Monthly Archives: October 2008

Blandin in Grand Marais

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Community impact from the work we do is sometimes hard to see, and often even harder to measure. That said, it was a special pleasure to find in my email inbox this morning a message from Mary Kosak, a member of Blandin Foundation’s grant’s team, describing how the Broadband work we’ve been doing in Grand Marais “showed up” for her in unexpected ways during a recent site visit there.

Here’s the scoop, in Mary’s own words:

I traveled to Grand Marais yesterday to do a site visit for a potential grantee – Cook County Higher Education. They are an innovative, unique non-profit organization created in 1996 to serve the higher education needs of a rural-remote community. As the Director and Board Member explained to me, “We tried for umpteen years to get a community college here but just didn’t have the resources to support it – Cook County Higher Education (CCHE) was the answer to the expressed need.” CCHE collaborates with area colleges and universities, using a blend of technology and area professionals, to bring high quality degree and certificate programs to this community. I could go on and on about this wonderful program, but my point in writing today was to share all the terrific things they had to say about Blandin’s broadband efforts and the positive difference it’s making for their community. Director Paula Sundet explained what a difference it made to the community to have the high speed internet capabilities. She went on to list all of the agencies, organizations and groups that have benefitted from being a broadband community. Plus, due to the beauty of the area they have attracted many professionals can do their jobs from a distance thanks to the community’s robust connectivity.

ICF Announces the Smart21 Communities of 2009

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We’ve talked about the ICF Smart Community awards in the past. It’s an extremely prestigious award. I’m sure we will learn more about the awards and the recently announced Smart21 communities at the Blandin Broadband conference in December where Robert Bell, from the Intelligent Community Forum will be speaking.

Here’s more info on the recent award announcements:

The Smart21 of 2009

The Smart21 of 2009 includes communities from 12 nations on four continents with populations ranging from 17,000 to 2.5 million.
• Albany, New York, USA; population 94,000
• Ashland, Oregon, USA; population 22,000
• Bristol, Virginia, USA; population 17,500
• Dublin, Ohio, USA; population 40,000
• Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; population 1,035,000
• Eindhoven, Netherlands; population 297,000
• Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada; population 50,535
• Gold Coast City, Queensland, Australia; population 509,000
• Issy-les-Moulineaux, France; population 61,000
• Kenora, Ontario, Canada; population 17,000
• Malta; population 405,000
• Manchester, England, UK; population 2,500,000
• Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada; population 125,000
• Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa; population 1,200,000
• Porto Alegre, Brazil; population 1,400,000
• Riverside, California, USA; population 291,000
• Stockholm, Sweden; population 795,000
• Tallinn, Estonia; population 400,000
• Taoyuan County, Taiwan; population 1,950,000
• Trikala, Greece; population 52,000
• Westchester County, New York, USA; population 950,000
Eight of the communities were on the 2008 Smart21 list and three were named to the 2008 Top Seven. Ten of the 2009 Smart21 are North American communities, seven are from Europe, two from Asia-Pacific, one from South America, and one from Africa. In addition to individual cities and towns, the 2009 Smart21 includes two counties and two multi-city metropolitan areas.

“Each of these communities has demonstrated a commitment to improving their communities through innovative broadband applications,” said Louis Zacharilla, ICF Co-founder. “The ingenuity of these communities is exemplified in their investments in the future of the young, the growth and progress of job-creating businesses, and economic security. An overarching theme of the 2009 honorees has been the dedication to putting people first and building a ‘talent inventory’ that will thrive with technology and innovation.”

More information on each community is available at ICF’s Web site (www.intelligentcommunity.org/smart21). The Smart21 were selected from hundreds of candidates and submissions from communities large and small with submissions received from every continent.

About ICF

The Intelligent Community Forum (www.intelligentcommunity.org) is a think tank that studies the economic and social development of the 21st Century community. Whether in industrial or developing nations, communities are challenged to create prosperity, stability and cultural meaning in a world where jobs, investment and progress increasingly depend on broadband communications. For the 21st Century community, connectivity is a double-edge sword: threatening established ways of life on the one hand, and offering powerful new tools to build prosperous, inclusive economies on the other. The Intelligent Community Forum seeks to share the secrets of success of the world’s Intelligent Communities in adapting to the demands of the Broadband Economy by conducting research, hosting events, publishing newsletters and producing an international awards program.

Broadband come up in State Representative Election in Eagan

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Diane Anderson, of Eagan is running against incumbent State Representative Sandy Masin, DFL-Eagan. A recent article in the Pioneer Press outlines their stand on the issues and mentions Masin’s interest in broadband:

To help businesses, Masin has worked to establish the state’s Broadband Task Force, which is exploring how to deliver statewide high-speed Internet service by 2015.

What’s up with the white spaces? We need to know by Nov 4

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Have you ever watched a preschool kid carry a goldfish in a bowl? It’s not quite like watching a slow train wreck – but you know it’s not going to be good. Maybe it won’t be good for the goldfish, maybe it won’t be good for the kid, or maybe you’ll end up picking up the pieces and you wonder why you let it go on so long.

I’m starting to feel that way about the white spaces issue at the FCC. (I want to thank Christopher Mitchell for calling me today to remind me about it.) There is a sense of urgency as the FCC is going to endorse use of white space on November 4, 2008. (Since nothing else is going on that day!)

There’s been a lot of flip flopping about the use of the white spaces. The Digital Expansion Initiative posted a good video that explains how white spaces can be used. It definitely leans in one direction – but it’s so simple that I think my preschooler (who I don’t trust with fish) might understand the explanation.

The big hubbub is whether white spaces should be opened up to a wider broadcasting audience (such as wifi devices). The folks who promote wider use say yes. The traditional broadcasters say no. The FCC is about to say yes. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) have been saying no – loudly and clearly, especially to members of Congress – including Senator Amy Klobuchar.

So there’s been a counter push to contact the Senators to let them know what you think. So if you are so inclined – now is a good time to contact your Senator.

To go back to my original analogy – white space has been an issue that I have been trying to ignore, not actively ignore but ignore as I might ignore a preschooler who is heading for a minor collision yet is entertained for the time being. The problem is that something is going to happen soon.

Google Policy Fellowships for Summer 2009

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If you are a student or know a student who would be interesting in technology policy, well then I have the opportunity for you…

Google just announced their second summer for the Google Policy Fellowship Program—to support students and organizations working on policy issues fundamental to the future of the Internet and its users. It’s a paid position ($7,000 for 10 weeks). Here’s the program overview from their web site:

Fellows will have the opportunity to work at public interest organizations at the forefront of debates on broadband and access policy, content regulation, copyright and trademark reform, consumer privacy, open government, and more. Participating organizations are based in either Washington, DC, San Francisco, CA , Ottawa or Toronto, Canada and include: American Library Association, Cato Institute, Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic, Center for Democracy and Technology, Citizen Lab, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Creative Commons, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Future of Music Coalition, Internet Education Foundation, Media Access Project, New America Foundation, Progress and Freedom Foundation, Public Knowledge, and Technology Policy Institute. More information about the host organizations and the areas of focus for the fellows are outlined here.

Fellows will be assigned a lead mentor at their host organizations, but will have the opportunity to work with several senior staff members over the course of the summer. Fellows will be expected to make substantive contributions to the work of their organization, including conducting policy research and analysis; drafting reports and analyses; attending government and industry meetings and conferences; and participating in other advocacy activities.

I hope that they get some applications from rural areas because I think the perspective is a little different in rural areas and having fellows with a rural background might inform policy. Also I think training some policy experts and bringing them back home to rural areas would be a big boon for the areas.

The deadline to apply is December 12, 2008. Good luck! I’d nearly consider another graduate degree if being a student would get me in the door there.

The Sputnik Moment

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I read a lot of broadband reports – a lot. I generally find them kind of interesting. But occasionally you run into a report – or even just a report description that captures your imagination.

Sputnik Moment: The Call for a National Broadband Policy is such a report. It costs about $3,000 so I won’t be reading anytime soon but I read the description last Friday and then over the weekend I bored several family members with the idea.

The gist is simple – when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957 is lit a fire under the US. I wasn’t around then but I suspect it kind of scared folks into budgeting money for NASA and getting things going. Well, the report authors suggest that we might be there again.

I hope they’re right. Well, I think they’re right and I hope that folks can be spurred into action.

Obviously I’d like to see a big boost in broadband. I think it would help keep us green and bolster economic development in all areas. But also I’d like to see the US do something really well. It just seems like it would spur more success.

Oct 24, Broadband Task Force Notes

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I attended the Minnesota Broadband Task Force on Friday October 24. It included a few presentations, as you’ll see below. Most of the presenters were kind enough to allow me to post their PowerPoint slides here. I can’t thank them enough as that allowed me to focus on their presentations rather than to take feverish notes. I did try to track questions.

Here are my notes. I have tried to put some organization around it – but at times it reads a little like a later James Joyce novel. Sorry! Continue reading →

Broadband comes up in Eagan city Council elections

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The quick take: Bruce “Buzz” Anderson and Gary Hansen are vying to fill an open City Council seat in Eagan (Twin Cities suburb). Both candidates were asked to answer a series of questions in writing; their responses were published in This Week Live. Both brought up technology when asked, “What other issues would you like to address if elected?” (No wonder Eagan has a reputation for being so wired.) Here are their responses:

Bruce “Buzz” Anderson

The city also has many long term issues to face. Those issues include keeping transportation infrastructure updated, continued sound fiscal management of the city, helping to fill the information technology void to provide for expanded connectivity where appropriate, preserving adequate open space and recreational facilities, retention of important public services such as fire and police, and expansion of the tax base. Business needs to be encouraged to grow in the city as that growth helps to lessen the tax burden for city residents on their homes.. Government cannot do everything however. The council will have to decide where the city should play a role or whether there might be a more appropriate role by the private sector. Sometimes the answer might be a public-private partnership where each segment can do the most efficient job, using each segment’s comparative advantage to deliver what is needed by citizens.

Gary Hansen

We need to assure an appropriate mix of quality housing. More affordable quality housing is needed for younger individuals and families that are just starting out, as well as long-time residents seeking housing options more suited to their needs. I will support efforts to enable the city to continue to make progress in assuring housing availability for all income levels. We also need to support the technology needs of residents and businesses. Telecommunications infrastructure and services are important to residents and to future economic development within the city. Eagan has evaluated the availability of broadband services for residents and businesses and fiber optic networks and telecommunications services necessary to support the needs of the city’s current and prospective large technology corporate citizens. I will advocate using the results of this evaluation to support the private sector to assure that the technology needs of residents and businesses are met.

Why is FCC planning anything on Election Day?

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I haven’t been following the big mergers much – but I thought that this perspective was interesting. I’m not necessarily advocating their perspective. I don’t’ really know how long it should take to approve a merger; though I know if you want something to fly under the radar take action on a holiday or a day when you know there will be other big news. As I said, I just found it interesting.

Congressional Probe Sought About Fairness of FCC’s Election Day Wireless Merger Plan

North Aurora, IL (Oct. 24, 2008) – Congress should investigate why the Federal Communications Commission scheduled its vote on two wireless mega-mergers on Election Day Nov. 4, according to a filing to the FCC by an industry group raising questions about the Commission’s track record of fairness.

The FCC’s announcement Oct. 15 of its vote on the two mergers (among a total of seven items) illustrates the deep flaws in the FCC’s fast-track review process said PART-15.ORG, which represents Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) world-wide. One deal is to combine the broadband wireless assets of competitors Sprint Nextel Corp. and Clearwire Corp. into a nationwide carrier. The other is to approve Verizon’s acquisition of Alltel Corp., thereby creating the largest U.S. mobile carrier.

“Review of such major transactions when the nation and its watchdog institutions are preoccupied with a Presidential election is unprecedented and unjustified,” said the filing by PART-15.ORG, which plans to submit its comments this morning as part of the FCC’s review of the Sprint/Clearwire deal. The submission will be jointly with its member PDQLink, a WISP based in North Aurora, IL.

“These kinds of historic transformations of the U.S. competitive landscape do not have to be completed on short notice and on Election Day,” said PART-15.ORG Chairman Michael R. Anderson, who is CIO of PDQ Link and who filed its 20-page Petition to Deny the deal on Sept. 30. “Like the Wall Street bailout, this smacks of closed-door, special help for the most powerful,” he said, continuing:

The public needs assurance of accountability. Congress, the news media and so-called public interest groups should review this proceeding in depth, although that’s understandably difficult right now when many of them are preoccupied with the federal elections or concerned about the Commission’s vast authority in related areas.

The public hears lots of rhetoric about the need to expand the country’s broadband capabilities, or to reform Washington decision-making. This proceeding can help achieve each of those goals – but not if the country’s most powerful communications lobbyists secure their objectives when watchdogs are distracted or intimidated.

About PART-15.ORG
PART-15.ORG (http://www.part-15.ORG.) was organized in 2002 to advance the license-free sector of broadband wireless. Past and future public comments on the Sprint/Clearwire deal are on the PART-15.ORG’s website: http://www.part-15.org as well as the FCC’s website: http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov//prod/ecfs/comsrch_v2.cgi (WT Docket No. 08-94). See also, http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_document=6520173082.

About PDQLink
PDQLink (www.pdqlink) began services in North Aurora, IL in 1995 as one of the pioneering WISPs in the U.S. Seeing a need for group education and action, its CIO organized the first WISP-only trade association, and expanded its activities to include conventions and partnerships with more broadly based associations. He served as a member of the Advisory Board of the FCC’s Hurricane Katrina Independent Panel, making a number of recommendations to foster better emergency communications in disaster regions (http://www.fcc.gov/pshs/advisory/hkip).

Broadband mention in Election of 7th District

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OK, again this is a quick mention. I’m tempted to hold off on any mentions – but with the elections so foremost in folks minds it doesn’t seem to make much sense.

The race in the 7th District is between incumbent Collin Peterson and Republican Glen Menze. A recent article in the Alexandria Echo Press noted that “one of Peterson’s rural goals is to find a way to get more Internet broadband capability.”

Nominate yourself for the MN Community Broadband Award

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I think I’ve mentioned the Blandin Community Broadband Award earlier – but I wanted to post a reminder in time for folks to nominate a community. And when I say that I mostly mean nominate yourself. We’ve heard from a couple of communities already – both rural and urban, well suburban have been represented – but I’d love to see more representation.

The nomination form is straightforward and brief. The award is worth $2,000. I’m hoping to get some good stories to write some fun bragging blog posts about the cool things we’re doing in Minnesota.

Here’s our official announcement

Minnesota Community Broadband Awards

Organizations eligible for awards up to $2,000!

The Minnesota Community Broadband Awards recognize communities that have successfully implemented strategies that improve the deployment and use of broadband. Awards will be announced at the Connected Communities: Making the Net Work for Minnesota conference in Eden Prairie.

Award Categories

  1. Broadband Infrastructure and Services; recognizing the provision of high speed broadband capacity and services to a community, area or region.
  2. Broadband Market and Application Development; recognizing efforts to stimulate community demand for broadband services and/or to deploy advanced broadband applications in business, education, government and healthcare.

Applying is easy!

Go to http://www.blandinfoundation.org/BBConf08/application.html and complete the four question application.

For more information
Denise Pfeifer, dpfeifer@pfeiferconsulting.com, 507.828.5559

The Minnesota Community Broadband Awards is a project of the Blandin Foundation Broadband Initiative

Northfield Open House for Fiber Optic Feasibility Study

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Thanks to Bill Coleman for passing on this news release from Northfield; they are planning an Open House to introduce the general public to the consultants who will be deploying their Fiber Optic Feasibility Study. Here’s the whole scoop:

The City of Northfield, assisted by a grant from the Blandin Foundation, is funding a Fiber Optic Feasibility Study to guide the city on how to appropriately build a robust information highway for future generations. Members of the public are invited to an open house to meet the consultants who will carry out the feasibility study and learn more about what fiber optic technology can do and how it can be financed. The event will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, November 6, in the City Hall Council Chambers (801 Washington Street).

Over the past three years, nearly 3 million U.S. households have been connected directly to the Internet via end-to-end, fiber-optic cable. The data capacity and speed of fiber optics are enormous: a single bundle of fiber optics not much thicker than a pencil could carry all of the world’s current communications traffic. The study that the city is funding will offer insight on the feasibility of installing a technology-neutral fiber optic network providing a wide range of speeds including 50 megabits-per-second or more to every home and business in Northfield. In comparison, a recent study from the Communications Workers of America suggests that the U.S. as a whole is falling behind other countries in its Internet speed; currently, the median download speed in the U.S. is just under 2 megabits-per-second.

Melissa Reeder, IT director for the City of Northfield, said, “As a small community, we should not wait passively for private companies to invite us to the party. Fiber networks are the new essential utility. They are as vital to economic growth as good roads and reliable power. We have an obligation to provide the next generation with the proper tools and infrastructure to stay globally competitive. Fiber optics plays a key role in giving Northfield a sustainable future in our ever-more connected world and will allow the community to participate directly in the global economy.”

The November 6 open house will provide an informative, interactive opportunity for residents to learn more about fiber optics; what the technology can do for an individual, family, business or community; alternative methods of financing the infrastructure; and ownership and service provider scenarios.

Minnesota cities that are currently deploying fiber optics through a variety of ownership scenarios and/or relationships between municipalities and private telecommunications companies include Monticello, St. Charles, Wabasha, Grand Rapids, Bemidji and Windom.

Reeder noted, “The opportunity for Northfield to enhance the fiber optic infrastructure means people who live here will have access to the Internet at speeds unimaginable. The demand is growing for digital TV, 3D gaming and the capability to work from home. Fiber is the only technology that will reliably deliver large amounts of data at a low enough cost to meet these and other demands in future decades.”

More broadband mentions in the MN election

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OK the mentions aren’t big but here they are:

From Al Franken: Improving broadband Internet service to small towns also could help keep young people from leaving for larger cities, he said. – from the Bemidji Pioneer.

From the incumbent Representative John Ward, DFL-Brainerd: Ward, however, named five additional items he believes will grow jobs in Minnesota: Investment in education, the Capital Investment Bill, building roads and bridges with transportation funds, renewable energy and building in broadband infrastructure that will bring high-speed Internet services to all areas of Minnesota. – from the Pequot Lakes Echo & Pine River Journal

On a related note – I ran into a blog article from the Rochester (MN) librarian about how legislators don’t get the need for broadband in rural areas. Those librarians are so smart. (I was a librarian, but feel that doesn’t bias me – much.) Here’s what she had to say:

There is still a divide, however. This divide is in the availability of broadband access to the internet. What’s interesting is that many people – and most disturbingly, the people who are the decision-makers – don’t understand that this is happening.

So maybe that’s one reason we’re not hearing much – despite the fact that we continue to slip behind our global counterparts in broadband use and applications – it’s a non-issue. I remember reading early this year a study that found that voters weren’t interested in broadband access. Taking those things into consideration, I am heartened to see any mention of broadband. And if folks don’t think it’s an issue – I’m glad that it’s at least emerging as a solution to other problems.

Actually maybe that’s a very good sign. I think technology in schools seemed to take off when they stopped confining it to “computer class” and started integrating technology into all classes. Maybe we need to quit look at the broadband problem or issue and just keep touting broadband as the answer to every other policy issue.

Blandin Webinar: Fiber to the Home Networks

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This morning we held the first pre-conference Blandin Webinar on Fiber to the Home Networks. (Two more webniars are scheduled.) David Russell of Calix was the speaker. He knows so much about FTTH and does such a good job of boiling things down to the most salient points and best examples. I particularly enjoyed hearing about various FTTH marketing tactics.

David was kind enough to allow us to his presentation online:

I also did the best I could to take notes on the questions:

Is there a community process for someone looking at FTTH?

  1. Look for demand. Look for businesses and other employers (such as local schools) who are frustrated with current broadband access and work with them.
  2. Talk to incumbent about their interest in supporting community need – as defined by the community.
  3. If they aren’t interested look at a slightly wider scope – are there any providers in the region who might be interested in stepping in to help?

Many communities jump into building their network too easily and too quickly without looking at other options.

There are many options to build a business case now. The community might own the fiber while a provider manages it. One provider might own the fiber and allows others to offer retail services through it.

What are the economies of scale? Is there a minimum size of community that makes sense for FTTH?
If you need to build a video head and voice switch you need about 5,000 subscribers to justify cost.
Providers in Western Minnesota would like to work together because they have a sense of community and would like to provide a community service.

It is fortunate that providers take on the role of providing service as a community good. Often they will provide service beyond an area that will be obviously profitable to reach customers who need broadband.

Finally – is there any research that documents the economic impact of deploying FTTH in a rural community.

We didn’t mention any specific resources during the webinar but scanned previous BoB posts for resources that might be helpful:

Rural broadband resources from Grantmakers in Film and Electronic Media

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Thanks to Allison Ahcan at the Blandin Foundation for sending me the following note from Grantmakers in Film and Electronic Media. With their kind permission I’m going to post it pretty much asis. I had seen some of these resources and article – but not all of them I and really enjoyed the Guiding Principles for Rural Broadband where they talk a lot about policy issues and the need for local ownership and access to white spaces in rural areas…

Guiding Principles for Rural Broadband
Broadband access is an urgent issue in communities across the United States, with far-reaching implications for healthcare, economic development, education, public safety and culture. Wally Bowen, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Mountain Area Information
Network (MAIN) in Asheville, N.C, summarizes the dialogue that has emerged from the Rural
Assembly in a brief document available at GFEM.org.

Rural Broadband / Resources for Funders GFEM is pleased to offer this roundup of resources for funders on the topic of rural broadband access and policy:

What Funders Can Do Next:

* National Broadband Strategy Summit – Scheduled for early ’09, this national strategy session will help inform the new administration and Congress’ policymaking. Needs additional funding and participation. Contact Jim Kohlenberger.

* State level work – Seek out a broadband deployment council in your state. Contact Julie at Progressive States jschwartz@progressivestates.org.  

* Fund advocacy and research on broadband issues – Contact Jeff Perlstein at GFEM.

* Learn more – Visit the websites of Benton, Native Public Media, Progressive States, Free Press, GFEM, New America Foundation, Center for Rural Strategies, MAIN.

* Contact us at GFEM to discuss further opportunities and have your questions answered.