Earlier this month we introduced the Blandin Community Broadband Program (BCBP), an opportunity for 10 Minnesota communities to participate in an intensive partnership with Blandin Foundation to develop better broadband in their community. Blandin is looking for communities that are able to hit the ground running; one indicator of readiness is the presence of a Leadership Team for the project. Blandin is asking communities to have one in place when they apply for consideration.
In the video below, Bill Coleman of Community Technology Advisors offers advice for convening a successful leadership team – including the stakeholders that are typically helpful in the pursuit of broadband and personality types that help get things done. Each community will be a little different – but I think Bill’s advice is good and may spur some innovative thinking for communities interested in moving forward.
I would like to add that all telecom providers should be invited and welcomed to participate on the Blandin Broadband Community teams. They can provide technical knowledge and community market information. The Demonstration Communities in the MIRC program increased their rates of broadband adoption 30 percent faster than did rural Minnesota as a whole according to the U of M – Crookston. This documented success should be reason enough for providers to be interested in participating.