Internet Providers in Bemidji, Minnesota
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Residential Internet Statistics for Bemidji, MN
Wired Internet Providers: | 6 |
---|---|
Average Speed Test Result: | 69.41 Mbps |
Top Advertised Speed: | 5,000 Mbps |
No Broadband Access: | 0.08% |
Most Popular Residential Internet Providers in Bemidji, Minnesota
Internet Access in Bemidji, Minnesota
3-4 Internet Service Providers, or "ISPs." are available for the average Bemidji resident. This is actually a good amount of competition in comparison to similar-sized cities in Minnesota. Competition between two or more broadband providers in a city often results in lower pricing.
Paul Bunyan Telephone and CenturyLink can also provide coverage in Bemidji, often competing for the same customers.
Coverage from the two most common companies, Viasat Internet (formerly Exede) and HughesNet, in general, will overlap. As residents might expect, the decision between Viasat and HughesNet is common.
The plans listed above are manually gathered through our data analysis team.
In summary, Bemidji's Internet infrastructure follows a common pattern in Minnesota cities: strong access to cable and DSL, with the catch that most houses or apartments are stuck with a single company for setting up either service. This pattern results from the fact that Broadband Internet providers started as cable television and landline telephone corporations. So, they already own pre-existing wired networks to deliver broadband bundles. Fiber is growing as an alternative. While not all "Fiber" plans are 100% "Fiber to the Home" connections, 98.22 percent of Bemidji has coverage by fiber stretching at least as far as the building property.
- There are 8 internet providers in Bemidji with 8 of those offering residential service
- Bemidji is the 260th most connected city in Minnesota ahead of Shevlin, Blackduck, Laporte, and Bagley, but behind Cass Lake.
- Explore internet access for communities within Bemidji: Turtle River
- The fastest zip code in Bemidji for February 2021 is 56601. (see all below).
Internet Statistics 2021
2.9% of consumers in Bemidji
900 People Only have access to 1 or fewer wired internet providers available at their address.This data is calculated from FCC datasets which providers are legally required to supply twice a year. We further validate this data for accuracy.
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Summary Of Fastest Internet Providers In Bemidji, Minnesota
Provider | Speed | Type | Time To Download 1 GB |
---|---|---|---|
Paul Bunyan Telephone | 1,000 Mbps | Fiber and DSL | 8s |
Midco | 5,000 Mbps | Cable and Fiber | 1s |
CenturyLink | 940 Mbps | DSL and Fiber | 8s |
Viasat Internet (formerly Exede) | 50 Mbps | Satellite | 2m 43s |
HughesNet | 25 Mbps | Satellite | 5m 27s |
Summary of Internet Providers Availability in Bemidji, Minnesota
- Paul Bunyan Telephone - 98.2% Availability in Bemidji - Speeds up to 1,000 Mbps
- Midco - 76.8% Availability in Bemidji - Speeds up to 5,000 Mbps
- CenturyLink - 79.0% Availability in Bemidji - Speeds up to 940 Mbps
- Viasat - 100.0% Availability in Bemidji - Speeds up to 50 Mbps
- HughesNet - 100.0% Availability in Bemidji - Speeds up to 25 Mbps
Internet Providers in Nearby Cities
Internet Provider Competition Map For Bemidji

The “Connected” metric is a citywide average based on FCC data showing the density of broadband options at the census block level.
This statistic is drawn from the population in census blocks not served by at least one wired broadband provider.
Fiber coverage data is sourced from FCC Form 477 filings and cross-validated through BroadbandNow with private datasets and direct provider reporting.
This coverage statistic is based on a mix of FCC and private provider reporting in the past two quarters.
Zip-based speed averages are calculated from M-Labs consumer speed tests run by IP addresses in the area.
25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload is the minimum speed for an Internet connection to be classified as “Broadband” by the FCC.
Broadband Access for Education in Bemidji
Bemidji State University and Oak Hills Christian College are the biggest universities in Bemidji. For the 5,127 combined students living in the area, strong internet access is a must for accessing online course materials and conducting research. Students living surrounding Bemidji State University and Oak Hills Christian College are likely to be choosing between the major providers outlined above. Speed test records from the zip where both campuses are located show an average speed of 69.82 Mbps. Average speeds can be different since they reflect household network issues, and the real speed you can achieve shouldn't be less than 10–30percent below the advertised speeds here. FCC and US Government reports often cite the need to better internet service access for college and high school students. There is a recognized correlation between increased high-speed internet service access and increased education/employment opportunities, especially in small cities and rural areas.
Data Cap Issues Around Bemidji
Data from our researchers suggests that common providers in the area use data caps on home broadband packages. Data caps are controversial since subscribers see caps as a strategy for limiting "cord cutting". Providers insist data caps are a reasonable strategy as they struggle to manage network traffic. Either way, the problem is the same: video streaming, which easily eats up anywhere from 1–7GB per hour.
Internet access in Bemidji neighborhoods
We've gathered data on Internet availability for all these neighborhoods within Bemidji: Turtle River.