News from the Blandin on Broadband Blog

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Broadband Funding at the Minnesota Legislature
At time of publication, both the House and Senate have broadband and the Office of Broadband Development in their budgets at a much lower rate than recommended by the Minnesota Broadband Task Force. There has been an outpouring of reactions:

• Cloquet Valley Internet Initiative explains why wireless is not a final solution for community broadband.
• Blandin Foundation supports investment in broadband to build resilient rural communities.
• Views from the Iron Range, Winona, Duluth and MinnPost.
• Views from Rochester, Virginia, Grand Rapids, Albert Lea, Willmar and the Twin Cities.
• Five reasons wireless broadband is necessary but not sufficient for Minnesota.
• The gap between urban and rural fiber in Minnesota is narrower than US standard, partially because Minnesota is behind the US for urban fiber penetration.
• The Minneapolis Star Tribune supports broadband funding.
• The Grand Forks Herald points out that reduced broadband budget makes e-government more difficult.

Public Private Partnerships at the MN Legislature
The Senate Omnibus Tax Bill makes room for public private partnership to finance, acquire, and construct broadband equipment. It allows for bonding opportunities but with majority vote and private partner.

Changing Telecom Regulation at the MN Legislature
Both the House and Senate (H.F. 1066 and S.F. 736) are looking at bills that would change the rules for landline providers. Industry looks at it as a way to level the playing field for all providers. Special interest groups are afraid this might reduce protection from high prices and quality of service.

Klobuchar Asks the FCC to Look at Dropped Calls
Senator Klobuchar is hoping to get the FCC to establish basic quality standards for rural phone calls with their “Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act.”

CAF Offers $1.7 Billion to Expand Broadband to Over 8.5 Million Rural Americans
Connect America Fund offered carriers nearly $1.7 billion to expand and support broadband service in rural areas. The offer goes to the rural operations of the largest telecom providers – known as price cap carriers – would provide ongoing support for networks that can deliver broadband at speeds of at least 10 Mbps for downloads and 1 Mbps uploads to nearly nine million rural residents nationwide.

Local Broadband News

Chisago
Chisago makes first cut for Americas Best Communities contest for chance at $3 million for better broadband.

Dakota County
Dakota County Commission approved $1.2 million for 500,000 feet of fiber cabling, conduit and duct.

Gaylord
Gaylord just approved a new medical school, a contributing factor was Gaylord’s commitment to invest in RS Fiber Cooperative’s public-private partnership to deliver an affordable fiber-optic broadband network to 10 cities and 17 townships across four counties in south central Minnesota.

Lake George
Paul Bunyan Communications is making GigaZone services available to close to 500 locations in an area that stretches from east of Lake George west to Itasca State Park and south towards Emmaville and Two Inlets.

Le Sueur
Le Sueur looks at State broadband cuts and what they really mean to Le Sueur.

Mankato
Blue Earth County is working with Jaguar to bring fiber optics to Mankato

Meeker County
Meeker County broadband coverage is 98 percent.

Mower County
Mower County broadband coverage is 91 percent.

Murray County
Murray County broadband coverage is 44 percent.

Renville and Sibley Counties
The RS Fiber Cooperative and Hiawatha Broadband Communications plan to bring a new fiber network to Minnesota with the help of Calix systems and software. The new gigabit service will be deployed across four counties in south central Minnesota. A total of ten cities and seventeen townships will be included in the network.

Events and Opportunities

MAY 7
MHTA Spring Conference (Minneapolis)

MAY 14
Free Blandin Foundation Webinar: Partnership Models (online)

MAY 14
Minnesota Broadband Task Force Meeting

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.)

Great Tool

Community Broadband Planning Tool: What you need before you think about financing

Stirring the Pot

After a couple years without a fishing boat, I knew that I needed to get back out onto the water. Like many broadband-deficient communities, I realized that life without a boat is a life incomplete. I had tried fishing from a kayak and from shore, but it is just not the same experience.

Like broadband, there is virtually unlimited online information about boats. Boat manufacturer, length, tiller or console, brand and size of motor, new or used, and even color – all critical choices. Like broadband, sometimes the abundance of information only confuses. You need to judge the expertise of vendors, sort through the criteria that you value and understand the impact of this value system on your choices. And once you make your decision, you will need to defend it from critics, whom you may find are occasionally correct, thus requiring adjustments.

Finally, one decision only leads to more decisions. With a boat, this includes trolling motors, electronics and fishing partners. With broadband, technology, financing and business partners are critical choices. In either case, selecting great partners makes future decisions easier.

Whether you are buying a boat or pursuing broadband network deployment, you will need convincing arguments to justify the investment. For me, fishing has many benefits beyond the obvious tasty meal – beautiful scenery, bald eagles and daydreaming. Based on my usual fishing success, these joys might be the most important benefits that I receive. As you personalize your broadband pitch, remember to include your own stories of broadband-created value remembering that not everything that counts can be counted.