Monthly Archives: June 2010

No public broadband in Rochester

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According to the Rochester Post-Bulletin, Councilmember Michael Wojcik proposed that the Rochester (Minnesota) City Council direct Rochester Public Utilities to do a public broadband feasibility study. The Council members said no thanks.

Wojcik said he started getting interested in the topic when constituents started asking about broadband…

“What this is about is getting affordable access to all of our citizens,” Wojcik said. “Talk to the citizens you represent, because the reason I brought this forward is I had so many requests, so much frustration out there.”

It sounds as if the cost of the study (estimated at $50,000) and vocal opponents at the Council meeting may have contributed to the decision not to move forward…

Opponents of Wojcik’s plan, from the local cable company, Charter Communications, and the business community, made their objections known, in quiet murmurings as Wojcik spoke and in direct statements to the city council.

The Council heard specifically from John Wade, the president of the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce, and Tucker Carlson at Charter Communications. Both asserted that local providers were meeting the needs of customers.

Lake County’s search for funds

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The Heartland Institute recently featured Lake County’s efforts to deploy fiber in an article that ironically seems to promote letting the market lead broadband deployment. The Heartland Institute’s tagline is free market solutions, so I understand their position. It just seems as if Lake County is an interesting choice for an example community.

As the Heartland reports…

Lake County, Minnesota, is hoping for a federal grant to fund its proposed $70 million municipal broadband service—and, lacking that, will hope Google or municipal bonds will get the long-delayed project underway.

Gary Fields, CFO of Minneapolis-based National Public Broadband, a firm that facilitates municipal broadband services across the country, said in May the chances Lake County will see its project come together without local funding are uncertain.

Heartland warns of the dangers of municipalities getting involved with telecommunications projects…

Scott Testa, professor of business administration at Cabrini College in Philadelphia, says municipalities like Lake County, Minnesota, should rethink the idea of using taxpayers’ money to get into the broadband business.

“The idea is that these projects are supposed to promote economic growth, but municipalities have not done a very good job from a profitability standpoint,” Testa said. “When it comes to a bond issue, maybe the money could be better spent in other areas.

“If history tells us anything, it tells us that municipalities don’t do these things as well as the for-profit sector,” he added. “Cities have to hire engineers and others for these projects, whereas companies like Verizon work on them day in, day out.”

But there are a couple of reasons that I think Lake County was an interesting choice here. First, according to the Lake County Fiber web site, the county will not be building or running the network…

The County Board issued a Request for Proposals for qualified companies to build and operate the network. They selected National Public Broadband, Inc., a non-profit company comprised of a team of people who have already built and operated publicly-owned networks.

And that network will use the open access model…

Private voice, video, data and other service providers will be able to purchase wholesale access and use the networks to offer competitive services.

Also pursuing financing from taxpayers does not appear to be Plan A for Lake County…

National Public Broadband is developing financing applications for federal stimulus funding as well as other sources. No taxpayer funds will be pledged to fund the network.

Finally Lake County is pursuing public funds for the network because they are underserved, which would indicate to me that the market is not serving their needs…

This stimulus money is to help underserved areas to be able to compete with areas that already have the fiber in place. Because we are a county with a small population we decided instead of waiting Lake County would take advantage of the stimulus money and build a fiber network and have a first class informational highway.

Also the Connect Minnesota broadband coverage maps indicate that there are unserved areas in Lake County…

Libraries are Stacking Up

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Thanks to Cheryal Hills in Region Five for the heads up on a recent library report – How Libraries Stack Up: 2010. The report looks at the “economic, social and cultural impact of libraries in the United States” – especially “the role that libraries play in providing assistance to job-seekers and support for small businesses”.

Here are some of the fast facts:

  • Every day 300,000 Americans get job-seeking advice from their public library.
  • Most public libraries provide free wireless Internet access for their users. Nearly 12,000 now offer free Wi-Fi. That’s more than Starbucks, Barnes & Noble or Borders.
  • 2.8 million times every month business owners and employees use resources at public libraries to support their small businesses.
  • More libraries—5,400—offer technology training classes than there are computer training businesses in the U.S. Every day, 14,700 people attend free library computer classes—a retail value of $2.2 million. That’s $629 million worth of computer classes annually (based on 286 business days per year).

I am a librarian, and while it’s been a number of years since I sat at a Reference Desk – these stats all sounded about right to me – but there was one that even I found surprising…

Americans go to the movies and six times more often than we attend live sporting events (includes professional and NCAA football, baseball, basketball and hockey).

  • Here’s another interesting fast fact – 423 Minnesota library users’ responses were part of Public Library Internet Usage National Survey. The got volunteers from four Minnesota libraries.

Here’s more info they found that really focusing on Internet use…

The research determined that 45 percent of library visitors connect to the Internet even though more than three-quarters of these people had Internet access at home, work or elsewhere. Other major findings include:

  • Forty percent of library computer users (an estimated 30 million people) received help with career needs. Among these users, 75 percent reported they searched for a job online. Half of these users filled out an online application or submitted a resume.
  • Thirty-seven percent focused on health issues. The vast majority of these users (82 percent) logged on to learn about a disease, illness, or medical condition. One-third of these users sought out doctors or health care providers. Of these, about half followed up by making appointments for care.
  • Forty-two percent received help with educational needs. Among these users, 37 percent (an estimated 12 million students) used their local library computer to do homework for a class.
  • Library computers linked patrons to their government, communities, and civic organizations. Sixty percent of users—43.3 million people—used a library’s computer resources to connect with others.

I mention the report for a few reasons. First – if you’re someone looking for information on how to use technology – check out your library. There may be some scheduled training – but even if there isn’t, you may find a helpful librarian to offer some assistance. Most of us love questions, just pick a slower time to come in. Second – if you are responsible for broadband adoption or deployment in your community – check out the library and talk to the librarians about how people are using the Internet, how many people are coming in and what programs they library is offering and how you can collaborate. (Not to talk up the librarians too much, but they are great collaborators.)

ARRA Broadband Grant Round One Outcomes – so far

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This isn’t intentional but I seem to be all about the ARRA grants this week. I think one reason is because the RUS and NTIA have been good about providing information (post-grant announcements). I’m hoping that flow of information will continue; it seems that we might be able to learn some tips and trick by reading about the various projects and keeping tabs on what works and what doesn’t. With that in mind, I hope that the grantees and the funders will be willing to share information on what hasn’t worked – sometimes those are the most valuable lessons.

A new report is out on the outcomes of the RUS-funded ARRA projects. Here’s the super quick take from Congress Daily National Journal’s Tech Daily Dose…

So far, the more than $1 billion in funding awarded by RUS has been used to fund 68 projects in 31 states. During a conference call with reporters, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the projects will bring broadband service to an estimated 529,249 households, 92,754 businesses and 3,332 so-called “anchor” institutions, such as schools, hospitals, libraries and other community facilities.

He also reports that first round of projects will produce 5,000 jobs.

The report (Connecting Rural America) gives some interesting stats on the RUS/BIP grants. For example, there were 13 last-mile remote projects (0 in MN), 49 last-mile non-remote projects (3 in MN) and 6 middle-mile projects funded (1 in MN). There are some nice charts that show the distribution of funding by project, by technology, by applicant type and more.

Minnesota’s Windom project is one of nine featured projects…

Minnesota
The city of Windom, Minn., a member of the Southwest Minnesota Broadband Group (SWMBG), will provide Fiber-To-The-Premises (FTTP) infrastructure to eight rural communities in southwestern Minnesota. SWMBG includes the communities of Jackson, Lakefield, Windom, Round Lake, Bingham Lake, Brewster, Wilder, Heron Lake, and Okabena. The network will consist of a 125-mile fiber ring that will connect the communities to the Windomnet network and an FTTP infrastructure within the communities. The ring will be 96 strands with a 1-gigabyte transport network that is easily upgradeable to 10 gigabytes.

The report also gives brief summaries of all funded projects listed by state.

BIP Round Two Responses related to Minnesota

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Thanks to John Schultz for sending me the Rural Utility Services BIP Round Two Application Directory. It’s 846 pages of application descriptions and includes the names of organizations that have filed responses to the applications. I posted a general list (with descriptions) of Minnesota-related applications earlier – but today I thought I’d send a follow up with a list of the organizations that have responded to the applications.

First, here’s a quick explanation on the Public Notice Filings…

The Public Notice Filings (PNFs) will provide a 30-day period [that deadline was actually extended due to “emergency maintenance”] for existing service providers to submit information to RUS regarding their existing service offerings. RUS will post PNFs for all Round 2 BIP Infrastructure Applications. Providing a response is strictly voluntary. Existing service providers are not required to provide a response to any Public Notice Filing, but must do so in order for their existing services to be considered when determining the eligibility of the proposed funded Service Areas identified in the associated BIP application.

Here are the applicants and the list of organizations that sent in responses.

  1. Aim Wireless Solutions (7247) got responses from:
    Blue Earth Valley Telephone Company
    Cannon Valley Telecom, Inc.
    CenturyLink
    Charter Communications, Inc.
    Christensen Communications
    Comcast Cable
    Frontier Communications/Citizens Communications
    Jaguar Communications, Inc
    Mediacom Communications Corporation
    New Ulm Telephone
    Pine Island Telephone
    Pine Island Telephone company
    Qwest
    Sleepy Eye Telephone Company
  2. Arrowhead Electric Cooperative (6656) got responses from:
    CenturyLink
    Northeast Service Cooperative
    Qwest
  3. Arvig Telephone (6016) got responses from:
    Charter Communications, Inc.
  4. Bertran Communications (6628) got responses from:
    Amery Telcom, Inc.
    AT&T
    Baldwin Telecom Inc.
    Bloomer Telephone Company
    Bruce Telephone Company
    CENTURYLINK
    Charter Communications, Inc.
    Cheqtel Communications
    Chequamegon Communications Cooperative
    Clear Lake Telephone Company
    Cochrane Cooperative Telephone Company
    Comcast Cable
    Coon Valley Farmers Telephone Company, Inc.
    Farmers Independent Telephone Company
    Hager Telecom, Inc.
    Hillsboro Telephone Company, Inc.
    Indianhead Telephone Company
    Lakeland Telecom
    LaValle Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
    Luck Telephone Company
    Manawa Telephone Company
    MarquetteAdams
    Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
    Mediacom Communications Corporation
    Merrimac Communications Ltd.
    Milltown Mutual Telephone Company
    Nelson Telephone Cooperative
    Netwurx LLC
    Niagara Telephone Company
    Reedsburg Utility Commission
    RichlandGrant
    Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
    Siren Telephone Company
    Somerset Telephone Co
    Spring Valley Telephone Company, Inc.
    Time Warner Cable, Inc
    TriCounty
    Telephone Cooperative
    Union Telephone Company
    VERNON TELEPHONE COOPERATIVE
    West Wisconsin Telcom Cooperative
    Western Wisconsin Communications, LLC
    Wittenberg Telephone Company
    (These responses may primarily WI service areas; it was difficult for me to quickly assess which areas might have been in MN.)
  5. Farmers Mutual Telephone Company (5552) got responses from:
    Qwest
  6. Federated Telephone Cooperative (5143) got responses from:
    None
  7. Federated Telephone Cooperative (7365) got responses from:
    Qwest
  8. Fond Du Lac Reservation (6391) got responses from:
    Qwest
  9. Hilbert Communications (7723) got responses from:
    CENTURYLINK
    Cochrane Cooperative Telephone Company
    Frontier Communications of Mondovi
    Nelson Telephone Cooperative
    TriCounty
    Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
    Amherst Telephone Company
    AT&T
    CENTURYLINK
    Charter Communications, INC
    Charter Communications, Inc.
    Coon Valley Farmers Telephone, Inc.
    Hillsboro Telephone Company, Inc.
    LaGrant Connections, LLC
    LaValle Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
    MarquetteAdams
    Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
    Mediacom Communications Corporation
    MH Telecom, LLC
    Reedsburg Utility Commission
    Rhinelander/Frontier Comm of Wisconsin
    RichlandGrant
    Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
    Union Telephone Company
    Vernon Telephone Cooperative
    (These responses may primarily WI service areas; it was difficult for me to quickly assess which areas might have been in MN.)
  10. Iowa Telecommunications Services (7686) got responses from:
    Qwest Corporation
    Mediacom Communications Coproration
    Mediacom Communications Corporation
    Jagwire Enterprises DBA Jagwireless, DBA Loganet
    Jagwire Enterprises DBA Loganet
    Sidney South
    Jagwire Enterprises DBA Jagwireless
    (These responses may primarily Iowa service areas; it was difficult for me to quickly assess which areas might have been in MN.)
  11. Jaguar Communications (5788) got responses from:
    Charter Communications, INC
    Hickorytech
    Qwest
  12. Kasson & Mantorville Telephone Company (5389) got responses from:
    Charter Communications, Inc.
  13. KeyOn Communications (6040) got responses from:
    Blue Earth Valley Telephone Company
    Cannon Valley Cablevision, Inc
    Cannon Valley Telecom, Inc.
    CenturyLink
    Charter Communications, Inc.
    Christensen Communications
    Comcast Cable
    Delavan Telephone Company
    Easton Telephone Company
    Frontier Communications of Minnesota, Inc.
    Granada Telephone Company
    Midcontinent Communications
    New Ulm Telephone Company
    Sleepy Eye Telephone Company
    Western Telephone Company
    Beton Cooperative Telephone Company
    Cable One, Inc.
    Callaway Telephone Co
    City of Barnesville Telephone Utility
    diversicom Wisper
    Wireless Solutions, LLC
    East Ottertail Telephone
    Farmers Mutual Telephone Company
    Federated Telephone Cooperative
    Felton Telephone Company
    Frontier Communications/Citizens Communications
    Garden Valley Telephone Association
    Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association
    Hutchinson Telephone Company
    InvisiMax
    Loretel Systems, Inc.
    Midcontinent Communications
    Midwest Telephone Co
    Northeast Service Cooperative
    Osakis Telephone Company
    Paul Bunyan Rural Telephone Cooperative
    q
    Qwest
    TDS Telecom
    Tekstar Communications, Inc
    Twin Valley/Ulen Telephone Co
    US Cable of CoastalTexas, LP
    West Central Telephone Association
    Wikstrom Telephone Company Inc
  14. Lake County (4538) got responses from:
    Qwest
  15. Mid-State Telephone Company (5527) got responses from:
    Mediacom Communications Corporation
  16. National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (6781) got responses from:
    Savage Communications Inc.
    Benton Cooperative Telephone Company
    Citizens Telecommunications Company of Minnesota
    Qwest
  17. National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (6762) got responses from:
    Mediacom Communications Corporation
    Qwest
  18. National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (6761) got responses from:
    Hutchinson Telephone Company
    Mediacom Communications Corporation
    CenturyLink
  19. National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (6776) got responses from:
    Mediacom Communications Corporation
  20. National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (6777) got responses from:
    National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative
    Savage Communications Inc
  21. National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (6778) got responses from:
    CenturyLink
    Charter Communications, Inc
    Consolidated Telephone Company
    Qwest
    TDS Telecom
  22. Nextera Communications (7493) got responses from:
    Charter Communications, INC
    Consolidated Telephone Company
    Savage Communications Inc.
    Qwest
    CenturyLink
  23. Northeast Service Cooperative (6621) got responses from:
    CenturyLink
    Qwest
  24. Paul Buyan Rural Telephone Cooperative (5688) got responses from:
    TCS
    Mediacom Communications Corporation
    Qwest
  25. Qwest (4823) got responses from:
    Charter Communications inc
    Mediacom Communications Corporation
    Comcast Cable
    Northeast Service Cooperative
    Savage Communications Inc.
    Cable One, Inc.
    East Ottertail Telephone
    Tekstar Communications, Inc
    Benton Cooperative Telephone Company
    diversicom Wisper Wireless Solutions, LLC
    Consolidated Telephone Company
  26. Red River Rural Telephone (4733) got responses from:
    None
  27. Sjoberg’s Inc (5696) got responses from:
    None
  28. Upsala Cooperative Telephone Association (6014) got responses from:
    Benton Cooperative Telephone Company
    Qwest
    Savage Communications Inc.
    US Cable of CoastalTexas, LP
    CenturyLink
    Charter Communications, Inc.
    Consolidated Telephone Company
    diversicom Wisper Wireless Solutions, LLC
    Savage Communications Inc.
    Eagle Valley Telephone Company
    EAST OTTERTAIL TELEPHONE
    MIDWEST TELEPHONE
    OSAKIS TELEPHONE
    TCS
  29. Wikstrom Telephone Company (4806) got responses from:
    InvisiMax
  30. Winnebago Cooperative Telecom Association (4975) got responses from:
    Charter Communications, Inc.
    Jaguar Communications, Inc
    Qwest Corporation
  31. Woodstock Telephone Co (4875) got responses from:
    CenturyLink
    Charter Communications, INC
    Qwest

Sheldon Johnson on Minnesota’s broadband potential

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I just ran across Sheldon Johnson’s editorial in the Bemidji Pioneer. (Sheldon Johnson, DFL-St. Paul, is a member of the Minnesota House and chairman of the House Telecommunications Regulation and Infrastructure Division.)

Rep Johnson paints a great picture of Minnesota poised to be at the forefront of the broadband arena based on the goals set out by the recent Minnesota Broadband Bill. Here are some quick (abridged) highlights…

While Minnesota and the Unites States were once leaders in broadband penetration and speed, we have fallen behind. The U.S. now ranks 15th in broadband speed and 12th in broadband penetration. Minnesota, once a top-tier broadband state, has fallen back into the middle of the pack.

…

The goals state that by 2015 all Minnesotans will have access to broadband Internet with download speeds of 10 megabits per second and upload speeds of five megabits per second; Minnesota will in the top five states nationally in broadband access and speed; and that we will put together an advisory committee with a wide range of stakeholders to make sure we are reaching these goals in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible.

The importance of broadband Internet access cannot be overstated. According to a report prepared for the U.S. Department of Commerce, “Communities in which mass-market broadband was available experienced more rapid growth in employment, the number of businesses overall, and businesses in IT-intensive sectors, relative to comparable communities without broadband.” In addition, the report found that communities with broadband access had higher property values.

Minnesota BTOP/BIP Round One awards compiled

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I know I have this information buried in various past blog posts – but several times I’ve wished that I had the info in one easy space. So I thought I’d compile it here. It’s a list of the Round One BTOP and BIP awards in Minnesota (either wholly or partially). (Note: for anyone who saw this via RSS or email first – I initially mistyped Round Two, not Round One. Sorry! I just wish I had the awards for Round Two, but it’s much too early yet.)

BTOP Awards

One Economy Corporation
One Economy, the Broadband Opportunity Coalition and a diverse team of partners propose to increase adoption rates among the unserved and underserved through a comprehensive and integrated program that includes digital literacy, online content, affordable connectivity and public education that will overcome barriers to adoption and will maximize the opportunities inherent in the technology itself.
Grant Award $ 28,519,482 Get more info: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/broadbandgrants/applications/factsheets/56FS.pdf or here: http://www.one-economy.com

C. K. Blandin Foundation
The Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities (MIRC) initiative is a comprehensive, multi-sector approach to sustainable broadband adoption. Through education, training, technical assistance and barrier removal, an array of market development strategies will provide opportunity to residents, small businesses, local governments, and critical needs providers in rural Minnesota.
Grant Award $ 4,858,219 Get more info: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/broadbandgrants/applications/summaries/557.pdf or here: http://broadband.blandinfoundation.org/programs/programs-detail.php?intResourceID=1060

Mission Economic Development Agency
The Latino Microentrepreneur Tech Net is a collaborative project led by the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) of San Francisco and the National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB) of San Antonio, Texas. LMTN will establish Public Computer Centers and a standardized bilingual training curriculum for Latino entrepreneurs at 17 locations nationwide and create 2,100 jobs.
Grant Award $ 3,724,128
Get more info: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/broadbandgrants/applications/summaries/1097.pdf or here: http://www.medasf.org

Regents of the University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN
The Broadband Access Project will eliminate directly the disparity in broadband awareness and use in four federally designated poverty zones in the Twin Cities. The University of Minnesota will provide broadband training to vulnerable populations to gain information about education, health care, and job opportunities. Increased broadband access and usage, and job creation will result in these areas
Grant Award $ 2,862,333
Get more info: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/broadbandgrants/applications/summaries/1158.pdf or here: http://www.uroc.umn.edu/programs/bap.html

OneCommunity
The Knight Center of Digital Excellence, along with the nation’s top digital adoption experts, proposes the Connect Your Community project to ENGAGE, TRAIN, EQUIP, and SUPPORT new broadband users in ten regions, ultimately empowering more than 50,000 individuals from vulnerable groups to reap the benefits of being digitally connected. The Knight Center is a program of award-winning OneCommunity.
Grant Award $ 28,701,771
Get more info: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/broadbandgrants/applications/summaries/2434.pdf or here: http://www.onecommunity.org

BIP Awards

Minnesota Valley Television Improvement Corporation
MVTV Wireless is proposing to continue building out it’s two-way broadband internet network to un-served and underserved areas of west central and south central Minnesota. The proposed project will add 34 additional WIMAX Access Points in 34 un-served and underserved communities adjacent and contiguous to its current service area.
Grant request $562,776 Loan request $562,776 Other Funding $281,388 Get more info: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/broadbandgrants/applications/responses/441pnr.pdf or here: http://www.mvtvwireless.com/tag/federal-stimulus-funding/

BIP/BTOP Awards

Northeast Service Cooperative Mountain Iron, MN
The Northeast Service Cooperative in partnership with state & local agencies, schools & health care organizations will implement a middle mile project to make dark fiber, wavelength services available to private sector providers in rural areas of northeast Minnesota. The project will improve access to critical education & health care services to 20,000 households which lack broadband services.
Grant request* $ 21,749,110
Loan request $ 21,749,110
Get more info: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/broadbandgrants/applications/responses/1928pnr.pdf

City of Windom
SWMBG is proposing to build fiber-to-the-premise infrastructure to eight rural communities throughout Southwestern Minnesota. The network will consist of a 125 mile fiber ring which will connect the eight communities and an FTTP infrastructure within the communities that will support a total of over 3,500 passings.
Grant request* $ 6,350,250
Loan request $ 6,350,250
Get more info: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/broadbandgrants/applications/summaries/2227.pdf or here: http://swmbg.com/

Halstad Telephone Company
Halstad Telephone will install Fiber-to-the-Premise broadband to 1,069 underserved locations in 5 towns and surrounding rural/farm areas in Norman and Polk Counties in Minnesota, utilizing 320 miles of fiber optic cable and providing those locations with broadband capability of 100 Megabits, thus converting an existing Fiber-to-the-Node system which does not meet the required service level.
Grant request* $ 3,277,500
Loan request $ 3,277,500
Get more info: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/broadbandgrants/applications/summaries/2399.pdf or here: http://www.halstadtel.com

USF tool for reaching MN broadband goals

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I was talking with folks just yesterday about the Minnesota Broadband Bill. The Minnesota Ultra High-Speed Task Force wrote a good report. It often gets distilled down to the broadband goals – but hidden in the pages are some good steps to move forward. Unfortunately those steps will stay lost if no one follows up on them.

One of the main goals that got diffused was to have a State Broadband Advisory Committee. It seems as if the bill grants the Department of Commerce permission to create such a group – but doesn’t require it, which I think doesn’t bode well for the creation of the group. (That’s not a statement on the Department of Commerce; it’s a statement on human nature.)

Without the Advisory Committee (and as we all know no money involved in the bill), progress will be slow if at all possible – unless we the people take charge. That’s what we were asking ourselves yesterday – what’s become of the blueprint in the report and what will become of it?

So I was kind of delighted when I saw the letter in the Grand Forks Herald by Anne Temte. She mentions the Minnesota Broadband Bill – and then talked about the need at the national level to effect real change. The Universal Service Funds is the specific area she mentions.

Temte was part of a group (IMPACT 20/20) who met to talk about our broadband future…

This spring, IMPACT 20/20, a group of Northwest Minnesota leaders from across industry sectors, joined together to encourage the Federal Communications Commission to expand and extend the current Universal Service Fund model to include broadband accessibility.

They worked on a letter that the sent jointly to the FCC. They’re timing and aim was good too. The Universal Service Fund is high on the agenda of the National Broadband Plan.

In the Task Force report – there is recognition that we can’t leave the decisions and the momentum to the government (local, state or national). We as citizens (or business owners, teachers…) need to step up with some solutions too. And that’s what IMPACT 20/20 has done. Visit their web site to see their specific goals and benchmarks.

Broadband for business, education and healthcare in Marshall

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Yesterday the Marshall Independent ran the final installment of their broadband series focusing on the future – “The question for many Minnesotans is where to go next”.

They recognize impact that broadband will have on all sectors. Rick King (of Thomson Reuters and the Minnesota Broadband Ultra High-Speed Task Force) points out that broadband will have a great impact on education and healthcare. Education was featured in an article last week and there are already local strides to use broadband in healthcare…

Some area hospitals, including Avera Marshall, have already begun implementing live video technology to give additional support for emergency room staff.

Business use also gets a nod from John DeCramer at the City of Marshall.

John DeCramer of Marshall said high-speed broadband also has major potential for area businesses. For example, a fast, secure and reliable Internet connection makes possible practices like cloud computing. Basically, “cloud computing” involves renting the services of a computer network to do business online. That can be easier for small business owners, because it means they don’t have to invest as much money in servers or other equipment to launch an Internet business, DeCramer said.

Blandin enews June 2010

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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.

MIRC Launches in Grand Rapids
The Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities launched in May when project partners met in Grand Rapids. The meeting was intense, yet energizing as partners worked together to develop common goals and build relationships that will promote strong collaboration throughout the project and beyond. http://tinyurl.com/36bzaea With an opportunity to present at the May TISP Forum, MIRC team members have been able to expand the reach of the project with conversations with other potential community partners. http://tinyurl.com/327eyfe

New Minnesota Broadband Maps
Connect Minnesota unveils new mapping tools that highlight broadband infrastructure at a more granular level than previous maps. The tools are easier to use even on lower bandwidth Internet connections. http://tinyurl.com/2vn2eyf

ARRA New Funds and Round Two Update
The RUS has announced more broadband funds available only to Indian Tribes and/or organizations that were funded in the first and second rounds of ARRA funding; unfortunately most Round Two applicants will not know about their eligibility before the application deadline, however they are welcome to apply in hopes that they will receive funding in Round Two. http://tinyurl.com/37yc6tu

The NTIA and RUS are currently processing Round Two ARRA broadband applications. They started by asking individual states to assess local applications. Those recommendations have been posted online. http://tinyurl.com/3ysxmhy In Minnesota many of those who were not funded in Round One decided not to reapply. http://tinyurl.com/33wamqo

Restore Online Shopper Confidence Act
Senator Klobuchar joins four other senators in introducing a bill that would help put an end to the deceptive online sales tactics uncovered by the Commerce Committee’s e-commerce investigation. http://tinyurl.com/3ycewl5

Report on Community Owned Networks
The Institute for Local Self Reliance publishes a report on the history, benefits and impact of policy on community-owned networks. It includes many case studies from Minnesota. http://tinyurl.com/34pvydb

Local Broadband News

Hutchinson
The Hutchinson Leader recognizes the positive aspect of the Minnesota Broadband Bill but raises questions about a bill that comes with no financial support for improvements. http://tinyurl.com/35qvg6y

Jackson
Jackson explains the elective nature of their planned fiber to the home network. http://tinyurl.com/2wxkd4h

St. Louis, Lake, Cook, Koochiching, Carlton, Pine, Itasca and Aitkin counties
The Northeast Service Cooperative told local officials that they are in the engineering phase to bring fiber to St. Louis, Lake, Cook, Koochiching, Carlton, Pine, Itasca and Aitkin counties. http://tinyurl.com/39sfs23

Marshall
The Marshall Independent runs a series on broadband focusing on infrastructure and use in Southwest Minnesota. http://tinyurl.com/3x4mg38

Southern Minnesota
KeyOn Communications is acquiring Dynamic Broadband Corporation, a wireless internet service provider with operations in Iowa and Minnesota. KeyOn’s business plan includes an upgrade to 4G WiMAX. http://tinyurl.com/3648eun

Southwest Minnesota
The Blandin Foundation-sponsored Lightspeed project at the Minnesota West Community & Technical College and South Central College offers online training and discussion, to local businesses. http://tinyurl.com/39ek2fp

Twin Cities
Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium hires a technology reporter supporting efforts to expand broadband awareness and utilization in communities of color. http://tinyurl.com/3xst6d9

Windom
Ground Level, a Minnesota Public Radio blog, features broadband in rural Minnesota, specifically mentioning a few Minnesota towns, such as Windom. http://tinyurl.com/3ahykx5  

(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

Last week, I was lucky to attend the Intelligent Community Conference in New York City. http://tinyurl.com/2u6bhly  This conference attracted community leaders from Asia, Europe, Canada and the USA. I co-facilitated a session about the challenges facing rural communities in their efforts to revitalize their communities using the Intelligent Community framework. Creating a community, a region and a state that can compete globally is an incredible challenge. It is clear that my new friends around the world are working hard and working smart to align their resources in the best possible ways to create an economic environment with world-class infrastructure, workforce and business support mechanisms. The competition is rocking. We better get going!