So clearly I’m all over wireless for Thanksgiving – it’s due in large part to Tim Finnerty sending me so many helpful articles and the tryptophan is keeping me indoors.
First there’s an interesting piece on using cable’s model for promoting R & D; “Former Cable Labs chief Dick Green wants the government to promote the kind of collaborative research that resulted in the DOCSIS standard for cable high-speed modem data delivery and to find ways to incentivize research through government contracting.” I’m always a fan of investment and it feels as if investment is the only way that the US will finds way back on top of International ranking lists of any sort. Unfortunately, it seems as if the economy has left people a little gun shy for long term investment – but I read an article where investment in other countries has paid off and I’m reminded that we need to invest.
Maybe encouraging investment and collaboration through the government is a good way to get the ball rolling.
Almost to make the point, Comcast recently announced 361,000 net additions to its broadband subscriber base in the third quarter, roughly doubling the combined numbers reported by AT&T, Verizon Communications and Qwest Communications. They are working on an underground IPTV and video convergence project (called Excalibur) that should set them in good stead for the future of video (Side note: Apparently Excalibur is hiring!)
Also, there’s the whole foray into wireless, that I wrote about yesterday. For their part, Mediacom expects to launch wideband modem services in 11 markets total in December, with nine starting with a 50-meg tier, and the balance offering 100-meg services.
I love when someone smarter than I am follows up on a story. The other day Tim Finnerty sent me a great update on the world of wireless after I posted an update on Clear Wireless coming into Savage.
To start, Clear Wireless is a subsidiary of Clearwire, the wireless company that is affiliated with several big communications players, including some cable operators. According to their website:
“CLEAR is the brand name for next generation mobile internet products and services offered by Clear Wireless, LLC. Combined with significant spectrum holdings, our WiMAX network provides unmatched capacity to deliver next generation broadband access.” “Clearwire (NASDAQ: CLWR) currently provides CLEAR 4G WiMAX service in Baltimore and Portland, and provides pre-WiMAX communications services in 50 markets across the U.S. and Europe. The company offers a robust suite of advanced high-speed Internet services to consumers and businesses. It is currently building a 4G WiMAX mobile internet wireless network, bringing together an unprecedented combination of speed and mobility. Clearwire’s open all-IP network, combined with significant spectrum holdings, provides unmatched network capacity to deliver next-generation mobile internet access. Strategic investors include Intel Capital, Comcast, Sprint, Google, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks.”
You can read more about Comcast/ Clearwire Mobile WiMax’s move into Portland. Or here.
Tim suggested that “since Comcast is a partner in the Clearwire venture, perhaps Clearwire will piggyback on the cable system infrastructure within other communities in the Metro that are served by Comcast. Comcast might be able to accommodate antenna locations that are already available (thus no need for municipal approvals). Although I have not researched this in great detail, my gut sense had been that Clearwire might use Comcast’s infrastructure in some markets for co-location of equipment and backhaul data transport.
Clearwire has made big news with its recent deployments in Portland and Philadelphia. Maybe this is an indication that the Twin Cities is the next big market.”It sounds as if Apple Valley has received a request from Clearwire to approve tower locations in three parks. (That will be discussed by the Telecommunications Advisory Committee at their Dec. 7th meeting.)
On a potentially related note, Clearwire just raised $920 million more to fund a WiMAX buildout. With it, “Clearwire expects more than 30 million people to be covered by its 4G WiMax service in more than 25 markets by the end of 2009, and with the new financing is targeting network coverage for up to 120 million people by the end of 2010.”
On another potentially related note, John Shepard recently wrote about the FCC and how they “cleared the way for broadband deployment by establishing timeframes of 90 days for collocations and 150 days for all other tower siting applications reviewed by state and local governments. This action will assist in speeding the deployment of next generation wireless networks while respecting the legitimate concerns of local authorities and preserving local control over zoning and land use policies.”
I like John’s take on the announcement, which is super practical – mostly where are the planning and zoning professionals and how is this going to play out? John talks about his experience with a cell tower,
“When Alltel finally put up a cell tower a couple blocks from my house, I really didn’t care that it was a nasty ugly lattice tower. It’s a tower. I get a signal. So what if the out-of-state corporate powers-that-be didn’t think my hometown deserved a mono-pole let alone a stealth cell tower…. Not that I’m bitter or anything.”
He’s funny about it – but really don’t you feel like maybe the tech providers could save themselves some nasty phone calls buy some good will if they worked with the planner to take care of the non-tech details?
At the Blandin Broadband conference I had hoped to video folks talking about how and why they use video – but unfortunately it turns out there are only so many hours in a day. I might try to video folks when I’m out and about – but in the meantime I’ve run across two videos in the last week.
Here’s a great video promoting video in Dakota County created by the Dakota County Broadband Committee
I want to thank Jennifer Armstrong for sending me the following video; it’s all about the Ultra High-Speed Task Force recommendations:
Video is a quick visual way to promote communitywide broadband. For some communities these videos might spur a similar video (if so please send them my way and I’ll post them here too); for other communities it might make sense to point folks to one of these videos to help spur conversation and planning.
Here’s the latest news on wireless in Savage from the Savage Pacer:
Clear Wireless provides wireless broadband high-speed Internet and is expanding its network to serve homes and small businesses in the metro area. Coverage of Savage will require six antennas: three will be located on city water towers and two on existing antenna towers.
The Savage City Council, Savage Planning Commission and the Savage Parks Recreation and Natural Resources Commission each approved the wireless tower plan. I’m not sure if this next tidbit is good news or bad news but apparently notices went out about the various meetings to discuss it and no one showed up. I’m going to optimistically call that an unanimous vote for broadband.
Rural India appears to have cell coverage – and they’re making the most of it. According to the Wall Street Journal, “In the furthest reaches of India’s rural heartland, the cell phone is bringing something that television, radio and even newspapers couldn’t deliver: Instant access to music, information, entertainment, news and even worship.”
In light of Minnesota’s not-so-stellar cellular coverage, this caught my eye. Apparently there are about 750,000 isolated villages in India – but a decade of concerted effort by operators means that these areas have good cell coverage and the residents are making the most of it. Folks dial in to listen to music. Sports fans get hourly text updates of cricket matches. Farmers get daily weather reports *and* Tata Teleservices has a service which lets farmers use their cell phones to control the pumps that water their crops. You can even phone in to hear prayers.
It’s great – and the article goes on to talk about the economics behind the various businesses offering these services. Right now these service make up only 10 percent of the business but that is expected to expand to 25 percent. Also the rural communities have been better insulated from economic hardship; so this may be a less lucrative but more stable revenue stream. Maybe that’s a shift that needs to happen here in Minnesota. We can start thinking of rural markets as more stable, that might attract more providers is the cell and broadband industries
Apparently a telemedicine system based on a modified version of the Bluetooth wireless protocol has been created that can provide faster and more reliable patient assessment data transfers between mobile devices. It sounds like it will be faster (four times) and more reliable than current methods.
This article from the Washington Post tells the story of seniors using telehealth applications. It illustrates how easy the devices are to use these days, how effective than can be at monitoring patients and keeping them in their homes and the potential cost savings of instituting telehealth applications.
It was great seeing folks at the conference. On my drive home I did some thinking about what we’d heard:
Getting from Here to There turned out to be a powerful theme. Our student guests from Mankato and Morris made it clear that they expect the world they step into to be wired; I think that will happen only if we do the work ourselves. That’s the main message I got from listening to our friends from the “Intelligent Communities” of Eindhoven and Fredericton. And even though the task is daunting, our morning discussions suggested that we’re making some progress.
It was encouraging to hear – from Mike O’Connor and John Stanoch, among others – a new optimism about prospects for deepened cooperation and collaboration, including in places like Grand Rapids and Monticello where they have failed in the past. As a number of community champions pointed out, public-private partnerships are one of the key strategies identified by the Task Force to help Minnesota achieve it’s “among top five” goal. Now we need to turn our attention to creating the regulatory environment and designing the incentives needed to help make more of that happen more easily. The Blandin Community Leadership Program’s adage, that leadership is ‘something you have to do yourself but can’t do alone,’ is truer than ever.
One aspiration everyone seems to share is to be “good ancestors” as Jim Baller said.
John O’Brien’s eye-popping presentation of a future in which my umbrella will change colors with the weather was arresting. And hearing about software that can save me from sending embarrassing emails late at night and teach me typing with the help of vampires was only vaguely reassuring. John’s challenge to see the contradictions in work place policies that simultaneously tolerate personal phone calls but forbid visits to Facebook (especially in the light of one student’s confession that 8 hours without Facebook would be a demotivating hardship for her), made me look long and hard at the face of the woman in his C.A.V.E. slide (Colleagues Against Virtually Everything). Is that me? Is that our organization? Our employers?
In the coming days we’ll be loading up the conference website with as much content as we can harvest from all the presentations. The Blandin Foundation’s Broadband Strategy Board is serious about responding to Mike O’Connor’s exhortation to scour the Task Force recommendations and be alert to ways we can contribute to the work of getting them done. There are lots of possibilities.
The last session of the day at the Blandin Broadband Conference was a great look at the future. It started with a presentation from John O’Brien at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. He provided a fun survey of what the Internet is, was and is becoming as well as how folks, especially students interact with the Internet and assume adequate broadband.
We heard about umbrellas that will change colors based on the weather forecast and tools that will help your plants remind you to water them. He also discussed the legitimate role of gaming in education. The observation I loved – students tend not to like classes that are too hard or games that are too easy. It’s seems like an opportunity to mashup some teachable moments. The session ended with a panel of students talking about how they use technology and what are their expectations for the future use – in the workplace especially.
I’m afraid I missed part of the session on the stimulus applications. I’ve read and heard about the various applications before – so what was interesting to me was to see how the initial drive to get broadband remains despite the mounting obstacles. Danna spoke about the referendum in Cook County. (There was a referendum to allow Cook County to provide phone service; it needed a super majority to pass; it got 56% and didn’t pass.) Yet they forge ahead. John Schultz sort of spoke for Windom and Leech Lake – to hear the need for broadband in Leech Lake, which is un/underserved by pretty much any definition was telling.
To hear about how Blandin worked so early on to get community participation across the state. Signs point to that sort of application being the focus of the next round of ARRA grants. Jack Geller pointed out that place and collaboration will mater in future rounds of funding.
I moderated one of the breakout sessions so unfortunately my notes for each session are pretty uneven – although I heard great things about each. If there are readers who attended a session, I invite/implore you to share some notes in the comments of this post.
What’s Here, What’s Coming? Bleeding Edge Video Technologies; Dustin Artwohl, Video Guidance
The Morris students did a great job. I caught some of their comments on video. I also have their presentation below. They had a lot of good insights but one comment really caught my attention: “Students want to stay in their rural area – why are we pushing them out with poor technology and broadband?”
The Task Force graciously spoke about their report. The Blandin Strategy board chimed (here’s their written comments) in and folks had questions.
Here is the introduction from moderator/task force member/former Blandin strategy board member, Mike O’Connor. In it he addresses Jim Baller’s critique of the Task Force report expressed the previous evening.
Here are comments from the Task Force members:
Chris Swanson – represented rural, small city, small business and started with goal of ubiquitous FTTH. Still stands behind importance of ubiquity. We often looked at Minnesota as a whole, which is different from sum of the parts. Private investment has done a good job but public-private partnerships are needed to reach far corners.
Mary Ellen Wells – represents rural healthcare as CEO of hospitals. Hope that by 2015 we can take broadband for granted. Access and quality are very important, especially in healthcare.
Craig Taylor – IT Director at HealthPartners – as a large business we have the technology/broadband we need but we need more across the state for smaller businesses. The speeds we chose were based on applications that are being used today.
Dan McElroy – Commissioner of DEED to represent economic development issues. Economic development issues have changed; access to the Internet is a utility today. We need reliable access to attract/retain businesses. Need to be specific about where access is in community – even outside a town; those folks 5-10 miles outside town need to know about access. Quality of Place is a big seller for Minnesota – broadband helps to weigh the quality of place more heavily. Check out MNPro,
John Stanoch – President of Qwest in MN & ND. The process of convening and the task force was very valuable – both meeting, and research done by members. Speed factors included need for speed. We need an ongoing dialog to keep this in the mind of Minnesota. We need an ongoing entity. Technology changes and to be successful need to plan too. Universal consensus on universal access was vital. Also we made some good plans for demand too. The equity of supply and demand will carry of forward.
Glenn Wilson – Commissioner from Department of Commerce – around the state we’ve found that manufacturers, doctors, others are using broadband and need broadband. The task force report will help focus the legislature.
From Blandin Broadband Strategy Team
John Linnell – Healthcare background – a big concern in healthcare is that healthcare is driven by connectivity; interoperability is essential with transient patents (including snow birds); we need symmetry; but they are all expensive drive. Healthcare is a cost sharing process and the patient is the one who pays. Sometimes the $2 aspirin is paying for more than the aspirin – sometimes it subsidizes connectivity. We address metro and small community needs – but not necessarily rural needs. We can keep people in their homes with telepresence – we catch things faster with home care. We need high speed, we need symmetric, we need affordable.
Nancy Hoffman – from Benton County, half of the county is well served. Unserved area heard complaints from businesses and schools. Ubiquity is very important. Speed is important too – Jim Baller’s presentation reinforced that. Changes come so quickly with broadband we need to keep up. We always ask businesses about broadband need; we are losing businesses to broadband-rich areas. We need local champions for broadband; we need users in government.
Questions:
What would it take to be 5th or 15th in the world?
Well documented in Task Force report (pg 56).
Did the Task Force deal with cutbacks?
We recognized that in areas that are expensive to serve the government provided incentives. There are some federal incentives too. One problem is the current definition of rural are (more than 50 miles from city).
The stimulus funding is a drop in the bucket; we should look at USF and think about transitioning voice subsidies to filling broadband need.
How do we encourage public-private partnership?
There’s going to have to be more p/p partnership. It’s not necessarily popular, but will be important. Local officials need to understand importance of broadband.
There are some examples of efforts (Monticello, North St Paul…) but it depends on what the local government and the incumbents can do together.
We’re hoping that as the Task Force has agreed maybe we can start a new trend where there’s more consensus, more collaboration. In the short term, we need a better discussion about where the need is – and what are the resources. The incumbents are other providers need to work more closely with economic developers – we can provide service to businesses that want/need it. Minnesota should not lose businesses or jobs due to lack of broadband.
An ongoing entity might help that communication.
Where do you think money will be spent in the future?
Look to page (80), we have a sources of funds list. These will/should serve (in this order) unserved, underserved – the rest. The RUS is a good place to go. It has been and it should be even better as the ARRA funding thins the herd.
I highlighted one statement above because – and this is just my opinion – I think that consensus and collaboration are two important things addressed/demonstrated by the Task Force. They modeled it in their recommendations; they model it in their public appearances.
Here is the presentation from the Mankato students on New Ulm and what New Ulm has done to keep andor attract young people to the town. I thought the most telling statements from the students weren’t specifically about New Ulm – but spoke to small towns throughout Minnesota.
“I don’t think I could go back to my small hometown after living with the broadband in Mankato.”
This session brought Brad Woodside, Mayor of Fredericton, New Brunswick (Canada) and Elies Lemkes-Straver of Brainport Operations and Kees Rovers of Close the Gap both from Eindhoven, the Netherlands to talk about broadband as a vital tool in their communities. Both were named Top Seven communities by the Intelligent Community Forum. (Moderated by Bill Coleman)
Notes from Eindhoven
Interesting perspective – Eindhoven talks about broadband and technology as a necessity. One that people might not think they want – but they need to receive services. “Think of every customer as the 75 year old who doesn’t think they want a computer/broadband but want who wants the healthcare, entertainment, information services brought via broadband.” Eindhoven stresses the importance of cooperation – and focus. They say not to be restricted by borders. Finally, leadership is very important. They had 4 mayors, education leaders, CEOs of larger and small businesses involved in this project.
Each home has 100Mbps symmetrical connection. Everyone, everything is connected. It’s owned 95% by citizens. You need to offer phone, TV and Internet – but phone first. Not everyone has a computer; everyone has a phone. You need a financeable business plan. Businesses need fast ROI – communities do not. With a long term investment plan, fiber is cheap. $2000 per home stretched over 20 years is not expensive. Connecting schools, churches and other community institutes motivates residents to get and stay connected. We use language that people use – 100Mbps is not that meaningful for most folks. We get local help that can provide customer care. Finally you need high quality, reliable network.
Commercial operators reach rural areas may not be happy – but as citizens we need service and we’re not concerned with the commercial goals. If they want to serve urban areas; you serve rural areas too – it’s solidarity.
Notes from Fredericton
They were too dependent on institutional growth. Started to focus on technology in 1992. They were slow and expensive – so they formed our own telco. They started a co-op that competed with incumbents. They got customers to pay for subscriptions in advance – that was their starting funds. Public WiFi is free. They don’t charge people to walk on the sidewalks, why would they charge to use WiFi. Everyone is now connected; there was initial pushback from incumbents but now they are benefitting with increased use and demand. Collaboration, cooperation, communication – is key to long term project.
They serve every home and we worked with commercial partners to reach rural areas.
People can get free WiFi. The intention is to give people public access. They don’t try to flood/reach residential areas. There are areas where people can get a signal – but the intention is that people would pay for home access through local providers.
Cost for 100 Mbps – in Eindhoven it’s 60 euros; in NB is $150.
Here is a presentation from Eindhoven created for the conference, but not actually given:
Below I will post Tweets from the conference. I’m not sure if they will be valuable out of context, but I wanted to at least capture them. (Sometimes my librarian roots show.) In the spirit of mutual leanring I wanted to share a little bit about the Tweets:
This is the first time we’ve made a concerted effort to Tweet during the conference (#mnbb09). We had 140 Tweets over the two days, mostly stemming from 5 Twitter accounts. Two folks Tweeted questions or comments who did not attend the event.
