Here’s the news from our latest newsletter. It’s mostly a compilation of Minnesota-related stories from the blog in the last month – but sometimes it’s nice to have it compiled.

Minnesota Broadband Policies
Politics in Minnesota predicts that broadband will be one of the hot topics with the Legislature this spring. http://tinyurl.com/yzkxk7f Broadband has been in the local media more than usual in the last month, so it seems as if momentum is building. Finance & Commerce featured Ultra High-Speed Broadband Task Force member and serial Internet entrepreneur Mike O’Connor promoting the Task Force recommendations. http://tinyurl.com/yhsa78a The Minneapolis Star Tribune ran a story on the importance of promoting broadband adoption as well as deployment. They mentioned several Blandin Foundation projects. http://tinyurl.com/yhj99bf According to the Daily Session, policies are already being discussed, starting with barriers to creating a fiber optic infrastructure to all schools. http://tinyurl.com/ylolk8z  

Got Advice for Legislators?
The Blandin Foundation is collecting comments from Minnesota citizens based on the following question: “What would you like your legislators to know about the importance of broadband access for you and your community?” Please send comments to broadband@blandinfoundation.org, if you are interested in responding. http://tinyurl.com/yj3sr3w  

ARRA Funding
The NOFA (Notice of Funds Available) for Round Two of the ARRA broadband stimulus money has been released. One big change is that the NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) http://tinyurl.com/y87vcvn and RUS (Rural Utilities Service) http://tinyurl.com/y8novec will have separate applications. To help facilitate collaboration, the NTIA has created a matchmaking tool for potential applicants. http://tinyurl.com/yexd6wf For some the decision to apply or reapply will be made easier this week as NTIA and RUS announced that Round One applicants who did not qualify for follow up would be notified by mail by the end of January. http://tinyurl.com/yl29466

Minnesota Pilots Online Care Anywhere
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota 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. BCBS has also created secured rooms at their Eagan and Virginia campuses for remote appointments. 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. http://tinyurl.com/y9mg5q2 It seems as if this might be a benefit of Minnesota developing a telemedicine industry cluster. http://tinyurl.com/ykwoorh  

Broadband in the Governor’s Race
Broadband came up with at least two candidates (Steve Kelley and Paul Thissen) at a DFL forum for gubernatorial candidates in Alexandria last month. http://tinyurl.com/y8adhwx Broadband came up again in a student video interview with candidate Thissen, when he talked about being open to receiving stimulus money for projects, such as broadband. http://tinyurl.com/ybxr65v

Local Broadband News

Anoka
Anoka County wants to pursue ARRA funding for a fiber network. Anoka cities have been voting on resolutions to support the idea with varying levels of success. http://tinyurl.com/yg8oax6  

Bemidji
The Minnesota House Commerce and Labor Committee met on January 28 to discuss a range of issues having an impact on local business. Issues include broadband. http://tinyurl.com/yh9pfmo (This was one of several meetings planned around Minnesota, although many were cancelled or rescheduled due to weather conditions.)

Brooklyn Park
Brooklyn Park has been approached by Clearwire to provide WiMAX with no investment required from the city. http://tinyurl.com/ydow3hn

Cook County
A four member Fiber Optic Network Commission was appointed to run the fiber optic system if and when it is established. http://tinyurl.com/ykrohtr  

Duluth
A broken steam pipe in East Duluth melted a fiber optic cable, causing outages throughout Northeast Minnesota. Strides are being made to improve redundancy and security in the area. http://tinyurl.com/yjj6lhu

Houston
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. http://tinyurl.com/yf7tjkm  

Minneapolis
Minneapolis is touted as a municipal Wi-Fi network that works in an article in Government Technology that talks about how to make municipal Wi-Fi work. http://tinyurl.com/y85cxpu  

St Paul
Brent Christensen will be replacing Randy Young as President of MTA (Minnesota Telecom Alliance). http://tinyurl.com/yeujrbb  

Red Wing
Hiawatha Broadband heard that they will not receive Round One funding from the ARRA broadband stimulus money. http://tinyurl.com/yjlzk7r  

Twin Cities
Web 2.0 applications promote civic engagement, such as allowing residents to report local things that need fixing through tools such as SeeClickFix. http://tinyurl.com/yftwusa

(Many stories are gathered from local online newspaper. Unfortunately each newspaper has a different policy in regards to archive news and therefore we cannot guarantee access to all articles cited.)

Coleman’s Corner

While the H1N1 virus seems to be in remission, we are now witnessing the renewal of RUS BIP and NTIA BTOP fever. The NTIA BTOP CCI is especially contagious. The prescribed medication is demand aggregation, a concept that has driven community broadband planning for more than the past decade.

As people read the federal notice, they think, “This is written just for us!” It is written for them and almost everyone else who reads it. Who wouldn’t want an I-Net connecting government, health care, and education partners at 70% off retail price? Find a private sector provider who will come up with the 30% match and you get the public sector side for free! This concept works equally well at the municipal, county or regional levels – for rural, urban or suburban places. That is going to be one big stack of applications!

Before you submit an application that looks just like this, get your team together and ask some questions. First, what are we going to do with this network that will make us stand out from the others? What new ideas or collaborative behavior are we going to implement over this network? Ideas like merging ten rural counties into one unit of government would definitely get some attention. Merging ten rural county IT departments gets you part way there. Or creating a unified health care system linking hospitals (even competing ones), clinics, nursing homes and pharmacies together with shared records. Obviously, all of these big ideas require more than six weeks of discussion (Have you started yet?). These networks support all kinds of transformation, but are only one piece of the puzzle; the network is probably the easy part.

Another question revolves around existing networks and providers. Could one or a collaboration of existing providers provide this network? What is it that you are really seeking from such a network? While 144 strands of fiber in your own conduit sounds sweet, what if you had two, four or six multiplexed strands to connect to your partners and stakeholders? The MN High Speed Task Force called for more partnerships between communities and providers with the providers strongly endorsing this approach. Let’s give it a test.

Unlike the H1N1, the NTIA BTOP fever is guaranteed to pass in six weeks. For some, it will pass very quickly with early decisions not to apply. For others, the fever will intensify as the March 15 deadline gets closer, causing severe discomfort resulting from too many meetings, lost text revisions and partnership hurdles. All followed by a recuperation period of four to six months waiting for news from Washington D.C.

Smart communities will use this time to keep working on solutions rather than betting that their 1 in 20 long shot will come home.