce has hired Connected Minnesota to map the availability of broadband services throughout the state and to determine what connection speeds are available from Internet Service Providers.  The results of these efforts will inform the MN Ultra High Speed Broadband Task Force, state agencies and legislators as they create Minnesota’s broadband policies and programs.

Connected Minnesota has surveyed broadband providers across the state to gather information on the types of services provided by location.  Interactive online maps will be made available to policy makers and the general public.  This will enable providers and policy makers to focus broadband development efforts on areas that are unserved or underserved in terms of advanced broadband services.

The Connected Minnesota web site (www.connectedmn.org) serves several purposes.  The site hosts a speed test for measuring a resident’s or home business’ Internet connection speed.  The test is simple to take, provides immediate feedback and collects users’ information by county.  The site also enables people without available broadband services to report that lack of service to their particular address.  This data will be cross-checked with information submitted by telecommunications providers. The site also provides information about the value of broadband.

Connected Nation/Minnesota has been met with some skepticism due to the testing, verification and transparency of the process for gathering data, the lack of public access to the data provided by Internet Service Providers and the close ties between Connected Nation and the telecommunications industry.

Consumers should access the Connected Minnesota site as soon as possible to conduct their test as the firm’s final report is due to state officials in May.