Monthly Archives: January 2010

Wireless from someone who knows

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Thanks to Steve Borsch for sending me a podcast – Brett Glass on Lessons from Laramie: Broadband Innovation on the Wireless Frontier. You can also see a video on the talk and/or his PPT presentation online.

The conversation reminded me of so many people I knew back in the day who started ISPs. Brett Glass has a wireless and talks about how wireless works and how policy works and doesn’t work with wireless. He is clearly very smart both in terms of the practical aspects of the technology and the policy. If you have the time and want to learn more about wireless, this is worth a listen.

Policies to help MN schools connect

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Thanks to Ann Higgins for passing on news from the Daily Session. Apparently, Rep. Denise Dittrich out of Champlin requested funds from House K-12 Education Finance Division to fiber optic infrastructure to all schools in the state “to give students a global education.”

Rep Dittrich said about half the schools in the state do not have a high-speed Internet connection. According to the Session Daily, policy may be standing in the way of her request…

However, a 1994 legal opinion may stand in the way of the project moving forward. At that time it was determined that this type of project does not fall under the criteria for state bonding. Dittrich said her request is a bold step in a new direction and called the legal opinion outdated.

This may be an opportunity to test the waters for changing policy to promote broadband deployment – as suggested in the Minnesota Ultra High-Speed Broadband Task Force Recommendations. I don’t think they addressed this policy specifically in the recommendations – but the report does call for greater collaboration and I think/hope ithe recommendations will get policy makers to rethink old policies. I don’t know much about Rep Dittrich’s plan – but it sounds as if it would promote better collaboration among schools. I would be interested in knowing more about the doors those connections to the schools could open in the various communities served by the schools.

Need for redundancy seen in Northern MN

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I got the following email from Chris Swanson, CEO of PureDriven. With his permission I am posting here. I wanted to help him spread the word and get feedback – but I also thought it might serve as a lesson or reminder to us all about the importance of redundancy…

Telecommunications Crisis

On January 26, 2010 we faced a crisis that opened the eyes of businesses, government agencies, citizens, and visitors to our area. Around 11:00AM on Tuesday morning a broken steam pipe in East Duluth caused a fiber optic cable to melt. This resulted in loss of service for phone lines, wireless communications, and internet service to approximately 25,000 people. The outage spanned a distance of 150 miles from East Duluth north to the Canadian Border and occurred in St. Louis, Lake and Cook Counties.

Not only were phone calls unable to be placed for any long distance calling, but 911 service was down for a time, internet communications were down through the telecommunication companies, security monitoring systems were down and many other important and critical services down as well.

Negative Impact

I have spoken with many of you about how this negatively impacted your business, employee productivity, and created a situation in which people did not have access to 911 service for some time. I have also heard from government officials that not only did this create a major inconvenience for getting very specific required task completed, but pointed out something that was not realized before; our telecommunications system proved to be extremely vulnerable. It should be pointed out that because Lake and Cook Counties are border counties with Canada this outage had national defense implications.

Emergency Response

We are thankful that our trained emergency personnel were able to act quickly and assisted by taking turns at the fire stations and throughout the communities until service was restored almost 12 hours later.

Lake County Fiber Network

I have had many ask if the proposed Lake County Fiber Project would have experienced this type of outage and the simple answer is that the Lake County Fiber Network has been designed so that in the event a fiber gets cut, the traffic automatically reroutes itself. This outage is a clear example of why the Lake County Board of commissioners has been working on trying to strengthen the wireless and fiber communications in Lake County over the past year.

Next Steps

Because this had such a negative impact on our communities, I contacted Paul Bergman who is the vice-chair of the Lake County Board of Commissioners, and asked him what we could do to make sure this does not happen again. Paul has informed me he will be meeting with Congressman Oberstar within the next week to address this significant concern about the lack of redundancy built into our communications for our area, and what Congressman Oberstar can do to help solve this issue.

How you can help!

Commissioner Bergman has requested that you send him an email that explains how this financially or negatively impacted your business, and also to share and specific stories about the situation to make sure that Congressman Oberstar understands the grave situation that our area faced without the telecommunications.

Paul would like all community members to share their story so please feel free to forward this email to your business acquaintances, friends and neighbors. I know we are all very busy, but we cannot afford to let this happen again if we can avoid it so please send in your response to Paul as soon as possible.

Please email your responses to Paul Bergman at pbergman@frontiernet.net

Thank you all for your time,

Chris Swanson
Driving Web Traffic to Boost Business

Christopher M. Swanson
Chief Executive Officer
Office: 218.834.3170 x122
Mobile: 218.590.9500
chris.swanson@puredriven.com
www.puredriven.com

Gearing up for Round 2 in Red Wing?

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The Red Wing Republican Eagle just reported that Hiawatha Broadband Communications learned Monday it didn’t receive stimulus dollars it hoped would help pay for a high-speed fiber optic network in Minnesota spanning from Lake City to Red Wing to Cannon Falls and the surrounding townships.

The good news is that they received notice in time to try again for Round Two funding. The bad news is that they weren’t given any feedback on their proposal. It must be frustrating – and unfortunately more people will be getting the same news in the next week.

Connection made between broadband and economic growth

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Thanks to Bernadine Joselyn for sending me a recent report out of the Public Policy for California (Does Broadband Boost Local Economic Development?). Here’s a quick excerpt:

Our analysis indicates a positive relationship between broadband expansion and economic growth. The relationship is stronger in industries that rely more on information technology and in areas with lower population densities. Although the evidence leans in the direction of a causal relationship, the data and methods do not definitively indicate that broadband caused this economic growth.

They looked at the impact of broadband on residents too. Apparently broadband is associated with population growth, but that employment rate and average wage were unchanged. I was surprised to hear that access to broadband does not change the prevalence of telecommuting or other home-based work. I wonder if that would be different now, with the economy where it is now. I think lost jobs and broadband could be a recipe for increased home-based businesses, but of course I’m speculating.

The research is out of California. They use data from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) data on broadband beginning in 1999, and our source for detailed employment data ends in 2006. The research does a good job of outlining the California policies and making the connection between them and the opportunities for growth. California has some policies that would be worth duplicating on a national level!

Any broadband advice for the legislators?

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The Minnesota Legislature will be back to session in a matter of weeks. According to Politics in Minnesota, broadband will be a hot topic this year.

Much of the conversation will revolve around the Minnesota Ultra High-Speed Broadband Task Force Recommendations. The Task Force heard from many people in preparing the report – from broadband experts to users in the field. We wanted to open up the public discussion again. So we are asking folks, “What would you like your legislators to know about the importance of broadband access for you and your community?”

We are planning to post responses on the Blandin on Broadband blog http://blandinonbroadband.org on February 5. If you want to share your two cents please send it to broadband@blandinfoundation.org, with a subject line: BB Leg comments. We ask that you keep it to 100 words or so – however if you want to say more, feel free to post your response online and send us a link. Same applies to videos or podcasts, simply send us a brief synopsis and link.

While our intention is to include all responses, we reserve the right to filter responses, especially if they include inappropriate language or veer from the topic of broadband.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Minnesotan wins top Tech-Savvy Superintendent Award

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It’s nice to see a Minnesotan get some recognition; it’s even nicer to see someone who is tech-savvy running a rural school district in Minnesota. Kim Ross, Superintendent for ISD 294 Houston Public Schools, has been selected as one of the Top Ten Tech Savvy Superintendents in the Nation by eSchool News.

Here’s what they said about Kim:

Kim Ross
ISD 294 Houston Public Schools
Minnesota
Kim Ross is a pioneer for virtual learning in his state. Using a non-traditional approach to solving a traditional problem (declining student enrollment), he has taken a small, rural district of about 450 K-12 students tucked away in the southeastern corner of Minnesota and transformed it into a vibrant, financially sound school system now serving nearly 2,500 pupils from around the state, thanks to his creation of the Minnesota Virtual Academy.

The academy itself enrolls more than 2,000 students, with one program serving students in grades K-8 and another serving those in grades 9-12. Students attending traditional schools in Houston also can take online courses through the academy, supplementing the instruction they receive in the classroom with Advanced Placement offerings and other online courses. This ability is a key factor in the success of Houston High, which was featured in U.S. News and World Report as one of “America’s Best High Schools.”

Ross is also a founding team member of the Minnesota Center of Online Learning, and in 2008 he received an appointment to the Minnesota Broadband Task Force. He was elected chair of the South East Minnesota Network in 2007 and is a legislative committee member of the Minnesota Online Learning Alliance.

http://www.houston.k12.mn.us

RUS announces next wave of Round One ARRA awards

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So much news in one day! I apologize – but I wanted to post a quick update on the RUS and their latest awards. I had heard rumors of a big announcement but I want to thank John Shepard for sending me the link to the actual USDA announcement. Unfortunately my note is short because there are no awards in Minnesota.

Here’s the news:

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the selection of fourteen Recovery Act Broadband Infrastructure projects that will receive $309,923,352 through funding made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. An additional $3,551,887 in private investment brings the total to $313,475,239. Altogether, Congress awarded USDA $2.5 billion in Recovery Act funding to help bring broadband services to rural un-served and underserved communities.

Iowa and North Dakota got good news – as did 9 other states. You can get the full list online. In my very quick reading I’m seeing fiber, wireless, DSL in the mix; there are middle mile and last mile projects; I see a lot of telephone companies and co-ops and an electric co-op; and I’m seeing a focus on rural.

Minnesota Broadband in the news again

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Once again I was delighted to see broadband mentioned in a well placed news source again today with the article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune (The Net has a few holes in Minnesota). The reporter was kind enough to mention many of the successes the Blandin Foundation has had promoted and supported broadband in rural areas.

The article mentions a few sad homeowners who moved to their dream homes in rural areas only to find that the inherent nightmare was that their new homes were in broadband no man’s land. They only have access to dialup. To some of us, access to broadband is assumed. Except that I follow broadband in rural areas, I might look at a sign promoting broadband coverage in a community the same way I look at a sign promoting color TV in a hotel. Makes me wonder. But there still is a need to promote areas with broadband and deploy broadband in areas without it.

Also as the article points out – deploying and promoting broadband is not enough. People need to adopt it. The article includes a couple of examples: the online pharmacy in Adrian, remote patient monitoring in Staples and various projects in Benton County.

When deployment is coupled with adoption, broadband becomes an investment.

Minnesota House Committee to visit Bemidji on Thursday

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The Minnesota House Commerce and Labor Committee has scheduled a meeting on January 28, 2010 at 5:00 pm. in the Bemidji Public Library community room.

Area business owners and the public are invited to ask questions and voice concerns on business issues, including Internet, cell phone, cable TV, and broadband access.

If you go – please let me know how it goes.

No news is good news between now and Jan 30

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StimulatingBroadband has the scoop for anyone anxiously waiting for word on their ARRA broadband application:

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce is now in the process of sending out an estimated 1,400 rejection letters to applicants that applied for Round I funding under the federal broadband stimulus program.

The timing is good for anyone who was thinking about applying for Round Two funding and wondering where they stood on Round One. I don’t know what it means if you don’t get a letter. I still haven’t heard from a ton of people who have. I guess that means that you’re still in the hopper, which is good. But it makes the decision regarding a Round Two application a lot tougher.

Good luck to everyone!

Astronauts have faster internet than I do

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I couldn’t resist passing on this story. It appears as if the first Tweet as been sent from outer space. According to the New York Times, Astronaut Timothy Creamer sent the first live tweet from space last Friday. The Astronauts have connections speeds as high as 3Mbps up and 10Mbps down. Here’s their setup:

According to the IT staff, the space station is equipped with 68 IBM ThinkPad A31 laptops and 32 Lenovo ThinkPad T61p devices. The laptops are all connected via Wi-Fi access points, and “there’s also a dedicated IP phone for phone calls and some limited video-conferencing abilities if astronauts need to see their families.”

I think the most interesting part of the story was a comment from a reader…

Hmm…the astronauts have faster internet than me. This is pathetic.

And he was from San Francisco! I can think of whole communities who can’t get that kind of connection.

Broadband to stay in view of Minnesota politicians

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I’m delighted to see broadband listed in Politics in Minnesota as one of the “7 policy matters that will get serious play at the Capitol in 2010”. Here’s what they had to say about broadband:

Broadband: The logjam on high-speed Internet proposals could break in 2010. During the decade just past, advocates of universal broadband access proposed a mandate of 1 gigabyte per second available to all Minnesotans. But that pitch was beaten back by the cable industry, and the issue has lain dormant for the last two sessions while the Minnesota Ultra High-Speed Broadband Task Force prepared a report on the state’s Internet needs.

That report, released last fall, sets goals in Minnesota for download speeds of 20 megabytes per second and upload speeds of between 5 to 10 megabytes per second by 2015. Rick King, a Thomson Reuters executive and task force chairman, said he hopes lawmakers adopt the goals and recommendations.

Earlier this month, King told Finance & Commerce’s Arundhati Parmar that he has received “good support” from the relevant committee chairs in the House and Senate. He added that the task force was working to gain support from legislative leaders and the Pawlenty administration.

Because it has such a broad impact on cable companies and other internet service providers, the broadband standards debate brings out contract and association lobbyists in droves to legislative hearings on the subject. The press conference for the task force report’s unveiling was attended by representatives from firms such as Lockridge Gridal Nauen, GSP Consulting, and Winthrop & Weinstine, to name a few.

It certainly gives me hope. This is the second well placed on broadband in the last 10 days – and I think we’re going to see more.

A funny side note on the power of broadband or at least the Internet – I (in Ireland) got a virtual (Facebook) heads up on the article from a from a friend vacationing in Mexico. So within 15 hours of hitting the air waves the article has been read and commented on from 3 countries!

Online Care Anywhere

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According to Modern Medicine, Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) of Minnesota’s 10,000 employees and family members are part of a pilot project that allows them access to medical care from home or work via computer or phone. It’s called Online Care Anywhere and is facilitated through technology developed by American Well.

BCBS is the first health plan in the continental US to offer online care. (You may recall I wrote about a similar program in Hawaii where patients could access online face-to-face physician visits also through a service developed by American Well.)

Apparently BCBS has created secured online rooms at their Eagan and Virginia campuses. Each is equipped with a computer; web camera; and biometric machines to record weight, body mass index, and blood pressure; and other basic diagnostic tools. Fairview Health Services family practitioners, pediatricians, and emergency medicine physicians will be scheduled and available for consultations and care.

The plan is to test the service and see how it compares to traditional services. It will be interesting to see if the feedback is different in Eagan and Virginia. Common sense would say that the program would be best received in Virginia where travel to healthcare facilities can be more problematic.

Economic development fundraising

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Economic development fundraising – the term was new to me until I read Craig Settles latest article in the Daily Yonder. He wisely wards against the dangers of an excuse-driven broadband strategy – a strategy that has become all too popular as so many people wait to hear about the ARRA (and other) broadband funding.

Settles promote a strategy that encourages local investment through economic development fundraising. Here’s a excerpt from his article on how it works:

The concept is simple, really. Rather than look for customers to buy services, build a financial sustainability strategy based on recruiting investors from within the community or communities building the network. “Investors” isn’t a euphemism for “subscribers”; instead, it refers to people who invest more than the price of services in exchange for a piece of the action. In other words, communities need to treat broadband networks as business ventures.

I must admit that I am still a firm believer in getting subscribers who are invested in broadband success rather than investors but I think getting investors who are in it for both the business deal and the community benefits would work as well. Read Settles article for some successful examples that have worked – including our neighbors in Madison, South Dakota.