Monthly Archives: March 2008

PacketFront on Open Access

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PacketFrontI had an opportunity to see Tim Scott of PacketFront talk about open access FTTH networks at the Digital City Expo in January. I thought his presentation was interesting and asked if he would follow up with more information for the blog. PacketFront was gracious enough to send us their responses and I am happy to post them below. I want to thank them for their time and consideration…

PacketFront is a very strong and vocal advocate for the open access model in municipal broadband. Open access is the only community network model that offers true freedom of choice and competition for consumers. In the right setting, open access networks bring down retail prices and increase service innovation, thus stirring economic growth and enhancing quality of life.

That being said, open access isn’t a viable option for every community network. In fact, we don’t believe open access is really feasible for networks of less than 3,000 homes. Further, to be really successful, open access networks need to start with 30,000 homes and businesses and go from there.

But how then can small and rural communities hope to reap the benefits of an open access network? To answer this question, it is probably useful to define the options available for service provider access to networks.

Closed: Networks that have one exclusive service provider. This single service provider may provide a variety of services on the network (voice, video, different levels of data service, etc.). This scenario is often seen in networks that are actually owned by the service provider as well (good examples of this are the Verizon FiOS networks, cable company networks, etc.). Closed networks are also found in smaller communities that, due to the low number of potential subscribers, cannot offer enough incentive for more than one service provider. Sometimes, a municipality that builds and owns its network will also choose to offer retail services on that network as the only service provider.

Limited Access: Networks that limit access to a capped number of service providers—more than one but fewer than five. This is a newer model which may suit some rural networks, especially in their earlier phases. Typically, the suite of service providers in this scenario would include at least one major triple-play provider, as well as one or two additional voice/data providers, and perhaps one or two niche providers.

Limited access networks allow smaller networks (less than 30,000 addresses) some of the same benefits of a completely open network while still allowing a solid revenue proposition for the service providers. In other words, by limiting the number of providers on the network, there is more revenue to share.

Open Access: Networks that are open for any qualified service provider to use. Sometimes these are owned by municipalities that offer the use of the network to service providers for a wholesale rate. The service providers then sign up subscribers and charge a retail rate; their profit comes from the difference between the retail rate they charge their subscribers, and the combination of their operating costs and the wholesale rate (or revenue share) they pay to the network owner. In a completely open network with a large enough subscriber base (typically more than 30,000), many service providers will join the network, offering major voice/video/data products, along with niche products that fulfill specific needs (i.e, distance education, telemedicine, security, gaming, visual communications, etc.).

No matter what option works best for a network at its outset, bear in mind that it is much easier to accommodate future growth on a network if it is initially built as an open access network. Why? Technologically, it is much easier to move from a limited access network to an open access network than it is to move from a closed network to an open- or limited access network. This is because the decisions made early in the design and build of the network (open, closed, limited) will dictate many of the decisions regarding governance, financing, marketing, electronics, and operating systems.

So if any type of an open network is anticipated or desired in order to achieve the long-term objectives of the network, PacketFront would recommend that the network be initially built to accommodate an open access model, even if it will be operated, at first, as a closed or limited access network. Doing so will enable a far easier and less expensive transition as the network grows and evolves.

The idea here to be able to easily add more service providers to a network as it matures, (even if the network starts with just one provider) in order to provide the freedom of choice and service innovation that is the promise of open access.

A community fiber network will encourage innovations beyond the standard services typically provided on a closed network to include telemedicine, distance education, local community outreach, social services, e-government services, spiritual services, and in-network communications. Competition drives innovation and product development. Traditional phone and cable providers are not on the leading edge of new application development—because they operate in a closed environment and do not invite true innovation.

For example, if a local health care clinic wants to run a consultation service (a live “Ask a Nurse” service that uses remote visual communications) on the network, do you think the local cable company would consider allowing the clinic to host their service on the cable network (even assuming it had sufficient bandwidth)? No, but the clinic could easily offer this service on the community-owned network. Likewise with any other local service provider—a community network creates opportunities within the community to foster innovation, creativity and competition.

This sense of community growth through a community-owned network has been extremely successful in many European communities. Though the concept is still emerging in the United States, it is gaining mindshare and being implemented in communities this year.

Peter Drucker said that there are only two things that really matter in business—Innovation and Marketing, everything else is an expense. The success of a community-owned open access fiber-to-the-home network will happen when these two things come together. Remember—when communities began installing electrical grids, the only thing we really knew to use electricity for was to power light bulbs. Think of all the applications we’ve since discovered and expect from electricity!

To address the specific questions posed by Blandin, PacketFront’s responses are below each question: Continue reading →

Hearing on Net Neutrality and Free Speech on the Internet

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First, for those in Minneapolis – here’s a heads up on the Senate committee meeting this afternoon: Thursday, March 13, 2008 – 3:00 PM Room 123 Capitol

Committee on Energy, Utilities, Technology and Communications
Chair: Sen. Yvonne Prettner Solon

Agenda:
S.F. 2866-Prettner Solon: Broadband service statewide inventory and mapping requirement.
S.F. 3520-Prettner Solon: Wind energy easement provisions modification.
S.F. 3605-Prettner Solon: Legislative energy commission establishment.
S.F. 2996-Rummel: Biomass definition expansion for renewable energy objectives; metropolitan area water supply advisory committee expiration date extension.
S.F. 3528-Rummel: Solar produced energy under renewable energy standard requirement.

I finally got a little (OK lot) of time to watch the Judiciary Committee Antitrust Task Force Hearing on Net Neutrality and Free Speech on the Internet. Below are my notes: Continue reading →

Windom Update – Student PPTs on Cable

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Thanks to Dan Olsen, Director of Operations from Windomnet for sending us a report from the Windomnet project:

The first item to be activated is an informational channel on the local city owned cable system. Students create a power point presentation and then FTP the presentation to the server located at the cable headend. This is then displayed on a local cable channel. Open source software was used to produce the power point. In the near future this server will be moved to the high school and used as part of the overall video learning and information system.

Fiber optic splicing has begun for the the interconnect from the Windom areas high school to the City Of Windom Network Operations Center (Noc) and the headend. This will allow for Ethernet transport to the Noc, and live video streaming to the headend.

light speed communityThe Blandin Foundation is supporting four standout broadband programs through the Light Speed program. The program’s purpose is to stimulate the deployment of bandwidth intensive applications that connect local institutions to area resident’s home. This post comes from a Light Speed community leader.

A Vote for an Open Network

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I just ran across a nice article promoting open networks in Telephony Online (What’s wrong with one damn-good open network?).

The author quotes former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt:

His thought is to stop “nickel and diming” local telephone companies and fund broadband construction, with one important caveat: The network has to be open. “Going back to universal service, instead of seeing us reduce the amount of money we give to phone companies in Montana, I’d rather see us provide really high-speed access, even if it was just one company, provided they were open,” Hundt said. “Open,” by his definition, doesn’t mean giving away service – it does allow for the service provider to charge a reasonable fee per bit, but not to discriminate in its sales.

It’s an interesting check and balance on the Connect Kentucky model that has been so popular these days.

FCC 700 Mhz Spectrum – The Fat Lady is About to Sing

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The FCC 700 Mhz Spectrum auction opened at the end of January. I followed it for a few days and realized that it made watching paint dry seem useful. Well, I’m starting to see sings of life in the world of the spectrum again probably because it seems as if the end is near. Apparently the bidding continues until interest wanes to point of stopping.

Many of the auctions are over and done. It looks like North and South Dakota are still in the hopper. (It sounds like gym class – where the mightiest are chosen first.)

The bidding has already raised about $20 billion. (Twice what they predicted.)

DSLReports has been keeping a good eye on the auction. They suggest that while we might not be too interested now that “interest could re-ignite when bidders are announced”.

C|net suggests that the auction may be ending soon – but we won’t see a difference for years. They follow research from 4 universities where students took on identities of four companies with a stake in the auction outcome–Google, Intel, AT&T Mobility and Vulcan Capital.

Here’s a look at some of the other predictions. The Google team, made up of students from University of Chicago, predicted that the search engine giant will partner with a leading wireless service provider, possibly AT&T. And the group believes that it will share 20 percent of its advertising revenue with whoever owns the licenses. Separate from the auction, the group also predicts that Google’s new Android handset software will run into resistance among chipmakers and handset manufacturers, who have different business interests than Google.

The Northwestern group, which took on the identity of Intel, believes the chipmaker will attack the wireless broadband market through its WiMax initiative. The company will likely work with PC makers to embed WiMax chips and help them shrink their devices to compete directly with smartphones, the students said.

The teams also said that adult content was likely to be the killer application that will drive wireless broadband adoption.

The Washington Post reports that the general auction has gone well – but the D-block, the one reserved for an interoperable public safety network likely won’t meet its minimum bid requirement. It will be interesting to see what happens there. One clause that makes the safety-net even more interesting – the FCC won’t reveal winners of any of the other blocks until it decides what it will do with the D-block.

Facebook at the Movies

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Tomorrow (Monday Mar 10), Paramount Pictures is going to make an exaflood of videos available online to Facebook users.

Here’s a description of the service that reads like Greek, “The unit of Viacom Inc. is teaming with Los Angeles-based developer FanRocket to launch the VooZoo application Monday on Facebook.”

In short, Viacom is making short clips available. Facebook users can send videos to each other – so mostly I picture my 9 year old sending a clip from High School Music (if she were on Facebook) or my brother sending me a late night clip from Caddy Shack.

The trade off is that after the clip shows, so will an ad to purchase a DVD of the whole movie. So it’s a big viral marketing scheme that should help build demand for broadband.

I just wanted you guys to be the first on your block to send a friend a clip. You can read more about it on Wired.

Vermont, Minnesota, and California

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In the last 24 hours I’ve had two great conversations with Christopher Mitchell of Institute for Local Self Reliance. So this is a long post but in short, I talk about

  1. The great news in Vermont (the East Central Vermont Community Fiber Network) is moving ahead.
  2. The Broadband service mapping project and inventory funding provided, and money appropriated in the Minnesota Legislature.
  3. California’s mapping strategy

Continue reading →

ISPs Say the Broadband Glass if Half Full

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The US Internet Industry Association (UIIA) recently published a study (by David McClure) that paints a pretty rosy picture of broadband in the US.

Here’s a quick view of the report from the UIIA themselves in a letter to Congresswomen Pelosi:

It is a status report on how well we cover the nation’s rural areas with broadband Internet services, and I believe it will surprise you, for three reasons:

  1. Most of what we think we know about broadband deployment is based on old data, bad data or deliberate distortions of the data.
  2. We now have broadband available in at least one form for virtually every household and business in America – and we have achieved this in the shortest deployment time of any new technology in human history.

It’s not the regulation of broadband networks that needs to be a national priority, but rather solving issues that keep people from subscribing to the services that are available to them.The big point they are making is that deployment isn’t the problem – adoption is the problem. I think I remember hearing this in the 1990’s when I worked for an ISP. The problem was always take rate.

Here is their quick take on public policy: Continue reading →

Little Crow Telemedia Network Update

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The IP VCR has been used many times since we installed it.

We recorded our Veterans Day connection to Iraq to “bring home” by video a local pastor.

We have used to record training sessions for Erate, Online Testing and Financial training.

It has become an expected thing for us to record videoconferencing session for anybody to watch later, what a great great tool!

light speed communityThe Blandin Foundation is supporting four standout broadband programs through the Light Speed program. The program’s purpose is to stimulate the deployment of bandwidth intensive applications that connect local institutions to area resident’s home. This post comes from a Light Speed community leader.

Lakewood Health System update

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Our telemonitoring equipment project is going well!  Last week, we invited American Telecare Inc for a product demonstration.  American Telecare is a Minnesota company specializing in video-based home telemonitoring equipment.  Currently, Medical Assistance will reimburse for a skilled nurse visit completed by video.  The video equipment is similar to a webcam but the picture quality is amazingly clear even with regular POTS (regular telephone service).  In the future, with the expansion of broadband technology service areas, it will make the ability to communicate and assess the needs of our clients by video almost as easy as in person.  American Telecare has remote monitoring equipment (like BP cuff, scale, oximeter for assessing daily vital signs) and even a stethescope for the nurse to listen to the patient’s heart and lung sounds. 

This month, I will be scheduling the last two telemonitoring manufacturers we are interested in.  With this information, we will be able to make our purchase decision soon.

light speed communityThe Blandin Foundation is supporting four standout broadband programs through the Light Speed program. The program’s purpose is to stimulate the deployment of bandwidth intensive applications that connect local institutions to area resident’s home. This post comes from a Light Speed community leader.

Technology without Training Isn’t Very Useful

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appleTrying to make a long story short, I’ll start by saying I ran into a great blog post today that describes “a school, without a full time information specialist (librarian), is a lot like me trying to plan the most efficient use of our few hours in London, without Internet.” The blogger, David Warlick, is an educator in Europe at a conference. He was talking about lack of ready cheap access to the Internet in London AND a recent occurrence in the Minnesota Legislature.

Well his blog led to a blog by Doug Johnson, that talked more about the school library/technology association’s bill “that would have given all Minnesota students access to the services of a professional library media specialist throughout the school day didn’t make it out of yesterday’s Senate Education committee yesterday [February 27, 2008].”

OK I know it’s not technically a broadband issue. And I know that as a librarian (not practicing, but still card-carrying), my view is biased but I still had to mention it because one of the byproducts of broadband technology is the exaflood of information. Think of how you get info today – blogs, web sites, email lists, email from friends, email from nasty strangers (spam), YouTube videos, online presentations, TV, text messages, radio (in the car, at home, on the computer), newspapers (online and off), RSS, the list goes on and on.

Do you think kids are any different? They aren’t. Information comes from all angles – and without training from a media specialist/librarian – how are they going to learn to separate the wheat from the chaff? Kids need to be able to filter and organize information today and you don’t pick that up by osmosis – you are taught information literacy skills. If you aren’t, you just might be moving to Nigeria where they have elected you king, all you have to do is send a check for $50,000 in advance.

Get Broadband in Kandiyohi

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I’m working on the Blandin eNews for tomorrow, where we try to gather Minnesota broadband news. Thanks to Nicole Franzwa for sending me an update on Get Broadband in Kandiyohi. I thought I’d post it in its entirety today in preparation for tomorrow.

For the month of February, we held 3 Business Website Development Seminars. The purpose of the website seminars was to teach small business owners the value and benefits of having a functional website. We taught them the different speeds of internet available and how making the right choice could affect their overall business. We encouraged them to choose a service provider that could offer them the highest speed of internet available. We requested that the attendees fill out a survey at the conclusion of each session so that we could determine the value of the seminars. The response that we got back was great; they enjoyed hearing the success stories of other small business. They appreciated hearing from the service providers and website designers that shared information, tips and advice.

We will be offering grant dollars to 20 businesses that meet criteria and would like to design or redesign a website for their businesses. We will offer them a list of names for qualified web designers/developers in the local area.

To meet the second objective of our program, we are offering Residential Training Classes, which are open to the public. These classes were scheduled to take place in February, March and April at 5 different locations throughout Kandiyohi County. The first session of classes went well and we have 19 more people within our community that are learning to enjoy the computer and the value of the internet. They are pleased with what they have learned and many are eager to get connected form home. They like the idea of having “fast mail” not “snail mail”. I heard one person say that life happens too quickly for snail mail and she doesn’t want to miss a thing! The additional classes scheduled for March and April are almost completely full.

In addition to the 3 Business Seminars and the 12 Residential Training Sessions, we are working closely with a mapping company to create a county wide service map. This map will be found through a direct link off of the home page found at www.kandiyohi.com.

The public will be able to access this map to find out if service is available in a specific area, who the service providers are and what type of service they offer. This will be a great resource for many people, it will serve as a guide for area residents and business owners who are trying to expand or relocate within the county. It will also be a valuable tool for people that are considering relocating to our area, or purchasing a lake home from which they might need to stay connected to their business. Broadband is an important feature in the success of a community and Kandiyohi wants to be a part of that success!