Here’s the news from our latest newsletter. It’s mostly a compilation of Minnesota-related stories from the blog in the last month – but sometimes it’s nice to have it compiled.
News from the Blandin on Broadband Blog
NTIA/RUS Funding Update
The NTIA/RUS asked states to recommend local ARRA applications for funding consideration. States responded by October 14, 2009. http://tinyurl.com/yf4pfmz Minnesota has elected to not make their list public. http://tinyurl.com/ygdegcs NTIA’s Larry Strickling says they will take their time to sift through states’ recommendations and fund the right programs. http://tinyurl.com/yk9334s It sounds as if notification in December is likely.
Broadband Task Force Meetings
The Ultra High-Speed Broadband Task Force met three times in October http://tinyurl.com/yhxa332 to put the finishing touches on the final recommendations for the Minnesota Legislature, which will be unveiled on November 6. http://tinyurl.com/yjoeel7 The Task Force has been generous with sharing the draft recommendations. The last version available is from September 15 http://tinyurl.com/ydd5px7. Many changes have been made since – especially in terms of cost and financial details and plans for ongoing broadband support – but the early draft will give a glimpse at what’s to come.
Blandin Offers Advice to Task Force
The Blandin Foundation Broadband Strategy Board sent a letter to the Ultra High-Speed Broadband Task Force offering advice and praise for the hard work the Task Force has been doing. http://tinyurl.com/yfu5w89 The Blandin Strategy Board and Task Force will be presenting together at the Blandin Broadband Conference later this month. http://tinyurl.com/n4gqvb
Blandin Broadband Conference
The Blandin Broadband conference is coming up November 18-19 in Duluth. http://tinyurl.com/n4gqvb The theme is Realizing our Broadband Future: Getting from Here to There. It will focus on the future of Minnesota communities, providing community leaders with the information and tools they need to position their communities in the future. The agenda is now online. http://tinyurl.com/yfbyvw9 You can also follow the conference on Twitter #mnbb09 or http://twitter.com/BFBroadband
Dakota County Smart21
Congratulations to Dakota County, named one of the Smart21 communities by the Intelligent Community Forum. http://tinyurl.com/yh9jz4w Past Blandin Conference attendees may remember hearing from Robert Bell of the Intelligent Community Forum in 2008. http://tinyurl.com/yhox22m
Local Broadband News
Cook County
Cook County posts an RFP for the design and construction of a FTTP network. http://tinyurl.com/yjjg7hl
Duluth
Broadband comes up early on in the Gubernatorial race. http://tinyurl.com/y8jjnuw
Fargo/Moorhead
PEPP creates a video series of interviews with Latin@s in Fargo/Moorhead about their internet needs, challenges and benefits. http://tinyurl.com/yc7gauo
Lac qui Parle
The Lac qui Parle County EDA receives a $25,000.00 grant from the Blandin Foundation to prepare a Robust Broadband Network Feasibility Study. http://tinyurl.com/yavserl
Lake County
Lake County plans are on hold as they wait on word of ARRA funding. http://tinyurl.com/yjhngz6
Maple Grove
Maple Grove Fire Department improves communication with a wireless solution. http://tinyurl.com/ya8by6v
Minneapolis
Minneapolis Summit features great uses of technology but most uses require access to broadband. http://tinyurl.com/yb5qpfh
Southern Minnesota
Southern Minnesota plans are on hold as they wait on word of ARRA funding. http://tinyurl.com/yas8u4j
Monticello
TDS offers 50Mbps service in Monticello. http://tinyurl.com/yjdhbu9
Windom
Windom plans are on hold as they wait on word of ARRA funding. http://tinyurl.com/yjhngz6
(Many stories are gathered from local online newspaper. Unfortunately each newspaper has a different policy in regards to archive news and therefore we cannot guarantee access to all articles cited.)
Coleman’s Corner
There is a tremendous amount of broadband and telecommunications policy discussion happening right now. The FCC, the MN Ultra High Speed Task Force, and the Jim Baller-led US Broadband Coalition have released or are working on policy documents. (Jim is the keynote speaker at the upcoming Blandin Broadband Conference.) Some stakeholders in this discussion have firm views on the best approach to ensuring broadband delivery to all Americans.
My work on broadband extends from the Twin Cities suburbs to the most rural areas of Minnesota. The variety of situations that I encounter makes it difficult to be so philosophically pure on telecommunications issues. The situational analysis and the available alternative solution strategies are quite different depending on each community’s combination of geography, demography, existing providers, prospective competitive providers, existing public technology networks and community leadership. What seems impossible in some places might be the best solution in another; while what seems like a slam-dunk in one place might be ill advised in another. The decisions made by one community influence what might be possible — positively or negatively — in the adjacent community or rural area.
What’s my point? Simply this: in the absence of financial or regulatory policy guaranteeing that every Minnesotan has broadband access (neither of which seems likely from either the federal or state government), we should not be so quick proscribe the “right” way for broadband deployment. Each community, county or region had better be working to improve their own broadband situation. Seek out all partners, maximize every dollar spent on technology to benefit the community, however community is defined.
Finally, the MN Ultra High Speed Internet Task Force report strongly promotes public-private market development efforts to spur adoption of broadband; providers heavily promoted this concept as the appropriate role for government. Heretofore, however, many communities have found that getting providers to participate in community initiatives can be difficult. Communities should be aggressive in using the task force report to convince providers that they need to be at the table. It might even be a good idea to document this process and to let the legislature know how the providers are following their own advice.