Monthly Archives: January 2012

Broadband for Bear Cubs

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I always like to see Minnesota in the news for broadband related activity. Today’s news is a little different and the funny thing is that the news comes to me direct from the Sarasota Herald (FLA). Apparently Lily the bear’s sister will be giving birth while the world (with broadband) watches.

Lily was the Black Bear that gave birth in Ely, Minnesota last year. This year her sister is stepping in…

Three-year-old Jewel is the younger sister of Lily, who gave birth in January 2010 to Hope. The birth and early days were followed by millions of viewers over the Internet. A hunter killed Hope last year and biologists say it was a blow to their research.

This is the third year the institute and the North American Bear Center are broadcasting from dens in northeastern Minnesota.

I think it has been a huge opportunity for the Wildlife Research Institute to raise both awareness and funds. They are apparently expecting her to give birth any day now. I checked it out and it is kind of amazing how much they are learning through the webcams.

PUC meeting on FCC Order (USF/ICC/CAF/VoIP): Full Notes

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Today I attended the PUC panel presentation on the Implications for Minnesota of the FCC’s Universal Service/Intercarrier Compensation Order. “The Order” is the Connect America Fund Order, Reforms USF/ICC for Broadband; it includes USF and ICC rules related to price-cap and rate-of-return carriers, the Connect America Fund and ICC for VoIP providers among many other issues. The report is 700 pages long – and as the panelists pointed out that while the ink is drying many parties are bringing up lawsuits and items for consideration that may change how the particulars play out.

My understanding of the Order is very high level and a little looser than I’ve like it to be. There are changes in who may get the funding. The push seems to be to move towards explicitly funding broadband deployment in unserved areas. Broadband has been defined as 4 Mbps download and 1 Mbps up. Strides are being made to track access at an increasingly granular level and to fund only one provider in each area and only if no other provider is present. (One speaker noted that this may be setting the stage for a voucher system in the future.)

There are also changes in sources of the funding. Upheaval of the funding will have an impact on those currently receiving it. So regardless of the long term game plan those changes are an issue – businesses cases have been made based on the old criteria. In fact ARRA funding was awarded based on those business cases. Providers in most areas seemed sensitive to that issue – although clearly some will benefit from the changes too.

There seem to be concerns about the sources of funding being felt more acutely by the end customer than is previously the case. There were also concerns about the speed goals set out by the FCC (via the National Broadband Plan). One provider was wary of the 4down/1up goal because that eliminates some technologies (DSL). It was noted that deployment would be faster and wider if the up goal was 768 kbps. Another provider was discouraged at the limitation of 4down/1up, pointing out that this was not fast enough, especially since cable is more in line with 14down/6up.

The providers also had advice for the PUC. Pay attention and make sure Minnesota gets it fair share of the $4.3 billion caught my ear. It was suggested that while on the surface it appears as if the FCC has handed down an edict of sort, the devil will be in the details and those will be sorted out by the PUC. The video below actually includes comments from all of the presenters on advice/observations for the PUC.

So there are some broad strokes from the day. I will also include my detailed notes – but again there are portions of this that are alphabet soup for me. I’ve done my best to take down what folks said – but if you feel I got something wrong – please feel free to shout it out. Also I know there were some technical glitches so I’m doing my best to get this out in a timely fashion. (In other words please excuse typos.) I did hear that an audio archive of the presentation will be available on the PUC site. If I hear when I’ll post again.)

During the session, industry leaders addressed three topics:

  1. universal service funding
  2. intercarrier compensation and
  3. the substantive and procedural tasks that the Commission can be expected to face in the coming months (video of answer to this below)

The speakers were:

  • Jeff Lindsey; CenturyLink
  • Brent Christensen; Minnesota Telecom Alliance
  • Dan Lipschultz; Moss & Barnett PA, competitive carrier perspective
  • Tom Cohen; Kelley, Drye & Warren LLP for the American Cable Association
  • Dave Conn; T-Mobile
  • Dennis Ahlers; Minnesota Department of Commerce.

Moderated by PUC Commissioner Betsy Wergin Continue reading →

Live Streaming Can Increase Community Engagement

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Want to know what’s happening in Worthington, Minnesota? Well thanks to WGTN-TV 3, you can now check in online to see what’s happening via local TV programming. WGTN-TV 3 has been showing local programs, such as government meetings or local sporting events for a while but you had to be in the area to access the shows. The Worthington Daily Globe reports that you no longer have to be local to live local…

Thanks to a grant from the Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities Program (MIRC), WGTN-TV 3, formerly only accessible for cable subscribers in Worthington, can now be accessed through the Internet.

Available at http://www.wgtntv3.com, anyone with an Internet connection can watch live coverage of local sports games, community meetings and other events covered by WGTN-TV 3.

The events will also be archived for viewing at anytime.

The benefit for snow birds and other seasonal or past residents is easy to imagine. And although it’s tough to imagine that we’ll ever see snow in Minnesota – it will come. And when it does it will be more difficult for many people to get around; viewing programs at home is more reasonable for folks with any mobility issues.

The ability to view anytime may be at least as valuable. People lead busy lives and attending local community meetings can be impractical – but imagine being able to view at your leisure. Suddenly it is possible to keep up on the Nobles County Board or Worthington City Council. And once you’re informed, it’s easier and makes more sense to get involved.

It’s also now easier to get involved on the other side of the camera – the article indicates that there may be more opportunity for local programming – and I suspect the incentive may be higher when you know there’s a chance for a greater audience. The Daily Globe reports..

“As time goes on, we’ll try to further develop other programs within the community,” Reeves said.

“We’re hoping that this will also encourage and help people become more involved with how to film,” Schnieder said. “Staff-wise, the station is limited, but maybe we can get something going with community education classes. There are a lot of talented people in the area, and we’d like to get them involved.”

It will be interesting to hear if there is an increase in civic participation and community engagement.

LightSquared vs. GPS

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I am very happy to post the following article from John Shepard; he originally wrote it for the Southwest Regional Development Commission, but was kind enough to share…

LightSquared vs. GPS

A new wireless start-up with Minnesota connections has been in the news lately with plans to provide a unique wireless-satellite communications network that could bring ubiquitous broadband coverage to rural America for a fraction of the cost of existing, limited service.  The issue?  The new LightSquared network threatens to overwhelm America’s Global Position System (GPS) receivers, making the devices obsolete.

The Company and the Technology

Reston, Virginia-based LightSquared Subsidiary LLC was formed in 2010 with plans to provide a wholesale, nation-wide 4G-LTE wireless broadband network with integrated satellite coverage.  The new service is built on spectrum used by two Mobile Satellite Service(MSS) sat-phone companies Inmarsat and SkyTerra, and has announced a significant network partnership with Sprint-Nextel.  Forbes magazine reports that the company invested $50 million to develop new microchips to provide dual-mode wireless at a price below existing cellular service.  By avoiding costs of supporting legacy voice networks, LightSquared projects to wholesale 1 gigabyte data service for about $7, compared to the $50-$60 typically charged retail 3G/4G customers today.

In January 2011, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued an Order giving LightSquared conditional approval to build out a ground-based wireless network using its MSS spectrum.  However, that order was subject to further testing and FCC review due to potential GPS interference.

The Issue with GPS

The federal Space-Based Positioning, Navigation & Timing (PNT) Committee has been examining potential interference by the LightSquared network with GPS receivers.  They state the issue:

The base stations of the LightSquared network will transmit signals in a radio band immediately adjacent to the GPS frequencies. The GPS community is concerned because testing has shown that LightSquared’s ground-based transmissions overpower the relatively weak GPS signal from space. Although LightSquared will operate in its own radio band, that band is so close to the GPS signals that most GPS devices pick up the stronger LightSquared signal and become overloaded or jammed.

There is also concern that the FCC may approve a technical solution to the problem that requires millions of existing GPS users to upgrade or replace their devices…

The results [of PNT testing] clearly demonstrate that implementing LightSquared’s planned deployment for terrestrial operations poses a significant potential for harmful interference to GPS services.

There are basically two technical issues.  First GPS signals are very weak—satellites are 12,000 miles above the Earth and operate on solar power—so receivers have been designed to be sensitive to the full GPS spectrum.  This, however, means many GPS receivers also pick up adjacent frequencies.  Second, LightSquared proposes to change weaker satellite signals in adjacent spectrum to much stronger ground-based 4G wireless signals, exacerbating interference.  Further federal testing results, leaked in December, confirm interference with 75% of general purpose GPS receivers;  however, no “significant interference” was found with cellular phones.  The NTIA will next test high-precision receivers used in farm equipment and scientific instruments.

Different groups have suggested different ways to eliminate conflicts.  (The Minnesota Geospatial Information Office (MnGEO) Emergency Preparedness Committee has tracked the evolving issue on their blog.)  LightSquared’s position is that GPS makers were aware of potential interference and should have built better technology.  The company has petitioned the FCC to re-affirm their spectrum license.  LightSquared has also offered to limit initial use of spectrum closest to GPS signals and delay boosting power on ground stations.

Opponents, including The Coalition to Save our GPS, contend that LightSquared is causing the problem by changing from low-powered satellite service with limited ground stations to high-powered ground-based service.  Members of the coalition include GPS makers; agricultural equipment manufacturers such as AGCO, Case New Holland, Caterpillar, and Deere & Company; and national organizations including the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, among many others.  .

The Issue with Politics

Many media sources have touched on multiple political issues involved in the LightSquared proposal.  Philip Falcone, a native of Minnesota’s Iron Range, acquired control of the company through Harbinger Capital, his New York hedge fund that is now being investigated by the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Senator Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican, and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski have feuded through the year on Congressional oversight in the matter.  The FCC’s National Broadband Plan specifically calls for accelerating terrestrial deployment of MSS frequencies.  Questions have, however, been raised about why FCC approval was granted to LightSquared prior to testing, and also about a report that General William Shelton was pressured by the White House to change testimony to Congress in favor of LightSquared.  Grassley placed holds in December on two nominees to the FCC over the issue.

LightSquared has also touted support where it doesn’t seem to be clear.  For example, a September press release stated that “we received a strong endorsement of our view that LightSquared and GPS can co-exist from several of the country’s leading agricultural organizations…” including the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and National Farmers Union.  However, far from endorsing the proposal, the letter referenced supports both rural broadband and precision agriculture.  In testimony to the House Committee on Small Business, AFBF President Bob Stallman urged Congress to assure that “LightSquared should cover the expense of all technical fixes to the interference issue.”

–John C. Shepard, AICP

Note:  No endorsement of a particular political position is intended or implied

Minnesota Broadband Task Force Jan 10: Full Notes

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I just returned from the latest Broadband Task Force. The very quick Reader’s Digest version is that offline the task force met (in 3 small groups) to talk about how the earlier task force reports could help inform the report due at the end of the month.

It sounds like some decisions were made:

  • The next report will be an outline
  • The outline will be/complement a work plan the Task Force will use to create a larger report at the end of the year
  • Folks like a framework for action offered in the original Task Force report (pictured at right)

The next meeting will be January 24 – and the Department of Commerce now has a website that will announce meetings et al. (Sorry I didn’t see it earlier!) Here is info on the next meeting:

January 24, 2012
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
TIES
Larpenteur Room
1667 Snelling Avenue North
Roseville, MN 55108

The plan is for Diane Wells and Bill Hoffman to take the info presented by group leaders today and to create an outline that will be discussed at the next meeting. If time is left over, they will discuss plans for meetings and goals for the rest of the year. (The following meeting is Feb 14.)

Here are the more complete notes – I tried to capture what I could and provide structure so that it would make sense – even if you didn’t know the original Task Force report like the back of your hand. (All page number refer to that original Task Force report.) Continue reading →

MN PUC Meeting on MN perspective on USF/ICC Changes

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I’m slow on the notice again for this meeting. Maybe my mind is still on holiday time. The PUC is having a meeting on Thursday to discuss the “Implications for Minnesota of the FCC’s Universal Service/Intercarrier Compensation Order”. It looks like a very good meeting. I’m going to try to make it – and it I do I will take notes but I may need to close myself to do it. Here’s the info from the PUC website:

Background

On November 18, 2011, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued its Order addressing Universal Service Funding and Intercarrier Compensation (WC Docket No. 10-90 and CC Docket No. 01-92). That Order may have substantial and far-reaching implications for Minnesota’s telecommunications service providers and their customers.

Notice of Meeting

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will convene an informational meeting in the format of a panel discussion to examine the implications of the FCC Order with respect to (i) universal service funding, (ii) intercarrier compensation and (iii) the substantive and procedural tasks that the Commission can be expected to face in the coming months.

This informational meeting will held in the Commission’s Large Hearing Room from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 12, 2012.

The meeting will commence with opening remarks by Commission Chair Ellen Anderson and Commissioner Michael Rothman of the Minnesota Department of Commerce. The panel discussion will be moderated by Commissioner Betsy Wergin. The panelists are:

  • Jeff Lindsey; CenturyLink
  • Brent Christensen; Minnesota Telecom Alliance
  • Dan Lipschultz; Moss & Barnett PA, competitive carrier perspective
  • Tom Cohen; Kelley, Drye & Warren LLP for the American Cable Association
  • Dave Conn; T-Mobile
  • Dennis Ahlers; Minnesota Department of Commerce.

The Commission will welcome questions from attendees as time permits. As seating in the Commission’s Large Hearing Room is limited the Commission will make available a live webcast of the proceeding (click on the webcast icon associated with this event on the Commission’s calendar for January 12,2012).

If you have any questions regarding this matter please contact Mark Oberlander (651-201-2212) or Kevin O’Grady (651-201-2218) of the Commission staff.

MN Broadband Task Force meeting today 10 am at TIES

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I’m sorry for the last-minute notice. I think I noted earlier that the meeting was today at TIES – but I didn’t have the details. I will be attending and will try to post notes by the end of the day. I believe the next meeting in January 24 but will add more when I get details.

Governor’s Task Force on Broadband
TIES Building Learning Center Conference Room
1667 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul, MN 55108
January 10, 2012 10 AM – 2 PM
Agenda:

  • 10:00 – 10:10  I. Greetings and Introductions
  • 10:10 – 10:20   II. Public Comments
  • 10:20 – 10:30   III. Approval  of  December  19,  2011  Minutes
  • 10:30 – 11:45   IV. Presentations  from  Group  Leaders
  • 11:45 – 12:30   V. Lunch
  • 12:30 – 1:45  VI. Discussion  of  Outline:  Format  and  Content
  • 1:45 – 1:55    VII. Additional  Public  Comments
  • 1:55 – 2:00 VIII. Other Business/Next Meeting Agenda

Three cheers for the digital divide?

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Earlier this week, Minnesota’s own Thomas Friedman wrote an editorial that caught the attention of a lot of folks working towards better broadband. Friedman suggests that to become a world leader, America should not focus on getting mediocre broadband to the masses, but instead strive to get “ultra-high speed” broadband to the top 5 percent…

Right now, though, notes Levin, America is focused too much on getting “average” bandwidth to the last 5 percent of the country in rural areas, rather than getting “ultra-high-speed” bandwidth to the top 5 percent, in university towns, who will invent the future. By the end of 2012, he adds, South Korea intends to connect every home in the country to the Internet at one gigabit per second. “That would be a tenfold increase from the already blazing national standard, and more than 200 times as fast as the average household setup in the United States,” The Times reported last February.

Therefore, the critical questions for America today have to be how we deploy more ultra-high-speed networks and applications in university towns to invent more high-value-added services and manufactured goods and how we educate more workers to do these jobs — the only way we can maintain a middle class.

I will remind readers (as Friedman does) that Blair Levin runs the Aspen Institute’s Gig.U project, a consortium of 37 university communities working to promote private investment in next-generation ecosystems. I will also remind readers that the National Broadband Plan also sanctions a digital divide that strives for 100 Mbps for 100 million households and 4 Mbps for the rest – much of “the rest” will be rural communities with lower population density and more challenging terrain for installing infrastructure.

It’s time for “the rest” to push back on these suggestions that somehow rural areas are not worth the investment.

Issue One: Friedman is taking a 20th century view on a 21st century technology by assuming that…

The best of these ecosystems will be cities and towns that combine a university, an educated populace, a dynamic business community and the fastest broadband connections on earth.

With the fastest broadband connections, geography is no longer a barrier to education or diverse conversations. More and more universities are offered classes online (MIT is offering coursework for free; in 2008, (former) Governor Pawlenty said he wanted 25 percent of all MNSCU credit be made available via online by 2015.), which means if you have a fast connection outside Blackduck, Minnesota you should still be able to experience higher education.

There are debates on the quality of online education, but as Friedman asserts that one goal is to be able to work collaboratively with colleagues around the word in real time that we have to accept that education obtained through the same means would be acceptable…

When eight doctors from around the world can look at the same M.R.I. in real time, said Levin, it enables the acceleration of small breakthroughs, which is where big breakthroughs eventually come from.

Issue Two: Friedman poses a question to candidates…

How do you think smart cities can become the job engines of the future, and what is your plan to ensure that America has a strategic bandwidth advantage?”

The fallacy is to believe that America will have a strategic bandwidth advantage while sanctioning a digital divide. In his article, Friedman points out that South Korea is striving for world-class and ubiquitous broadband coverage.

By the end of 2012, he adds, South Korea intends to connect every home in the country to the Internet at one gigabit per second. “That would be a tenfold increase from the already blazing national standard, and more than 200 times as fast as the average household setup in the United States,” The Times reported last February.

How does focusing on our top 5 percent help us compete with that? Friedman seems to have forgotten Metcalfe’s Law: the value of a telecommunications network is proportional to the square of the number of connected users of the system. Only when we get everyone online will we be able to realize full potential. One thing American still retains is a diversity of voices – and helping those voices join the conversation is another way to spur innovation.

Issue Three: Friedman seems to imply that an investment on behalf of the middle class (and I will add rural) will have a higher Return on Investment than an investment in the Middle America…

Therefore, the critical questions for America today have to be how we deploy more ultra-high-speed networks and applications in university towns to invent more high-value-added services and manufactured goods and how we educate more workers to do these jobs — the only way we can maintain a middle class.

This sentiment in this claim has spurred several of the 300 plus comments on the article. Last year Minnesota Rural Partners sponsored research that demonstrated that investment in rural areas benefitted not only the rural areas but trickled up to metropolitan areas as well – especially in terms of jobs, which seems to Friedman’s focus as well. Here are a couple of indicators from the report…

  • If rural Minnesota’s manufacturing cluster experiences a 6 percent growth in output ($1 billion), the urban area picks up 16 percent of all the jobs gained and 38 percent of all additional output.
  • The reverse is also true: a $1 billion decrease in manufacturing output in rural Minnesota results in 1,043 jobs lost and a loss of $207, 822,848 in revenue among Twin Cities area businesses.

I am pleased that Friedman has helped lift of up the issue of broadband in the US and offered it up as a solution for unemployment and job scarcity. I take umbrage as his approach to focus investment in the top 5 percent at the expense of the rest. As I’ve said there are at least three issues with his approach:

  1. He is using last century’s definitions of communities to promote a modern tool that discredits that definition.
  2. He turns a blind eye to both the investment being made in other countries to support ubiquitous broadband and to Metcalfe’s Law, which indicates that the larger the network, the great the value
  3. He seems to assert than an investment made on behalf of rural communities is more valuable than an investment in those communities.

Finally I think he undersells America. There was a day where we strove to be biggest and best – maybe we need to consider ubiquitous and ultra-fast broadband.

Benton County Enables the Disabled with Internet and Technology

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Thanks to Nancy Hoffman for passing on the following press release on Benton County’s efforts to use technology to support people with disabilities.

Foley, MN December 19, 2011: With help from funding through Living Connected in Benton County, Independent Lifestyles of Sauk Rapids is helping enable the disabled and others with the use of technology and the internet through a project they call BRAVE – Broadband, Resources and Vocational Education. Funding helped Independent Lifestyles purchase computer equipment to start a technology center within their facility and also provides an opportunity for Independent Lifestyles’ staff to teach a variety of classes and work one-on-one with community members to build computer and internet skills.

The technology center at Independent Lifestyles is open free of charge for use by their consumers and the public. Along with the usual computer equipment, the technology center is also set up with rubber, indestructible keyboards, large style keyboards and roller ball and joystick style mice for easier computer navigation. “Many of our consumers and community members, both with and without disabilities, have taken full advantage of our technology center,” said Jennifer Harmanson, staff member at Independent Lifestyles. “We have many who are looking up job information or are using social networks as well as working on general computer skills.”

The availability of the technology center allows Independent Lifestyles’ staff to conduct classes and hold one-on-one training sessions. Classes that will be held in the technology center starting in January include Introduction to Computers, I took the picture, now what?, Learn Word and Create a Resume and Learn Excel and Create a Household Budget. Past classes included Social Media and Email, How Does it Work? “I have been able to somewhat tailor the classes to the needs of the students attending so everyone gets the information that they are looking to get out of the classes,” stated Harmanson.

For many Americans with disabilities barriers in their communities take away or severely limit their choices. Independent Lifestyles, Inc. (ILICIL) was founded in 1997 to help persons with disabilities break down these barriers. For more information about Independent Lifestyles or the classes they offer call 320-529-9000 or visit www.independentlifestyles.org.

Living Connected in Benton County www.bentoncountyconnected.org is a project partner in the Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities Initiative (MIRC). MIRC is a coalition of 19 statewide partners and 11 demonstration communities funded in large part through an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant. The work of the coalition focuses on bringing the full promise of broadband technologies to rural Minnesota communities, businesses and people. Blandin Foundation serves as the project administrator. More about MIRC is available at www.blandinfoundation.org.

Want Broadband? Form a Co-Op.

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Stop the Cap is reporting that co-ops are the way to go if you want to get broadband and that the case is being made in Minnesota…

Parts of rural Minnesota are teaching the nation a lesson or two about how to deliver rural broadband — form a community co-op and provide it yourself, or wait forever for a commercial provider to deem it sufficiently profitable to deliver a reasonable level of service.

Minnesota’s Broadband Task Force indirectly proved the case for community Internet access with their first official report on the state of broadband in the North Star State.

…

Farmers Mutual in Madison, Federated Telephone in Morris, and Paul Bunyan Communications in Bemidji have been running fiber optic cables up and down area streets and delivering next generation broadband to some very happy customers. All are cooperatives — community-owned providers that put their customers (who also happen to be the owners) ahead of Wall Street shareholder profits. The result: modern and reliable service, instead of “good enough for you” Internet access at sky-high prices from for-profit phone companies.

I might add locally-owned independent telephone companies and maybe municipalities into that mix. I’ve talked with folks and heard many conversations on the topic – it often comes up that one key difference between the co-ops, independents and municipalities is that they are invested in the community as much as in the business of selling broadband. It gives them a longer view on ROI and it allows them to measure more than the bottom-line when making decisions.

Southwest MN Broadband Services Going Strong

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Thanks to John Shepard for sharing a story in Windom News (article not available online) on Southwest Minnesota Broadband Service’s progress installing fiber through eight communities SW Minnesota. John and I joked that there really isn’t much new in the article – except that no news is good news. SMBS reported hooking up their first customer just before the first snow fell in December. Since then they’ve connected another 40 in Lakefield.

The article reports…

In fact, he [SMBS General Manager Dan Olsen] says the pace will run at 250 hook-ups per month until the project is finished at the end of 2012.

They are also doing a wireless trial in Bingham Lake. So while it’s not earth shattering – I feel like hearing that the ARRA funded project is going well is worth repeating.

Become a Minnesota Digital Town – Opportunity to work with UMN Extension

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Thanks to Neil Linscheid for the heads up on a great program at University of Minnesota Extension that helps communities create digital models of their towns for Google Earth. I’m jealous because the towns will be working with Google SketchUp – a very cool tool I rarely have occasion to use. Here’s info on the opportunity from their flier…

University of Minnesota’s Digital Towns Program is in its second phase of a pilot program to train participants to visualize and build 3-D models of importance to their community and are seeking to work with two organizations or communities. The goals of this project are to:

  • Enable participants to identify, model, and map community’s social, cultural, and environmental assets,
  • Build social capital within the community across all age groups with special emphasis on young adults,
  • Educate participants and community members in the value of community identity and online exposure,
  • Foster historic and cultural preservation of places and institutions,
  • Empower the community to seek opportunities for economic development including increased tourism, strengthened business retention, and enhanced business recruitment

They partnered with a Professor of Architecture Lee Anderson to create the curriculum. Last year they worked with Little Falls and had an architecture student helping out. This year they are looking for two more communities. They are looking to work with a non-profit, government, school, service club, or educational group such as a historical society, main street group, chamber of commerce or economic development authority. They will provide 10 to 12 hours of instruction via workshops on community development and 3-D modeling tools (Google Sketchup, Google Earth, ). Workshop timings and location will be determined in collaboration with the group that is selected as the pilot. And will work with your community to help determine the important features and landmarks in your community to highlight.

The deadline is January 20, 2012. You can get more info and the application on the flier. They are having a webinar on Thursday (noon) to discussion the project (again details on the flier.) I asked Neil to give me his top reason a community should participate – because I know Neil is on the front lines and has a good take on what folks need. Here was his response…

Top 3 reasons to be a participant:

  1. Learn a cool new skill. Google SketchUp
  2. Learn about your community. What’s needs to be modeled and why?
  3. Show off your work to the world. When you put your model on Google Earth everyone can see it.

Top 3 reasons to be a sponsor;

  1. Get 3-D models of your important buildings and landmarks. You can use these any way you want.
  2. Get people thinking about which places are important.
  3. Give outsiders and interesting way to explore you community.

Blandin eNews January 2012

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News  from the Blandin on Broadband Blog (A recap of December 2011)

MN Broadband Task  Force Report is Out
Less  than two months after being announced http://wp.me/p3if7-1tC and after  their second meeting http://wp.me/p3if7-1xx,  the latest Minnesota Broadband Task Force has released their first report, a  state of the state of broadband in Minnesota. http://wp.me/p3if7-1xY According to  the report, 57 percent of Minnesota  households have access to 10 Mbps (downstream) and 6 Mbps (upstream) broadband.  The goal is for ubiquitous access (at those speeds) by 2015.

The next task force meeting is scheduled for January 10 at TIES. http://www.ties.k12.mn.us/ They will be  preparing their next report, which is intended lay the groundwork to help Minnesota  reach broadband goals by 2015.

Policy  Issues in the News
Policy issues, including broadband and telecommunications issues,  are emerging as the legislative season draws nearer. Industry and community  leaders are questioning the impact of the changes in the Universal Service  Funds (USF) http://wp.me/p3if7-1y2, while  Internet users, publishers and politicians are concerned about privacy online  (SOPA: Stop Online Privacy Act). http://wp.me/p3if7-1xV

Policy analysts are taking a hard look at policy and the digital  divide, specifically as it relates to minorities http://wp.me/p3if7-1wV as well looking at the roadblocks for adoption and deployment. http://wp.me/p3if7-1xf Not surprisingly, it  often comes down to cost.

Local Broadband News

Carlton County
The  Carlton County Pine Journal follows the progress of the Northeast Service  Coop and their fiber construction. http://wp.me/p3if7-1×7 NESC received ARRA funding to deploy fiber in the area.

Duluth
Duluth  looks at tech sector growth in the area since vying to become the Google Gig community. http://wp.me/p3if7-1xR

Fargo, ND
HickoryTech  has purchased IdeaOne, a company that provides data networking, Internet,  colocation, phone and hosting services in the Fargo area. http://wp.me/p3if7-1wS

Lakefield
Southwest Minnesota Broadband Services connected its first  customer in Lakefield. SMBS received ARRA funding to deploy fiber in the area. http://wp.me/p3if7-1wZ

Minneapolis
Taking advantage of local telecommunications infrastructure, the  City of Minneapolis and Minnesota Public Radio have created an audio MPR Sound  Point tour of Minneapolis Public Art. http://wp.me/p3if7-1v8

New London
The West Central Tribune reports on a Business Blogging class held  in New London taught by the University of Minnesota Extension as part of the  local MIRC programming. http://wp.me/p3if7-1×4

Upper Minnesota  Valley
Economic  Developer, Dawn Hegland speaks with Intelligent Community Forum’s Robert Bell  about MIRC’s progress in promoting broadband adoption in the Upper Minnesota  Valley Region. http://wp.me/p3if7-1xi (Includes  video.)

West Central  Minnesota
Appleton Minnesota’s Pioneer TV created a mini-documentary on broadband in rural areas for a 12 minute segment for the PBS Need to Know  Series. http://wp.me/p3if7-1xc

Red Wing
Minnesota Department for Employment and Economic Development  recently awarded a grant to Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical to  develop and provide training to Hiawatha Broadband Communications to deploy  broadband. http://wp.me/p3if7-1xM

Events

January  – Stats in Facebook: A Free Webinar http://www.mnrem.com/blog/?p=548

January  – Minnesota Broadband Task Force meets – (St Paul) http://wp.me/p3if7-1xx

January  31 – Deadline for Broadband Video Contest – HickoryTech is accepting  entries for its My Life My Internet video contest. http://wp.me/p3if7-1wN

February 24  – MACTA (Minnesota Association of Community Telecommunications  Administrators) Day at the  Capitol – http://tinyurl.com/7dmmyxn

February 28  – MTA (Minnesota Telecom Alliance) Day on the Hill http://tinyurl.com/87rrups

Looking  for more events? Check out TechDotMN’s calendar http://tech.mn/events/.   Many events are based in the Twin Cities but it is a comprehensive list. (If  you have an upcoming event, consider submitting it.)

Looking  for local MIRC (Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities) events? Check the MIRC  Google calendar: http://tinyurl.com/3oz5uzh or University of Minnesota Extension MIRC calendar http://tinyurl.com/66vxghj

Stirring the Pot

Bill ColemanDoes your  community make New Year’s resolutions?  January is a great opportunity to  bring  people together to talk about goals and improvement.  The Intelligent  Community framework (focusing on: broadband, knowledge workers, innovation,  digital inclusion and marketing/advocacy) provides guidance for organizing and  implementing action.  Through our MN Intelligent Rural Community (MIRC) projects http://tinyurl.com/2c6mhh4, I have observed that the most exciting projects are those that link across two  or more Intelligent Community elements.

For example, a  community may decide to improve public access to broadband and computers by  opening up school computer labs extended hours to all residents.  To  broaden the audience beyond those without computers or broadband Internet  access, the community could add a focus on math and science to create  knowledge workers by using community volunteers who use math and science – from  machinists to scientists – and by taking advantage of online resources â- from  Khan Academy http://www.khanacademy.org/ to MIT. http://ocw.mit.edu Potential positive  outcomes include more support for school technology investments, better linkage  between kids and local career opportunities, intergenerational learning and  linkages, better math and science test scores and a more Intelligent Community!   You could just as easily promote the arts through an approach like this.

A shared goal  across our demonstration communities is improved marketing – convincing both  residents and non-residents (prospective business owners and tourists) to stop,  stay and invest in the community.  The U of M Extension http://tinyurl.com/7ys3uul has done a  great job educating businesses how to promote themselves online.  In  today’s economy, everyone is essentially a small business – improving the  products through education, marketing themselves to gain income – through  employment on site or through telework, self-employment, or growing a business.   How can a community use online tools like eFolio Minnesota http://www.efoliominnesota.com/ combined  with local web sites to showcase and market local talent – from kids to stay at  home parents to retirees? The inventory of talent would be eye-opening for both  locals and visitors!

Let us know what  your community resolutions are and how you plan to achieve your goals for  improvement.

Bill Coleman helps communities make the  connection between telecommunications and economic development.  As  principal in Community Technology Advisors http://tinyurl.com/3f4dx7g for ten years, he assists community, foundation and corporate clients develop  and implement programs of broadband infrastructure investment and technology  promotion and training. Bill is working with the Blandin Foundation on the  MIRC Initiative http://tinyurl.com/2c6mhh4,  Community Broadband Resource Program http://tinyurl.com/cseu7e and other broadband projects.

Will subsidies go to the right companies to build and sustain broadband?

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Thanks to Carol Walsh for sending me a recent article from The Economist (Sweet Land of Subsidy). It’s a look at changes in the USF, the need for subsidies to reach rural corners with broadband and chance that USF is going to help do that.

I think the final paragraph with be of greatest interest to readers here so are probably better well versed on the need for subsidies and broadband…

So far, so promising, but the devil, as always, is in the detail—and many of the details are missing. Stuart Polikoff, vice-president of regulatory policy for OPASTCO, a trade group representing around 460 rural telecom companies, fears his clients will end up losing money when the FCC redirects intercarrier-compensation rates (fees one carrier pays to another on whose lines a portion of a call is carried). Dave Osborn, who heads the Valley Telephone Cooperative, which provides high-speed broadband to 4,600 people spread across 7,300 square miles of south Texas, predicts that change will deprive him of $1.5m a year. The large telecoms companies stand to gain: the FCC says they can reach 83% of the 18m Americans without service. Then there is the question of use: one survey found that nearly half of non-internet users in America saw no need for it. That is a problem that infrastructure alone cannot solve.

I’m going to take adoption off the table for this post, because in the areas they describe, greater adoption is not going to help make the business case. The question becomes – will the subsidies go to the right people who will maintain broadband connectivity in rural areas?

On the one hand, you have to think that the bigger providers can compensate the loss off serving lower population density areas with urban counterparts. On the other hand, the local provider usually has a greater investment in the rural community. Who is the better bet?

As always with broadband articles in mainstream press, the comments are as interesting as the article. A few folks not so interested in supporting rural areas. A few folks with very specific perspective (one seems to promote LightSquared, one includes a link to their wireless service and some question the adoption issue.