The folks at the Wireless Communications Association International were good enough to send me an update on their recent survey that revaled that 6 of the 17 Presidential candidates have announced a broadband policy while at least another 6 have yet to make any statements on broadband.
WCA has created a web site that tracks candidates’ comments and policies related to broadband. You can track new by topic, party, or candidate. (
We have another Speaker bio for the upcoming broadband conference…
Pete Royer
Short Bio
Currently Director of the Little Crow Telemedia Network, a 12 school technology Cooperative with 7 associate members. The LCTN provides broadband Internet to all 19 schools as well as Email filtering, centralized servers, videoconferencing and ITV. Through our cooperative purchasing with other K12 schools and Higher Ed entities in St. Cloud we offer low cost Broadband Internet and Internet 2 access. The LCTN is in the third evolution of fiber backbone equipment now operating at a gig backbone speed. The 19 districts share 30 mbps of Internet at just over $130 a month per district after Erate discounts.
What aspects of broadband are on your mind these days? (Or what info do you hope to impart at the conference?)
Learn what other people are doing, trying to do and see what aspects I can incorporate into our cooperative to aide our districts.
Relate to others how a cooperative can save districts money while providing increased Internet access, economies of scale (centralized server and services), technology integration into curriculum, cooperative training and many other benefits.
What are you hoping to learn at the conference?
What’s new, innovative and works!
I just ran across an article in the Fergus Falls Daily Journal (Broadband’s area impact remains spotty). It’s a good reminder of the reality of access in rural Minnesota and the importance of good broadband measurements.
Fergus has(at least) 2 broadband providers. Park Region Mutual Telephone Company claims that 95 percent of Park Region customers have access to broadband. Charter Communications out of the Twin Cities, said 100 percent of Fergus Falls customers have access to broadband.
It sounds, however as if once you get past the city borders access get a little shaky. There is one comment on the article that adds that he has dialup through Park Regional but is unable to get broadband access through them or anyone else