Welcome Muninetworks!

June 13, 2009

Thanks to Christopher Mitchell for sending a head up on a new site, Muninetworks. They “feature news, reports, and case studies that illustrate how communities can ensure they have a fast broadband network. We encourage local ownership of broadband networks; when network owners come from outside the communities, they tend not to prioritize local needs.”

In it Chris is keeping us up-to-date with everything related to municipal networks. There’s a nice section on reports and a glossary – so I think it will be helpful to community leaders who find themselves interested in broadband as well as those of us with a long-standing interest.

There’s a nice article that highlights best broadband networks in the US, which also serves as a comparison between public and private networks. I don’t want to ruin the surprise for anyone – but public is looking good.

Leave a Comment » | Building Broadband Tools, Community Networks, Research | Permalink
Posted by Ann Treacy

Community Benefits Agreement for communitywide networks

May 23, 2009

Last week I had the opportunity to talk to Sheldon Mains about his work with the community benefits agreement in Minneapolis. Sheldon is a friend who helps nonprofits and foundation use technology wisely. In April he posted a blog on the history of the Community Benefits Agreement in the Wireless Minneapolis Project.

The quick, loose take is – a community benefits agreement (CBA) is traditionally used in real estate where developers commit to certain concessions in exchange building permission. The folks in Minneapolis were smart enough to think about a CBA when talking to US Internet about the communitywide wireless contract. (Again read Sheldon’s post for the details.)

I asked Sheldon to talk about what he had learned through the process of developing and deploying the CBA and what advice he might have for other communities looking at a communitywide (wired or wireless) network.

In Minneapolis there were some folks pushing for a municipal network while others wanted to outsource; others came up with the idea of using a CBA as a compromise.

It started with an informal roundtable of likely stakeholders: schools, libraries, community technology centers, nonprofit service organizations, community-based organizations. They talked about what they wanted and needed from a CBA.

Next the city pulled a task force together – with many of the same players. Minneapolis wanted free and low cost access. The task force recognized that cost of connectivity wasn’t the only issues. Cost of computers and training were also barriers. So a fund that would help with the broader issues was more valuable that cheaper access.

They decided that the money should go to a Foundation (the Minneapolis Foundation) who would administer grants. There were some benefits for US Internet to give money to the Foundation rather than the government and the community saw benefits with working with the Foundation.

So if you’re in a community that might be interested in pursuing a similar path, Sheldon suggests that you remain flexible. The benefits that Minneapolis chose might not be what you need. See what works for the provider and your city.

The Alliance for Metropolitan Stability has a guide called Community Benefits Agreements: Growing a Movement in Minnesota (Jan 08) on their site; they also have Recommendations for the Wireless Minneapolis Community Benefits Agreement (March 06).

I think the CBA is a clever way to think about how to get your community the best solution without reinvesting the wheel entirely.

Leave a Comment » | Building Broadband Tools, Community Networks, Digital Divide, MN, Vendors, Wireless | Permalink
Posted by Ann Treacy

Moose Lake Community Broadband Network

March 16, 2009

I asked some of the graduated Broadband Get Broadband communities for broadband success stories. Bill Carlson was good enough to send me an update and history of broadband in Moose Lake…

In the year 20000, Moose Lake was experiencing a local digital divide. There was high-speed broadband connectivity in the public library, the school, the hospital and in the Minnesota state facilities, but only dial-up was available to the local government and the local residents. The community made a concerted effort to explore the option of building a locally owned Community Broadband Network, which would allow the flexibility of providing Internet services tailored to the changing needs of Moose Lake. A resolution was passed by the Moose Lake City Council to allow the Moose Lake Water & Light Commission to enter into the broadband business. They were directed to use the same model that was so successful with the electrical utility – provide the City of Moose Lake with an affordable and reliable service.

A T1 line with Internet service was brought into the City Hall and a fiber optic line was installed by the linemen to connect the city hall with the water& light building. The city administration and utilities business office now had high-speed broadband services. A small fiber loop was constructed at the same time to bring high-speed broadband services to the downtown business. The local businesses that required large data transfer joined the network but the high installation costs prohibited the small business to join. The partnership between the public and private sectors made the monthly T1 charges affordable.

The city realized that a fixed wireless system was the best option to meet the needs of the rest of the community. The completion of this portion of the network allowed all the local government buildings, including the Emergency Response Center to have broadband Internet connections. The rates and the installs costs were affordable to small businesses. Before a marketing plan and customer services could be implemented, Mediacom begin offering Internet services to their customers and Quest was offering DSL services to the community.

The only hope for the community broadband network was to find a niche service that only they could provide. The one possibility was to add Wi-Fi radios to the city campground and the highway corridor which transverse the community. The network was part of a “Linking-Up North” project that was to promote Moose Lake as a place for travelers to stop and check their e-mails and hopefully do some shopping. The Wi-Fi portion was designed to allow for 15 minutes of free use and username/password for extended use. Many of the users felt they were entitled to extended free service, so it became somewhat of a public relations nightmare. Free extended service is currently offered to .patrons of the public library, a local coffee shop and guests at the motels. No plans are in the works to expand the Wi-Fi system at this time.

The areas surrounding the City of Moose Lake begin showing the most interest in signing up for broadband services. Tower and install agreements have been made with Moose Lake Township, Minnesota State Park and the Mercy Hospital and Health Care Center to bring public broadband services to their locations.

The current demand on the capacity and speed of the community network has prompted the Water & Light Commission to build a fiber optic backbone which extends the length of the city. Public Safety has always been a priority of the community and this added bandwidth will allow the monitoring of the electrical distribution system, the back-up electrical generators, the community surveillance cameras and emergency management and notification communications system. Community server/software and GIS mapping projects are also in the development stages. The fiber optic cable also passes by an area that is slated for economic development.

The neighboring communities of Barnum, Kettle River, Sturgeon Lake and Willow River have contracted on a trial bases with the Water & Light Commission to receive wireless broadband services. The links are currently being made and customers are being hook-up.

The major problem from the beginning continues today, the communities inability to hire a person to provide technical and customer services. The community network has to rely on individual’s willingness to help out with the everyday problems and to outsource contract with companies for technical support. The effort today is focused on seeking funds from the Recovery Act Broadband Initiatives to make the Community Broadband Network sustainable and continue to grow in unserved and underserved areas without becoming a financial burden on the local taxpayers and Water & Light Customers.

Leave a Comment » | Blandin Foundation, Building Broadband Tools, Get Broadband, MN, Rural, Wireless | Permalink
Posted by Ann Treacy

Notes from the Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Forum

March 8, 2009

I want to send a big thank you to John Schultz from U-reka Broadband Ventures LLC for sending us notes from the Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Forum in Paris last week. He’s done a great job of giving a little flavor of Paris – and more importantly highlighting the hot topics from the conference. It’s interesting to read about how providers are working together, with municipalities and with electric companies.

Tuesday March 3rd

After a couple days of getting use to the time zone changes and general tourist visits (check out our touristy videos at www.youtube.com/jurekab) it is time to look for some telecommunications applications in Paris. One of the first things that I noticed as we walked the street was the prevalence of ADSL modems/gateways in the windows of telecommunications carries storefronts. All of these devices combine VOIP, Internet, Wi-Fi and IP video into one device. It is pretty obvious that ADSL is the default technology currently in Paris (I was surprised by the number of technology magazines on newsstands that had comparisons of ADSL modems/routers on the cover) but there are signs of Fiber-to-the-Premise deployments also.

As I was reviewing this January/February copy of Broadband Properties magazine and their snippet on French Providers agreeing to share In-Building Wiring. Three of the major FTTP providers have signed onto this agreement which allows a single fiber to be placed into a property and then the provider of choice is able to utilize the fiber. The fourth provider still has not signed onto the agreement but instead prefers a solution that requires four fibers to be installed into each building. With the low-rise multi-dwelling units that I see here in Paris the ability of the providers to utilize a single fiber infrastructure within the residence not only brings them the ability for choice but also for a clean install (I kept thinking how important reduced-bend radius fiber must be in these deployments). As we walked the Latin Quarter this afternoon on the way to the Pantheon (which if you are a fan of French history you must see in Paris) I noticed that there were construction crews pulling fiber into the existing duct banks through the area, what I also found out is they don’t like pictures! Since many of the buildings in this area are both business (on the bottom floor) and residences (on the top floors) these fiber providers have the opportunity to provide services to both sets of customers at the same time which is different from deployments in the States. Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a Comment » | Broadband Applications, Building Broadband Tools, Community Networks, Conferences, FTTH, Open Networks, Policy | Permalink
Posted by Ann Treacy

Got any shovel-ready broadband projects?

January 20, 2009

I just got the following message from the Minnesota Ultra High-Speed Broadband Task Force:

The Minnesota Ultra High-Speed Broadband Task Force is requesting input from the public in order to submit to the legislature a proposal for “Shovel Ready Projects” in Minnesota.

Do you know of any projects that could start soon and benefit the expansion of Broadband in Minnesota? Projects that would create jobs and help grow the economy?

Submit good ideas to the Task Force.

The formula for success is s little nebulous at this point. Here’s some of what I was able to garner from the Energy, Utilities, Technology and Communications committee meeting last week:

What could the stimulus package mean?
• Funding for existing programs (with or w/o state match)
• Funding for authorized programs that have not been funded
• Funding for new programs
• Tax credits of incentives
• Loan guarantees
• Could be use it or lose it funds – there will be an expiration
• Likely to be additional oversight
• May be procedural waivers – especially for infrastructure

And here’s what I was able to garner from the last Task Force meeting:

Funds will (probably) use existing infrastructure, go to existing/proven resources and need to be personally certified by local official, no earmarks. $6 billion is going to broadband – but there are other possible pockets too – such as funding to schools. So it may make sense to look at RUS and other programs. Interest free loans are another tool that will be used.

Good luck! As always I’d love to see some Minnesota projects receive a boost!

1 Comment | Building Broadband Tools, Digital Divide, Funding, MN, Policy | Permalink
Posted by Ann Treacy

Broadband video: Exponential Generation

January 14, 2009

Dave Russell of Calix has shared several copies of the company’s two new videos titled “Exponential Generation” that promote the need for and the value of high bandwidth networks.

Calix is a broadband equipment manufacturer specializing in FTTH technology and has facilities in Plymouth, MN. Dave Russell is a very active member of the Fiber to the Home Council.

The videos show how people are using the Internet, especially by people in the younger age groups. The videos are short, fun and informative. Dave has provided me with several copies so that I can share. Unfortunately, they are too big for most people to effectively download, so they will have to be distributed via snail mail. Send an email to broadband@blandinfoundation.org if you are interested.

Leave a Comment » | Broadband Applications, Building Broadband Tools, MN | Permalink
Posted by Bill Coleman

2008 Blandin Broadband Conference: Breakout Session Two

December 5, 2008

We had 3 options for the first breakout session. I have included links to presentations when I had them:

Feasibility Applications
Melissa Reeder, IT Director, City of Northfield
Myron White, Executive Director, Red Wing Port Authority

Government Applications
Merton Auger, City Administrator, City of Buffalo,
Gary Shelton, County Administrator, Scott County

Education Applications
Joe Shultheis, E-Learning Services Coordinator, Century College
Warren Schaeffer, St. Paul College

Video demonstration of Second Life.

I went to this session. This is the second tour I have had of Second Life. I am going to look more into it. What I found interesting was the statistics on how many people participate in virtual worlds. My kids are big Club Penguin fans; and I think that’s where they are starting to catch people. I think they started using CP in first grade. Second Life looks like the most grown up version of the online worlds. The biggest demographic there apparently is single women over 35.

The presenters talked about virtual worlds in higher education. I asked if teachers were trained to teach in a virtual world. They answer was an emphatic no – why would they be? My husband’s a teacher at a community college. He has no idea what Second Life is – so I found that answer surprising. I suspect that either certain teachers gravitate to the option of suing virtual tools and/or most spend a lot of their free time learning it.

1 Comment | Blandin Broadband Summit, Blandin Foundation, Broadband Applications, Broadband Summit 2008, Building Broadband Tools, MN, education | Permalink
Posted by Ann Treacy

Blandin Broadband Conference 2008: Robert Bell – Creating the Intelligent Community

December 3, 2008

robert_bellThe Blandin Broadband conference started today. We have been pleasantly surprised with the number of registrants – so that’s fun. This afternoon I attended a presentation from Robert Bell of the Intelligent Community Forum. It was very interesting. I took notes.

I realized that I could proof my notes and post this on Friday or post asis today. I hope you can overlook any typos.

What is an intelligent community? – Robert Bell Read the rest of this entry »

2 Comments | Broadband Summit 2008, Building Broadband Tools, Community Networks, Conferences, MN | Permalink
Posted by Ann Treacy

The Municipal and Utility Guidebook to Bringing Broadband Fiber Optics to Your Community

November 16, 2008

blog_ftthreportSo I read the new FTTH Guidebook for communities and I kinda like it. (For non-Minnesotans who might be reading this – that’s pretty high praise.) The meat of the work is in 4 case studies of successful municipal FTTH projects.

The case studies are detailed. The talk about the legal, technical, financial and management issues that have come up for the providers. They get at pricing and specific local laws that had to be overcome. I was impressed with the amount of detail provided.

The rest of the guidebook draws conclusions and makes recommendations based on the collective experience of the case studies. I think this would be helpful reading for anyone looking into the option of community-owned FTTH.

But you know what I wish was also there? Maybe a study of a community that wasn’t successful or a study of a community that decided to go another route – just for comparison.

5 Comments | Building Broadband Tools, Community Networks, FTTH | Permalink
Posted by Ann Treacy

Fiber open house a hit in Northfield

November 9, 2008

Northfield recently held an open house to introduce the general public to the consultants who will be deploying their Fiber Optic Feasibility Study, which is partially funded by the Blandin Foundation. According to the Northfield News, 40 people attended the event. Apparently people came with good question and with varied opinion. Many wanted to what would be the benefits to them as residents.

The feasibility study should be completed by the end of January.

2 Comments | Blandin Foundation, Building Broadband Tools, MN, Rural | Permalink
Posted by Ann Treacy

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