Assignment 2:

Internet Access in Olmsted County

Table 1. Public Internet Access Points

Internet Access Point / Address
Rochester Public Library / 101 2nd Street Southeast
Rochester, MN
Chatfield Public Library / 314 Main Street South
Chatfield, MN
Stewartville Public Library / 110 2nd Street Southeast
Stewartville, MN
Van Horn Public Library / 115 3rd Street Southeast
Pine Island, MN
History Center ofOlmsted County / 1195 West Circle Drive SW
Rochester, MN 55902
Barnes and Noble Booksellers / 15 1st St SW
Rochester, MN 55902
McDonald’s / 5500 E FrontageRd
Rochester, MN 55901
Rochester International Airport / 98 HelgersonDr SW
Rochester, MN 55902

Figure 1. Density of Broadband Providers in Olmsted County, MN

Table 2.Examples of broadband service

Number of Residential Internet providers / % of consumers with 1 or fewer wired internet options available to them / Number of institutions that offer publicly funded Internet access / % of area with Internet availability (download speeds faster than 25 Mbps)
Chatfield (55923) / 8 / 36.1 / 2 / 70
Rochester (55904) / 10 / 4.2 / 30 / 98
Minnesota / 260 / n/a / n/a / 90
US / n/a / n/a / n/a / 79

Discussion

  • Overall availability

The overall availability of broadband Internet access in Olmsted County varies, with less availability and fewer providers in rural areas compared with more urban areas in and around Rochester. From Figure 1, looking at the whole county it seems like there is either excellent access to high-speed internet, or almost no access. Table 2 also indicates that rural areas have lower quality service than areas that are more urban.Comparing the small rural town of Chatfield to a more urban area in Rochester, Chatfield residents have less access to high download speeds (70% vs 98%), fewer options of internet providers (fewer providers and a higher percentage of households that only have access to 1 internet provider), and a small fraction of the number of public facilities that have Internet access (2 versus 30). Chatfield also has lower quality service than the average Minnesota resident and the average US resident. On the other hand, Rochester compares favorably to the rest of the state and the US, with 98% of the Rochester area having good broadband availability (8% higher than the state overall and 19% higher than the US overall).

The number of providers in an area is important. With fewer providers there is less competition,and providers might be able to charge higher prices. Therefore, having multiple providers might keep Internet access affordable for more people. In this respect, areas in and around Rochester, with a choice of up to 10 different providers and only 4% of consumers limited to 1 choice, may have more affordable Internet service than in other areas of the county.

Options for Accessing the Internet

  • Retired person on limited budget with old computer and no internet access

A retired person living in Rochester with a limited budget may have a difficult time acquiring and accessing internet services without a serious investment in new technology. Free options for internet access may be the most useful to retired persons with limited budgets. Rochester Public Library is centrally located in town. There are alsoseveral other public library locations which provide free internet access.Unfortunately, places like Barnes and Noble or McDonald's likely do not have computer stations. However, the History Center of Olmsted County does have a computer with internet access.Although there are several libraries throughout Olmsted County, getting internet access will be difficult for retired persons with limited budgets. Even if wireless access is available, without a laptop or mobile device, the internet access is not useful for this population.

  • Middle-class person with children needing high speed access and looking for a bargain

A middle-class person with children needing high speed access may be able to find a bargain in Rochester, MN, by looking to local broadband providers. Because there are many providers in the area, competition generates a lot of promotional offers that may help make access more affordable.

  • Living outside of Rochester

In other areas of Olmsted County, locating internet access will be more difficult, especially in more rural areas outside of Rochester. For example, in the township of Chatfield, 30% of the area has slow or no broadband access. Further, the only publicly funded Internet sites in this area is a library with limited hours. This indicates that in some areas, residents may not be able to access any internet service providers at all; and families may have to rely on children only accessing the Internet at school.

Sources

  • NTIA/FCC Broadband Map:
  • Charter Cable:
  • CenturyLink:
  • Rochester Public Library:
  • Chatfield Public Library:
  • Stewartville Public Library: