I’m passing on the following form my friends at Minnesota Rural Partners and the Minnesota Rural Urban Connections Project (Rurb.MN). They have a couple of videoconferences coming up but I thought the following might be of greatest interest to most readers…
WHEN: Monday, May 10, from 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
(Please arrive at 3:15 p.m. )Featured Connections: Broadband Telecommunications, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development
This video conference will feature examples and ideas about rural urban connections that relate to Broadband Telecommunications, Entrepreneurship and Workforce Development in Northeast Minnesota. These featured rural urban connections are only a starting point, and we encourage and welcome other examples during this discussion including examples of renewable energy, health care, arts, education, local food networks, and environment connections, just to name a few!
Register to attend one of the video conference sites listed below and join in on the discussion!
WHERE:
Duluth: Lake Superior College – Room E2042
2101 Trinity Road, Duluth, MNGrand Marais: Cook County Higher Ed (North Shore Campus) – Room 114
300 West 3rd Street, Grand Marais, MNGrand Rapids: Itasca Community College – Room L131
1851 East Highway 169, Grand Rapids, MNSt. Paul, MN: TIES – Video Conference Room
1667 Snelling Avenue N. St. Paul, MNThe TIES receptionist at either the Snelling & Hoyt, or Larpenteur entrance will direct you to the videoconference room. Signs will be posted at either entrance. The conference is called RurbMN: Rural Urban Connections.
HOW: Please register for this videoconference in advance. Space is limited. We need to know you plan to attend!
This are a little slow in coming (my fault) but here are Bernadine Joselyn’s notes from the video-conference…
Urban-Rural Connections: the Key Role of Broadband Infrastructure and Use
There is a growing recognition that broadband is the new essential utility of the 21st century.
What is BB?
In general – the term broadband refers to an “always on” network connection with high bandwith. DSL and cable modems are examples of BB communications – as opposed to “dial-up” services, which are not.
Traditionally BB has been thought of as communications infrastructure, or more recently – as an information tool.
But President Ubinas of the Ford Fdn has recognized an even bigger and more fundamental role for BB – calling it “a gateway to democratic participation, economic opportunity, and human expression.” “It is critical to the future of our country .”
We at Blandin Foundation agree.
Today – the Internet is fundamental to every issue we care about. If Internet access is limited, the unintended consequence is the creation of an “information underclass,” in which many citizens are uninformed and cut off from civic and cultural involvement.
BB access brings economic progress and much more to all Minnestans, rural and urban alike. Including:
• Improved health and safety to all communities
• Online government services saving travel and time
• Telemedicine allowing Minnesotans to remain in their homes as they age
• Online education keeping rural communities vibrant and alive while giving residents access to experts and resources around the word.
• Enhanced civic engagement.
At the federal level, according to the FCC, the term broadband means 768 Kbps.
In MN, the MN Ultra High-Speed Broadband Task Force was convened in April 2008 to address what BB means for our state, and to outline a path to ultra high-speed internet access for all residents of the state by 2015.
The TF set ambitious goals, very recently adopted by legislature:
• MN should have ubiquitous high-speed broadband as soon as possible but no later than 2015.
• At a minimum – speeds of 10-20 Megabits per second (Mbps) (download) and 5-10 Mbps (upload for all residents in the state by 2015.
TF also said: MN should be:
• In the top 5 states of the US for overall speed
• In the top 5 states for broadband penetration
• In the top 15 when compared to countries for global broadband penetration
Today – zero counties in the state currently meet or exceed these goals – with the exception of Washington county which enjoys 12 Mbps download speed.
According to the TF report: “Thousands of residents across MN lack functional access to what is, undoubtedly, the most meaningful technological development of our lifetimes.”
This is a real problem – one that rural-urban partnerships can help address – must address!
Because: access denied is opportunity denied.
MN was once at the center of the computer industry. Control Data, Sperry, UNIVAC, Honeywell and others had their headquarters here. AND MN was an early leader in developing Internet-based applications such as Gopher and the POP-3 email protocol.
What’s the situation today?:
Using the FCC’s definition of BB, over 93% of American households now have BB available to them in one form or another. However, according to various data sources, only 2/3 or American adults have adopted BB at home.
Closer to home – MN’s BB adoption in the metro area rate is 57% and the rural BB adoption rate is 39.4%.
Let’s look at these disparities.
BB adoption is predicated on basic availability. Research shows that age and income are the most important determiners of who has computers, Internet and broadband.
Unsurprisingly, the older age groups and lower-income groups are less likely to have computers, Internet or BB.
As I noted earlier, some 65 percent of Americans now have broadband access at home – but among households with incomes below $25,000, that percentage flips: 65 percent lack broadband connections.
Other research suggests that, from a public policy perspective, spending large amounts of public money on infrastructure will not affect household penetration rates.
Instead, programs designed to provide computer access to low-income populations through public libraries or “community technology centers” show potential, along with initiatives to demonstrate the benefits that broadband can bring to individuals, organizations and businesses and communities as a whole.
Challenges to taking advantage of the potential of BB for state economic and community development:
• Planning – address the lack of a widely accepted broadband plan
• Collaboration – reduce the silo mentality and behavior of stakeholders
• Leadership – support leaders in the community, legislature and administration to advance the work.
This is where MIRC comes in.
As you know – Blandin Foundation is not the “broadband foundation.” We’ve never before applied for federal funding. But we decided to apply for BTOP funds because we thought the potential opportunity it represented for the rural Minnesota communities we serve was too good to pass up:
• We had experience: Blandin Foundation has been engaged in broadband policy and sustainable strategies for five years, and we’ve seen measurably successful statewide rural activity
• We had cash match: Blandin Foundation has access to approximately $500,000 of cash match through Alltel settlement fund dedicated to south and southwestern, and our Board of Trustees agreed to make an additional financial commitment with foundation funds
• We thought we could be a credible applicant on behalf of small communities that lacked the capacity to apply for and manage federal dollars
• There was an opportunity: no other statewide applicant came forward
So we did – and we got the grant. We think it’s a very big deal. It is a very big deal for us, and potentially for the rural communities we serve. And it comes with responsibilities of equal magnitude. The fact that these are taxpayer dollars from Congresses’ American Reinvestment and Recovery Act heightens the need to make every dollar count.
Project Summary
The Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities project is a multi-sector, comprehensive approach to sustainable broadband adoption targeting residents, small businesses, local governments, and critical services providers in rural Minnesota.
MIRC expects to reach each of Minnesota’s 80 rural counties through education, training, technical assistance, and by removing barriers to broadband adoption.
The projects will nurture and support an enhanced “culture of use” of broadband-based services. The Economic Development Administration (EDA) Center at the University of Minnesota, Crookston will help track the impact of the project, including the number of subscribers generated.
Goal
Create technologically and economically vital rural communities, competing and thriving in the broadband economy, with sustainable broadband adoption, job growth and wealth creation.
Outcomes
• Increased ‘culture of use’ of broadband-based services
• Increased efficiency and effectiveness of digital literacy training service delivery
• Increased economic vitality in rural Minnesota communities
Outputs
• 13.5 jobs created or maintained
• 38,416 new household subscribers (an increase in adoption of 2% over its statistically anticipated growth)
• 155 new institutional subscribers
• 3,500 users of Public Access Facilities (public computer centers, workforce centers, etc)
• 3,640 people participate in at least 16 hours of training or education
• 1,000 refitted and licensed computers distributed to first-time computer owners
• 160,000 people reached through the project outreach and awareness efforts
The Foundation sees its role as ensuring that the whole of our collaborative work adds up to more than the sum of its parts.
• We want this to project to rock rural Minnesota.
• We want it to advance efforts to achieve the new broadband goals adopted for the state by the legislature.
• We want it to contribute to the realization of Blandin’s broadband vision for Minnesota: of ensuring a high quality of life and a globally competitive future for its citizens, businesses and communities.
We’ve been given a great shot at making a real difference, and we don’t want to blow it – we want to hit a homerun.
And so – to quote Ubinas again,:
The effort to ensure universal acces to high-speed Internet among all citizens – rural and urban – is a critical next step to ensuring that America realizes its great aspiration of equal opportunity for all.”
By: Ann Treacy on August 19, 2010
at 2:33 pm