We heard from three other Minnesota-based, ARRA-funded broadband projects. It was interesting to hear about how those projects are going and what the speakers thought were the approaches or factors that were leading them to success.

One quick reflection is that I’ve already heard a number of people here talk about how the stimulus funding is going to be a game changer – and that for the communities who didn’t get funding it’s important to hear from the folks who did – not necessarily because of the possibility of future funding – because with the federal funding the funded communities can afford to be generous with what they are learned and what seems to be working. So…

Paul Brinkman: from the Northeast Service Cooperative

Leverage was a key to our efforts. How can we leverage what we have with others to get things done? Don’t lead with scarcity. Don’t let metro-focused policy get in the way. Create a rural solution.

Leverage means power – and that’s how we got funding in NE Minnesota

Northeast Service Cooperative – serves education, healthcare, IT and economic development with 915 miles of dark fiber – it’s a fiber to the anchor model. We started with 211 sites; now we have 600+. We have 3 pods of activities: We work with the providers (public-private partnership!), we have our anchor tenants and this project makes our services better!

It all comes down to people – you need great people and great projects. Start with the people you know and trust.

Keith Stubbe – SW Minnesota Broadband Project

Years ago we started our own wireless service – because we had to – not one else was coming into the area.

We weren’t in a position of getting leverage – we were “different” but we had Windomnet nearby.

The project is starting next spring and we hope to be done in fall of 2011.

Craig Taylor – University of Minnesota

We had been working with the community in a computer lab for 7 years. We had a vision to leverage more of the University’s resources for community development.

Our primary goals:

It has created 28 jobs – through replicating our model

Training will be provided in many different languages

We are working to create tools that will outlast the 3-year funding

We’ve had challenges

Colonialist approach to broadband adoption won’t work – to be successful all partners must have input

We are developing comprehensive communication strategies

We are also thinking about sustainability now – we don’t want the investment to prove fruitless. We’re working on adoption now – and we’re hoping to open doors. We are trying to develop partnerships – such as with folks who do computer refurbishing. Then once folks get online through training, they can stay online with a computer and broadband at home.

Rural and Urban have to work together – we work together as brother and sister or perish together as fools – a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.