Many community leaders have a simple question – “How good is the broadband in our community?” It is really not a simple question at all. It is not just a matter of availability or speed when determining the state of your broadband; a multitude of factors come into play.

We would like to introduce a new, online Community Broadband Assessment tool created by Bill Coleman of Community Technology Advisors. With a focus on broadband infrastructure and services, the assessment helps a community determine where it stands in comparison to other communities with regard to access to main Internet points of presence, fiber availability to key institutions and business customers, competitive pricing, and available broadband speeds. In addition, the tool helps communities consider the ubiquity of broadband within their whole county or market area and whether they can count on their broadband service providers as community partners.

The assessment is available online. It is suggested that you print out the assessment, gather and discuss the information, then complete the assessment online. The benefits are two-fold. Your community broadband team will have a better understanding of the various components of broadband availability and will be able to focus your broadband improvement efforts to improve your competitiveness. Secondly, we will be able to aggregate community information from across the state to share with state and regional policy makers about creating and implementing effective broadband policies across the state. We hope to gather sufficient data to share with legislators this session which starts in early March.

While you are reviewing the assessment, make sure that you check out the rest of the Minnesota Broadband Coalition website.

If you have questions about the assessment, contact Bill Coleman at 651-491-2551 or bill@communitytechnologyadvisors.com.