Monthly Archives: January 2013

UnitedHealth Tech Innovation Contest: Prize $60,000

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Thanks to John Schultz for the heads up on an opportunity for enterprising innovators to create tech solutions to health issues…

The “Breakthrough Health Tech Challenge” aims to tap the creativity of innovators worldwide, both within and beyond the health care industry, to bring concepts and solutions that help address some of the greatest challenges facing the health system. This “crowdsourcing” challenge seeks ideas on how common consumer technologies or devices, including video game systems and mobile phones, can be used in new ways to serve people by helping them address their chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

Details of the challenge and a submission form can be found here. Ideas are being accepted through April 8, with the winning submission earning a $60,000 prize.

I’ve tried to pull out the “details” that I found most useful…

The Seeker for this Challenge, UnitedHealthcare, seeks to promote healthier lifestyles and/or new approaches for managing widespread chronic conditions by taking advantage of two exciting dynamics in today’s marketplace – innovative consumer technologies and consumer-centric health solutions. Accordingly, they are seeking prototypes of novel combinations or modifications (“mods”) of existing, off-the-shelf consumer technology (including computer software and smartphone applications) that could be used to improve peoples’ health and quality of life.

This is a Reduction-to-Practice Challenge that requires a written proposal and experimental proof-of-concept data (and/or prototype delivery).  In the absence of a proven solution, however, the Seeker may make a partial award of up to $20,000 USD for a purely theoretical contribution.  In addition to the Challenge award, the Seeker may be interested in further collaboration with winning Solver(s) to further advance this project.

Also the UnitedHealth press release includes info on past projects that I thought might be useful – both to inspire ideas but also as health/insurance consumers…

  • myHealthcare Cost Estimator – This online and mobile tool gives consumers the transparency they need to understand health care costs and quality for specific physicians and hospitals; enables them to compare costs and quality of alternative treatments; and provides personalized out-of-pocket cost estimates based on current benefits, applicable network discounts and health financing accounts.
  • Health4Me – This powerful mobile app helps UnitedHealthcare plan participants on the go find in-network doctors, benefit information and claim status.
  • Senior Digital Journey – By better understanding how individuals experience health care and insurance, UnitedHealthcare is gaining insights in how to change its service delivery to fit the behavior, needs and desires of the people it serves.
  • UnitedHealthcare Community Rewards™ – This program rewards children with points for healthy habits such as visiting their doctors regularly for checkups or brushing their teeth. Then they are able to redeem the points for valuable rewards such as a camera or a bicycle.

Federal Communications Law Compliance for 2013

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BH cover Thanks to Jim Baller for giving permission to share the Baller Herbst Law Group Federal Communications Law Compliance Overview for 2013. Here’s an explanation from the document…

The Baller Herbst Law Group has prepared this document for providers of cable television, telecommunications, interconnected VoIP, Internet access, and other communications and information services. We have summarized below, by service, the main federal regulatory requirements that apply to such providers. At the end of the memorandum, we have provided a chart setting forth the deadlines for various filings and other time-sensitive activities.

I figured some readers might have a practical need for the information and some might have more academic reasons for wanting to read through it. For example I think it gives a thorough yet as succinct as possible explanation of telecommunications versus telecommunications service (starting on page 13). There’s also a nice outline of policies touching interconnected VoIP (starting on page 23).

If you’re a researcher, it’s nice to have a list of various reporting requirements in case you want to reverse engineer research questions based on info you can access fairly easily. If you’re someone who needs to comply with the requirements, I think the compliance timetable at the end of the report might make a nice addition to your bulletin board and calendar.

For folks who don’t know the Baller Herbst Group – they follow broadband policy as close as anyone and are very generous with sharing their notes. Their site has a sections dedicated to Community Broadband, the National Broadband Plan and an archive of their BroadbandUS.TV programs.

Trends in Government Technology Plans

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Governing recently gave a sneak preview of Government IT applications that suspect may not be around next year…

1. Legacy applications: The days when you loaded a piece of software on a computer are disappearing. Experts predict the virtual trend, where software is a service you pay for via subscriptions, will become the norm.

2. Mobile Applications: As mobile phones get smarter, customized information on the home screen will eclipse the need for a local weather app or an app from your local news station. You’ll access the same information, without needing to manage any apps.

3. Traditional Desktops: There’s little dissent among experts predicting the demise of the time-honored desktop. Virtual desktops pulling information from the cloud benefit from a more consistent user experience across devices.

4. BlackBerry Smartphones: CIO.com cites operating system upgrade delays, high-level staff turnover and a weak showing from the company’s venture into tablet computing as minor compared to the platform’s inability to span consumer’s personal and professional identities. In summary, “… having a dedicated business phone that won’t play Angry Birds doesn’t make sense anymore.”

5. Windows Phones: This list declares Android and iPhone the winners in the consumer smartphone market. While acknowledging the Windows phone’s successful integration with Windows 8 and Surface tablets, the most generous analysts only give Microsoft’s smartphone 13 percent market share by 2017.

6. Private Branch Exchange (PBX) Systems: Another traditional office technology waning in popularity is the desk phone system linked to a corporate data center, Brandon claims. High operating and maintenance costs, coupled with employees’ preference for their own phones, are contributing to this trend.

7. Fax Machines: When’s the last time you used a fax machine? The widespread adoption of digital signature technologies represent the nail in the coffin on these soon-to-be collector’s items.

What will be around? The cloud. In fact, Minnesota get a nod for moving that direction already…

In March, Minnesota finished moving almost 40,000 workers in more than 70 state agencies to Microsoft’s cloud-based software program for email services and collaboration tools.

In December, I attended a CIO Panel sponsored by the MHTA. They too predicted a move to the cloud. The also predicted greater use of mobile apps – although perhaps the key is in mobile app management.

Healthcare Funding Available from FCC

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Earlier this week the FCC announced that up to $400 million in annual funding will be made available to healthcare providers as part of the FCC’s new Healthcare Connect Fund. Here are a couple of highlights from their press release…

  • The new Healthcare Connect Fund Program Goals:

    • Increase access to broadband for health care providers (HCPs), especially those serving rural areas.
    • Foster development and deployment of broadband health care networks.
    • Maximize impact of the FCC’s universal service health care funding

How the Healthcare Connect Fund Works:

  • The Fund will provide patients at hospitals and clinics around the country access to specialists at major healthcenters through telemedicine, and support the exchange of electronic health records (EHRs), leading to better coordination of patient care and lower costs.  Specifically, the Fund will:

    • Support broadband connectivity and broadband networks for HCPs.

    • Encourage formation of state and regional health care consortia to save costs and expand access to health care.

    • Provide a 65% discount on broadband services, equipment, connections to research and education networks, and HCP-constructed and owned facilities (if shown to be the most cost-effective connectivity option), while requiring a 35% HCP contribution.

  • The FCC will begin accepting applications for the Healthcare Connect Fund beginning in late summer of 2013.

  • Eligibility: Public or not-for-profit hospitals, rural health clinics, community health centers, health centers serving migrants, community mental health centers, local health departments or agencies, post-secondary educational institutions/teaching hospitals/medical schools, or a consortia of the above

    • Non-rural HCPs may participate in Healthcare Connect Fund as part of consortia; consortia must remain majority rural

  • Funding Caps

    • Cap on total funding for FCC Rural Health Care Programs, including Healthcare Connect Fund and Skilled Nursing Facilities Pilot, is $400 million annually.

    • Cap for upfront payments in Healthcare Connect Fund is $150 million annually.

So as they say, the will begin accepting applications this summer, so might be a good time to be thinking about how to make it work in your area.

T-Mobile offers unlimited pre-paid options

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Thanks to Ann Higgins for the heads up on T-Mobile’s latest offering…

According to the blog TmoNews, the $70 Unlimited no-contract plan will launch on Jan. 9. The comparable existing $70 prepaid plan offers unlimited talk and text but limits users to 5 GB. TmoNews quoted an unreleased T-Mobile document that says the new plan is “perfect for video chat, streaming music/movies/TV and playing online games.

The article was from January 6. I see the new offering on their website now. The move bucks a trend seen with other providers – and comes on the heels of a report that indicated that caps are an artificial construct.

iPads in Farmington schools

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Minnesota 2020 ran a story last week featuring educational use of technology, specifically iPads in the classroom. One benefit cited by Farmington School Superintendent Jay Haugen, “Technology can help students individualize their own learning.” He also points out that they will pay about $100 per year per student out of their capital budget for iPads. It’s about the same amount they currently spend on copying each year.

You can hear from other faculty members at Farmington in the video below:

The Arts and the Internet

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Just last week I wrote about a local example of social media supporting the arts. This week Pew Internet and American Life released a survey indicating that use of social media in the arts is the norm these days, not an anomaly.

Pew surveyed arts organizations that had received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Of the 3,644 asked to participate, 1,244 completed at least part of the survey. The group represented a wide range of arts and sizes, but 70 percent hail from an urban center and Pew recognized that the group may be better poised to take advantage of technology than the average arts group…

Nearly three quarters (73%) of organizations that completed the survey have existed for more than 20 years, and another 19% have been around for 11 to 20 years. Only 21 organizations have less than five years of history. This means that the sample is composed of arts organizations with a relatively successful track record and perhaps more able to take advantage of technological advances than all the arts organizations in the country.

I think that reflects the fact that they surveyed NEA recipients. You have to have your act together (no pun intended) to get an NEA award. So in some ways, the report is a wakeup call to the rest of the arts community – successful arts groups are using technology! I think of some of the Blandin Broadband Communities I visited in December. Several mentioned that their local artists and crafts people were not online. Again this report makes the case that they should be – and the results may be instructive for smaller or struggling organizations.  They can get a glimpse of best practices and potential pitfalls.

Again, the results indicate that folks are using technology…

  • 99% of arts organizations in this survey have their own website
  • 97% have a social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr or other platform. In addition, 69% have individual employees who post to their own social media profiles in their capacity as a representative of the organization. Some 45% of the organizations with a social media presence say they post updates daily, including 25% who post updates several times a day
  • 94% of these organizations post photos about the organization or its work
  • 86% accept donations online
  • 72% sell tickets online

The jury is out on how much arts organization love technology…

Survey respondents are divided over whether technology has negatively impacted audiences’ attention spans for live performance, but they uniformly disagree that it has “diluted the arts” by opening new pathways to arts participation and arts criticism. …

  • 40% agree with the statement that digital technology is “negatively impacting audience members’ attention spans for live performances,” including just 9% who strongly agree this is the case
  • 22% strongly or somewhat agree with the statement that digital technologies are “hurting arts organizations by decreasing attendance at in-person events.”

Yet…

  • 81% of these organizations currently post or stream videos of their performances or exhibits

The arts organization say a big challenge is finding the time and training to use technology. Another complaint is digital distractions such as ringing cell phones and audience member texting during live performances. Yet,

  • 81% of the organizations in this survey say the internet and digital technologies are “very important” for promoting the arts.

walker picThe Pew report seems to reflect my own experience as arts consumer. Last weekend I went to two local concerts (rock, not classical, but I think it still counts) and spent Saturday at an art museum. I’m sure I heard about all of the events online. and that I posted something about each event on Facebook. I probably watched the bands on YouTube or listened on Spotify before the shows.

The bands and venues do a good job using social media to promote events, yet it was The Walker that really pushed the use of technology as part of the event. Maybe that’s because they have bigger budgets; maybe it’s because we went for a kids’ day event; maybe the visual arts format more easily lends itself to social media interaction. Part of the fun was creating masks and posting for pictures, which The Walker then posts on their site. (Posting pictures of kids is always a tried and true way to get family to go to your site.) They had iPads in the gallery and taught kids how to use a photo booth app to distort their own images (fit in with the exhibit theme). Had it been warmer, we could have scanned QR Codes for a personal tour of the Sculpture Gardens.

There are things I don’t love (for example cell phones ringing during a performance – or new low last week – during a funeral!) but it seems as if most artists and art fans are embracing technology use in the arts.

Broadband Summit: Broadband Adoption and Usage – What Have We Learned? Feb 7, 2013

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The summit is in DC, but is available via webcast. Here’s info the event…

February 07 2013, 8:45 AM – 5:00 PM EST

445 12th Street, SW, Commission Meeting Room (TW-C305), Washington, DC 20554

Federal-State Joint Conference on Advanced Services Announces Feb. 7 Broadband Summit: Broadband Adoption and Usage – What Have We Learned?

The Federal-State Joint Conference on Advanced Services is holding this summit to identify and discuss best practices learned from broadband adoption programs and academic studies/surveys, and how implementation of these best practices can close the broadband adoption gap among Americans – particularly low-income households, racial and ethnic minorities, seniors, rural residents, residents of Tribal lands and people with disabilities. Additional details regarding the agenda will be available here prior to the event.

Attendance – This workshop is open to the public. In order to ensure space availability and expedite the security check-in process, please submit name and company affiliation ahead of time by sending an email to susan.fisenne@fcc.gov. All attendees are advised to arrive approximately 30 minutes prior to the start of the workshop to allow time to go through our security process.

Webcast – Please send an e-mail to susan.fisenne@fcc.gov to pre-register for the webcast. To view the webcast, go to www.fcc.gov/live on the day of the event. Viewers may submit questions by e-mail to livequestions@fcc.gov.

I hope to watch via webcast and will take notes. I found some compelling reasons to attend in a blog post by Angela Siefer on WebJunction…

On December 19, 2012, the FCC announced the selection of 14 broadband adoption Lifeline pilot projects. Noteworthy for those of us who care about broadband adoption but are not broadband service providers:

  • The FCC is only funding the discounted or subsidized broadband service fees. All other costs including digital literacy or home computers are not covered.
  • Only Eligible Telecommunication Carriers (ETCs) were eligible to apply. Many partnered with experienced broadband adoption community-based organizations. The grants are not clear who is covering the costs of digital literacy training or home computers.
  • All funded projects include a research component. The FCC is most interested in learning “which variations in the broadband service offerings result in higher adoption rates among low-income consumers. We have selected a diversity of projects that will study the effects of varying subsidy amounts, end-user charges, access to digital literacy, data usage limits, choices for broadband speed, access to equipment and other important variables affecting broadband adoption.”

As one of only two federal agencies working on broadband adoption, it is important that those in the field working on broadband adoption attend the FCC Broadband Adoption Summit. Also noteworthy is that there are currently no other national events planned focused upon broadband adoption.

Attend. Be seen and be heard.

Mille Lacs County – BBC Community

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In December, the Blandin Broadband Community team met with the nine new Blandin Broadband Communities. I was able to attend some of the meetings and wanted to introduce folks to the new communities when I could.

roxt traxler

Before the holidays we met with Roxy Traxler at Mille Lacs County. She will be working with a steering committee on a plan to help expand broadband in their area. Mille Lacs has been working on a community-wide economic development plan, which is scheduled to be completed in June. Sounds like the plan has been a huge, participatory endeavor and that the work they’ve done and relationships formed in the process will be a huge asset for the BBC work.

We met with a sampling of potential steering committee members. All were enthusiastic and represented a wide range of stakeholders from schools, to business to local residents.

The goal in Mille Lacs is get the group working towards a shared goal – a goal to be determined through the BBC process. That being said they do recognize that the tax base in Mille Lacs is primarily residential so it would be nice to boost business activity.

Coops Making a Difference in Georgia

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Thanks to Bernadine Joselyn for the heads up on an article, Co-ops Make Rural Broadband Possible published by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. The article highlights the role that co-operatives have played in deploying broadband in rural Georgia…

“The electric co-ops represent possibly the greatest potential for expansion of really good infrastructure in rural America,” Pealock said, explaining how it’s a natural fit for co-ops to be infrastructure providers.

“It’s very synergistic for our linemen to hang cable, to lift the hardware up,” Pealock said. “The splicing is very natural for them.”

The network now includes “hundreds of businesses,” all of the more than 45 schools in the region, as well as a university, four colleges and five hospitals.

“It’s been a natural magnet of interest to the business community,” Pealock said. “I think they see this as tremendous infrastructure.”

Benefits for the co-ops include being able to install high-definition security video at substations, and improved communications for employees in the field.
And the membership? So far, some 2,000 homes are connected and “they really love the service,” Pealock said.

The network is open access, and third-party providers are being encouraged to offer voice, video and wireless services.

We’ve talked about the role of co-ops and independent providers in the past. Most recently I think folks who follow broadband in Minnesota were able to see the potential role for co-ops in Sibley County. When Sibley County decided to back off a fiber project with Renville County, it was the Farmers Co-op that stepped forward to express an interest in looking at how they could help bring broadband to the area.

MIRC Partner Recognized: Carlos Espinoza

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Carlos Espinoza is the assistant city planner with the City of Winona. He was instrumental in much of the MIRC (Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities) activity that happened in Winona. At the 2011 Broadband Conference, Carlos spoke about their efforts to add public wireless hot spots around Winona in popular areas such as the public park, Lake Winona and the city campground.  He also spoke about Project FINE; a project we have mentioned before that provides digital literacy training to new residents, many who are also new Americans. Carlos also worked on Winona’s website to attract new residents to the area to fill the open jobs.

carlosI was pleased to learn a little more about Carlos in a recent volume of the CURA Reporter. CURA (Center for Urban and Regional Affairs) strives to encourage University-Community engagement. Carlos was recently recognized for his work as a Krusell fellow. The article describes the special fellowships…

the program makes academic work more meaningful, enables fellows to be more purposeful in designing their academic program, teaches practical skills, and builds relationships and networks with professionals in the field.

Most of Carlos’ work for CURA centered around, unsurprisingly, urban work. He worked with City of New Hope Community Development Department, Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood Housing Services (DBNHS), and Model Cities, a community-development corporation in St. Paul. But it sounds like the lessons he learned easily transferred to his more current, more rural setting in Winona. We know he helped make MIRC a greater success in his community…

I credit the Krusell fellowship with helping me gain the professional experience instrumental in being hired by the City of Winona immediately after graduating from the Master’s of Urban and Regional Planning program. Perhaps more importantly, the Krusell fellowship opened my eyes to the tremendous difference that community-development activities can have on people’s lives. Overall, the Krusell fellowship professional experiences allowed me to “get close to the action” and understand that when you work for a community development department or organization, your daily work has a direct and beneficial impact on local people and places.

Lac qui Parle Valley – BBC Community

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In December, the Blandin Broadband Community team met with the nine new Blandin Broadband Communities. I was able to attend some of the meetings and wanted to introduce folks to the new communities when I could.

LqPV

Before the holidays we met with Renae Tostenson, Superintendent of Lac qui Parle Valley school district. The project in LqPV is unusual because it starts at the school – but it’s not entirely school-focused. The project really embraces kids and what the community can do with broadband to improve the lives of local kids. What a great focus – given we’ll do for our kids what we often won’t do for ourselves. The district covers a large territory, which was previously segmented into several schools. So there’s also a hope that broadband can help bring the community even closer over a shared goal.

We spent the day meeting with a serious of stakeholders – communications folks, healthcare folks, economic developers. It was particularly interesting to see the sparks of ideas fly with the communications folks. Also lots of good things already are happening at the school.

LqPV is in a unique position due to infrastructure. Lac qui Parle County was the recipient of ARRA finding and is in the last chapters of pulling fiber to most of the homes in the county. Although contrary to most areas, it’s the rural areas in LqP that have fiber; the towns (Madison and Appleton) were disqualified for service due to incumbent providers. There is an opportunity to help LqPV encourage meaning adoption of the new infrastructure.

 

Broadband makes Minnesota Top 10 legislative topics for 2013

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This is sort of an esoteric post – but worth noting I thought. Blois Olson posts a daily Minnesota Tip sheet on Minnesota politics. Today he posted the following…

Via email from House Commerce Chairman Joe Atkins, the Top 10 issues for the House Commerce Committee in 2013. VERBATIM:  1) Health Insurance Exchange Legislation.  2) Senior Citizen Scam Prevention. 3) Sports/Entertainment Convention Center Facility Operations & Cooperation.  4) Telecommunications and Broadband Law Update. 5) Banking/Lending Law Re-Write.  6) Lockout Legislation? 7) Electronic Pull-Tabs, Minnesota Racing Commission, & Other Gambling Issues. 8) No Fault Automobile Insurance Update. 9) Omnibus Liquor Bill.  10) Ticket Laws.  11) Various Consumer Protection Issues.

 

Check out #4 – Telecommunications and Broadband Law Update. I find that encouraging.

Blandin eNews Monthly Recap January 2013

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connect mn map 2011News from the Blandin on Broadband Blog

2012 Minnesota Broadband Task Force Report The Minnesota Broadband Task Force released their recommendations to the State to help Minnesota reach the 2015 broadband goals (5-10 Mbps upload/10-20 Mbps download), emphasizing the fact that something needs to happen if Minnesota is going to make those goals. http://wp.me/p3if7-22Q One suggestion is to establish an ongoing, post-Task Force resource within state government for high-speed broadband-focused efforts. http://wp.me/p3if7-22Q

We’re Number 19 TechNet State Broadband Index rates states on indicators of broadband adoption, network quality, and economic structure. Minnesota comes in at 19. The results reinforce the Broadband Task Force opinion that Minnesota needs to make a concerted effort to reach the 2015 broadband goals to be a broadband leader. http://wp.me/p3if7-22g

Assessing your Broadband Provider Connect Minnesota released a report on customer satisfaction with broadband providers. Surveys indicate that customers are pretty happy about reliability of service; less happy about price. That reflects the fact that Minnesota service tends to be a little faster than average but also more expensive than average. http://wp.me/p3if7-23QWondering how your specific provider ranks? Netflix is now publishing monthly rankings of major ISPs based upon their actual performance across all Netflix streams. (Focus is on larger providers.) http://wp.me/p3if7-23v

What’s Broadband worth to a non-adopter?  Connected Nation released a report that determines the optimal subsidy to offer non-adopters to encourage them to get broadband. Nationally, a monthly price that seems acceptable to most non-adopters is $21. The average cost of broadband is $46.30. So to encourage new subscribers Connected Nation promotes subsidies of $25.30. In Minnesota, the average monthly cost is $49.46; an acceptable monthly price is $20 so the subsidy required is $29.46.http://wp.me/p3if7-22j

Policy Topics:

  • The FCC is asking for comments on unserved areas on the National Broadband Map for Connect America. Correct maps will help the right areas get support. http://wp.me/p3if7-24N
  • Open Technology Institute looks at the impact of broadband data caps (wired and wireless) on innovation.http://wp.me/p3if7-23K
  • Does the tech industry discriminate? The facts indicate that it’s a question worth asking. Response to the article also backs up the assertion. http://wp.me/p3if7-23k
  • The Nation Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA) asks the FCC to think about how to support and promote the transition from TDM (Time Division Multiplexing) technology to all-IP (Internet Protocol) infrastructure. http://wp.me/p3if7-23h
  • After seeing the impact of limited public pay phones during super-storm Sandy, New York is making strides to reinvent pay phones of the future as public access communication centers. http://wp.me/p3if7-22K
  • Senator Klobuchar asks the FCC to look into call completion issues, especially with online voice service providers who seem hesitant to complete calls that might results in a termination fee. This is a greater issue in rural areas. http://wp.me/p3if7-22C

Thanks to Gary Evans Earlier this year Gary Evan announced his phased “retirement” from Hiawatha Broadband Communications. Gary has been a broadband leader and innovator in Minnesota, including being on the Blandin Broadband Strategy Board since its inception. http://wp.me/p3if7-23B

Local Broadband News

Aitkin, Carlton, Kanabec, Mille Lacs and Pine Counties Community leaders from Aitkin, Carlton, Kanabec, Mille Lacs and Pine Counties discuss opportunities for region-wide broadband access. http://wp.me/p3if7-22y

Cloquet Fond du Lac Band of Ojibwe, one of the new Blandin Broadband Communities, talks about their goals for broadband expansion. http://wp.me/p3if7-24p

Farmington & Rochester Arvig is installing fiber from Farmington to Rochester and create more digital infrastructure for this part of the state.http://wp.me/p3if7-22c

Kanabec County Kanabec County, one of the new Blandin Broadband Communities, talks about their goals for broadband expansion.http://wp.me/p3if7-235

Lac qui Parle County Superintendent Renae Tostenson tells a heartwarming story about PCs for People recipients around Christmastime.http://wp.me/p3if7-24c

Mankato Artist Brian Frink demonstrates how powerful social media can be for artists in rural areas. http://wp.me/p3if7-24mÂ

Mille Lacs Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, one of the new Blandin Broadband Communities, talks about their goals for broadband expansion. http://wp.me/p3if7-238

Minneapolis Best Buy and Target increase Twitter use over the holidays. http://wp.me/p3if7-23V

Furniture company, Blu Dot, finds an innovative way to market via Twitter. http://wp.me/p3if7-22v

Southwest Minnesota Southwest Minnesota Broadband Group, one of the new Blandin Broadband Communities, talks about their goals for broadband expansion. http://wp.me/p3if7-24h

St Paul HealthEast plans to spend $135 million over five years on a new electronic health record system for its St. Paul-based network of hospitals and clinics. http://wp.me/p3if7-23Y

Twin Cities Open Twin Cities, a group for civic hackers, innovative government employees, and concerned citizens, code a local edition of Adopt-a-Hydrant, which allows residents to claim a fire hydrant to keep clear of snow so that fire fighters will be able to fight fires more effectively in emergencies. http://wp.me/p3if7-23o

US Bank website experiences several rounds of security issues. http://wp.me/p3if7-22Z

Events

January 11: Discussion on the Governor’s Broadband Task Force Report (Minneapolis) http://wp.me/p3if7-24K

February 26: Women Leading in Technology (Minneapolis): MHTA Event http://tinyurl.com/b67fjlk

March 25-27: Minnesota Telecom Alliance Annual Conference (Minneapolis) http://tinyurl.com/4696vm6

April 30: MHTA Spring Conference (Minneapolis) http://tinyurl.com/7t6oner

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.)

Bill_ColemanStirring the Pot

As the year winds up, I would like to express my gratitude to the many leaders who are working so hard to improve their community’s access to and use of broadband.  It is great to see the progress that they are making on the many facets of community broadband – all for the purpose of securing a more prosperous future for their area.

Thanks for working to overcome infrastructure and service shortcomings across your regions, your counties, cities and rural townships.  For those putting the final touches on new ARRA funded FTTH and wireless networks, I offer congratulations!  For those who are pursuing better services without the benefits of the stimulus programs, I offer encouragement to continue your efforts in spite of the current lack of legal and financial models.  Let’s spend the new year convening people who are really interested in making things happen and figure out a new model that brings the strengths of all parties to the table.

Thanks to those who are working on the adoption and increasing sophistication side of the broadband model.  We all know that networks without users and value generating applications have limited impact on the economic well-being of our communities.  The success of the MIRC Demo Communities and the MIRC statewide partners shows that by creating models and tools, we can move our institutions, businesses and residents upward on the ladder of tech sophistication.  The result is that our communities are better positioned for today and tomorrow.

Finally, thanks to all whom I have worked with over the past year. Your positive energy and resulting success has made it a fun and exciting initiative of which I am proud to have played a part.  I am looking forward to the new year and continuing to support the work of such great community leaders! Thanks for the opportunity!!

Help the Feds correct map of unserved areas

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Sorry this one sort of slipped by me – the deadline for comment is January 9 (reply comment is Jan 24). I think this is one of those seemingly wonky policy tasks that can make a big difference on the ground. Federal funding will be based on unserved areas so it’s to your advantage to make sure that your area is accurately mapped.

On December 5, 2012, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) released a Public Notice seeking comment on areas shown as unserved on the National Broadband Map for Connect America Phase I incremental support, and published a list of potentially unserved census blocks in price cap areas. This Public Notice announces that the Bureau has updated the list based on updates and corrections to the underlying geographic information system data. To give commenters adequate time to consider and respond to the updated list, the comment cycle announced in the December 5 Public Notice is extended to the dates listed at the top of this document. [Comment deadline is January 9; reply comment is Jan 24.]

The updated list is available at http://data.fcc.gov/download/unserved_fixed_broadband/unserved_fixed_broadband-master.zip (download .csv file of census blocks), and at https://github.com/fccdata/unserved_fixed_broadband (view list, make edits, and post in .csv format). An updated map of the potentially unserved price cap census blocks is posted to http://www.fcc.gov/maps/unserved-fixedbroadband.

For commenters wishing to confirm that they are using the updated version of the .csv file, the correct file contains 1,030,073 rows. The December 5 version of the list contains 1,016,032 rows.

Pursuant to sections 1.415 and 1.419 of the Commission’s rules, interested parties may file comments or reply comments on or before the dates indicated above.2 Comments may be filed using the Commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS).

Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically using the Internet by accessing the ECFS: http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/.