News from the Blandin on Broadband Blog

Broadband Deployment Fund Legislation

Legislation was introduced to dedicate $100 million to broadband development in Minnesota. The legislation has gained more traction than many expected this year. Right now The House has put $25 million into their budget for broadband. The Senate has not put in anything but there is still an opportunity. Governor Dayton was originally not optimistic about funding for broadband in 2014; but he has changed his mind and now supports the bill. http://wp.me/p3if7-2Fc House Leadership hosted a press conference discussing the impact broadband could have on education, especially in rural areas to encourage the Legislature to pay attention to the broadband development bill. http://wp.me/p3if7-2FA At the monthly meeting, the Minnesota Task Force talks about how Minnesota residents can contact their legislators to encourage funding for broadband. http://wp.me/p3if7-2G8 (They also talked about FCC funding.) Blandin Foundation hosted a webinar where local experts offered their perspective on the bill. http://wp.me/p3if7-2El

The legislation has led to  editorials and articles in local papers, including the following:

• MinnPost writes about broadband from the community network and industry perspectives http://wp.me/p3if7-2Gg
• The Marshall Independent, Mankato Free Press, Virginia News, and Pioneer Press all wrote about it http://wp.me/p3if7-2FM
• Mayor Bruce Ahlgren from Cloquet and Mayor Tom Stiehm from Austin implore the Senate to support the broadband development bill http://wp.me/p3if7-2F1
• Leaders in Fergus Falls support the broadband bill http://wp.me/p3if7-2EE
• Kyle Ackerman, owner of a wireless company, does not support government funding for broadband http://wp.me/p3if7-2EI

Legislative Funding for Broadband in Schools

There is a provision on the K12 House bill to increase the funding by $5 million. That might fully fund broadband Internet for the first year; expenses are expected to grow in the following year. The House has dedicated no increase in funding. The issue is now being discussed in committee. http://wp.me/3if7

79% of Minnesota Households Use the Internet

According to the most recent Connect Minnesota survey, 79 percent of households subscribe to broadband services, up from 72 percent in 2010. But there’s work yet to be done. More than 108,000 school-age children in Minnesota do not have broadband access at home. http://wp.me/p3if7-2EB

Minnesota Recognized for Broadband Policy

Government Technology called Minnesota “a state to watch” in the community broadband fight. http://wp.me/p3if7-2Fv Government Technology also announced the their top 13 tech savvy legislators. Their list included two from Minnesota: Senator Matt Schmit and Representative Joe Atkins. http://wp.me/p3if7-2FU

Business Impact of Technology Policy

Prominent businessman Tom Salonek tells the Minneapolis Star Tribune what Net Neutrality means to his business. http://wp.me/p3if7-2F6 The US Government support and promotes greater partnership with business by encouraging greater open source use of open data. http://wp.me/p3if7-2ER Some industries, such as educational technology, are gaining momentum in Minnesota by looking at what it happening with education and technology policy and how businesses can profitably support those changes. http://wp.me/p3if7-2Ec

Opportunities to Understand the Technology

Last month Blandin Foundation hosted a webinar on Making 700 MHz Wireless Work in Rural Minnesota with Kevin Larson. The archive is available online. http://wp.me/p3if7-2EM Connect Minnesota recently offered a webinar on Federal broadband policy updates. And archive is available. http://wp.me/p3if7-2FR

Local Broadband News

Annandale

Annandale is looking to partner with a private entity to build a broadband network. http://wp.me/p3if7-2Fl

East Central Minnesota

East Central Minnesota held their second annual broadband conference. Each year it has been a productive conversation among local communities and providers talking about how to broadband is being used and trying to talk about how broadband infrastructure can be improved in the area. http://wp.me/p3if7-2Eg

At the East Central MN Broadband Conference Stacey Stockdill spoke eloquently about what it’s like to live with slow Internet access. http://wp.me/p3if7-2Ee

Fergus Falls

Fergus Falls, the self-proclaimed Telework Capitol of Minnesota, shared their handbook on building a community-wide telework strategy. http://wp.me/p3if7-2ES

Grand Rapids

Mediacom is bringing their Smart Home Technology to 48 communities in Minnesota; it’s a home automation and security service. http://wp.me/p3if7-2E6

Itasca County

Itasca County provides an update on broadband-related activity happening in their area since becoming a Blandin Broadband Community. Activity includes social media breakfasts, social media training, business tech assessments, community portal and the Itasca Technology Exchange. http://wp.me/p3if7-2Fi

Mille Lacs County

Mille Lacs holds an interactive, online town hall meeting with remote sites to encourage civic engagement. http://wp.me/p3if7-2Gb

Minneapolis

US Internet offers Gigabit broadband access to 4,000 customers in Minneapolis. http://wp.me/p3if7-2FI

Red Wing

Red Wing Ignite hosts the first hackfest in rural Minnesota. Attendees from Red Wing and the Twin Cities develop five applications over a weekend. http://wp.me/p3if7-2G2

Sebeka

Senator Amy Klobuchar visits Sebeka to congratulate West Central Telephone Association on the work in e-learning and their Smart Rural Community award. http://wp.me/p3if7-2FW

Twin Cities

Comcast works with Charter to hand off their Twin Cities customers in an effort to reduce their US market share.  http://wp.me/p3if7-2FY

Events

MAY 6MHTS Spring Conference (Minneapolis) http://wp.me/p3if7-2FO

MAY 8DIY Tools and Strategies for Communities: Google Fiber is NOT Calling (Webinar; 3-4pm) http://wp.me/p3if7-2Gi

MAY 9Racial Equity- Beyond Technology: A discussion in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis) http://wp.me/p3if7-2Fy

Looking for more events? Check out TechDotMN’s calendar http://tech.mn/events/. Many events are based in the Twin Cities but it is a comprehensive list. (If you have an upcoming event, consider submitting it.)

Stirring the Pot!

By Bill Coleman, Community Technology Advisors

It seems like a very exciting time for broadband advocates in Minnesota: a new Office of Broadband Development led by a capable, visionary and persistent community broadband advocate (the characteristics shared with all of our best community broadband champions); a prospective multi-million dollar state broadband fund (where do your legislators stand?); and an FCC examining new ways to spur rural broadband deployment (check out the recent Connect MN webinar!)

I continue to be a strong advocate of our state’s broadband goal of 10 – 20 Mbps ubiquitous broadband across Minnesota. That goal, while deceptively low, is fast enough to require significant network investments to reach border to border. And if a provider is going to invest in new network, I don’t think that they are going to settle for a solution that delivers only to the goal. All of the initiatives are aimed at moving un- and under-served areas into the 10 Mbps served category. If successful, it would be a nice simple Connect MN map to admire!

Then all of Minnesota can sit back and rest. Right?? Not!!

Not when a growing number of US communities are served by Gigabit networks. While Google is now famous for its generally prospective $70 Gb service, Chattanooga is delivering a Gb at that same price community-wide! Or you can get in their community’s slow lane with 100 Mbps service for a bit cheaper. Google also promises a free 5 Mbps digital inclusion service. At the recent Broadband Communities Summit, an International Economic Development Council leader noted that while a Gigabit network is now a competitive economic advantage, he expects that soon, the lack of a Gigabit network will be seen as a competitive disadvantage.

Even now, if your local school or hospital is served by anything less than 100 Mb, they are at a competitive disadvantage. Many Minnesota libraries are connecting at less than 10 Mbps, which is just not enough to reach its potential as a real community asset. All of our rural communities, but especially our smaller regional center communities with our courthouses, hospitals, community and technical college campuses, industrial parks and downtown districts, need first-class broadband services. The definition of first-class is now Gigabit. I have had regional center economic developers tell me that “our providers say that our community has everything it needs” and they accept that on face value; every economic developer better be asking about competitively priced Gigabit service, not a 10 or even 50 Mbps Internet service. Remember too that not all high speed connections go over the Internet – some customers need private networks connecting among health care providers, manufacturer supply chains or other associated organizations.

From Fort Snelling’s establishment as the last major army hub at the end of the northwest spoke of western expansion, Minnesota has faced network challenges. This challenge continues today. Minnesota is absent from the list of 36 Google communities. Why not the Greater MSP, Duluth and Rochester? Minnesota is absent from the list of 37 Gig.U communities. Why not our MNSCU campus communities, especially our main campuses in Mankato, Moorhead, Bemidji, Marshall, St. Cloud and Winona? Some of these communities have excellent networks already on which to build both strategy and marketing. Thank goodness for participation of the HBC-Red Wing partnership in the US Ignite program that gives Minnesota a dot on that map. Finally, I cannot see Comcast’s decision to spin the Twin Cities off along with Detroit as a positive sign for future investment. The Google, GIG.U and US Ignite list seems like more desirable than one with the Motor City. As my mom used to say to me, “pick your friends carefully!”

None of this rant even touches on the need to strategically and systematically stimulate the advanced use of technology by end-users on Main Street or in the exam room, school house, courthouse and/or our own house.

We better believe that Minnesota’s broadband deployment and technology adoption work is just getting started!