Monthly Archives: March 2013

Digital Inclusion Events in Minneapolis April 11

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I know it’s not in everyone’s backyard, but I thought folks might have an interest in the following. In my experience the NTEN events are very good. I’m hoping to attend the happy hour myself…

By special arrangement, here are two April 11 events that are free and open to all interested in working to improve digital literacy, engagement, and access to technology and the Internet. We hope some Technology Literacy Collaborative members and friends will take advantage of this unique opportunity to network with people from across the country and from across organization types, while the national, NTEN Nonprofit Technology  Conference (NTC) is in Minneapolis. RSVPs are requested, but conference registration is not required for these events! Free and open to all!

Building Bridges that Span the Digital Divide NTEN CommTech Gathering Thursday, April 11, 2013, 4-6pm (Central Time) Hilton Minneapolis, The Gallery

1001 Marquette Ave S, www.hilton.com/Minneapolis

Tens of thousands of nonprofit and library professionals work each day to bridge the digital divide, but where are the bridges between the professionals? We’re all so busy that it can be a challenge to step back and see what other people are doing that may be beneficial to our efforts to bring technology training and access to our communities. Join us during NTC where computer trainers, library staff, volunteers and program managers will share successes and challenges related to their work with digital inclusion, BTOP, and digital literacy training. Hear about national efforts to develop a resource portal that will help us all improve our programs.

By special arrangement with NTEN, this program event is free and open to locals and anyone interested, even if you’re not attending the NTEN conference!

RSVP requested for planning purposes, not required. Walk-ins welcome.

To RSVP: http://tlc-mn.org/sites/tlc-mn.org/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=1971&qid=29478

Co-Convenors: Kami Griffiths, Community Technology Network (San Francisco), and Mary Ann Van Cura, Minnesota State Library Services and Technology Literacy Collaborative (MN)

Get Inclusive Happy Hour

Thursday, April 11, 2013, 5:30-8:00 pm (with lingering…) (Central Time)

Devil’s Advocate Bar (half block from Downtown Hilton Minneapolis)

Join national and local supporters of inclusive digital engagement along side the national Nonprofit Technology  Conference in Minneapolis at this unofficial rogue networking event. This is a great opportunity for local community members and conference attendees interested in digital inclusion, online community engagement, online neighbor connecting and immigrant integration with local social media to mix it up.

Click here to find out more and to RSVP, http://tlc-mn.org/sites/tlc-mn.org/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=1972&qid=29478.

Host: Steven Clift, e-democracy.org

Telecommunications Regulations Bills – HF 985/SF 584

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A few folks mentioned that the outline of the Office of Broadband Development post was helpful – so I thought I’d try to highlight some other bills in the works, such as HF985 / SF 584, bills that address oversight of telecommunications in the state especially in light of changes in the FCC that are anticipated in 2019.

The expectation is that the role of the state PUC will have diminished considerably by 2019 so this bill sets out to transition to that change. The Minnesota PUC and Department of Commerce will continue to regulate the telecommunications industry and this bill sets out some parameters.

On the one hand, existing consumer protection mandates and programs are maintained but there is some concern about some loss of regulation in AFORs, which in the past have allowed providers to negotiate greater pricing flexibility in trade for some restrictions. Basic telephone service is really pared down to refer to phone-only and while those services will remain well regulated – those services are decreasing as many consumers drop landlines and as providers look at offering advanced services.

The PUC will continue to moderate disputes between wholesale and retail providers. They will also certify Eligible Telecommunications Carriers (ETC’s) in accordance to the FCC’s Order and supervising Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) obligations for providers who accept Federal USF/CAF funds.

In the House (HF985)…

Description: Telecommunications enforcement authority clarified, new requirements for tariffs added, proprietary information protected, criteria for certificates of authority specified, alternative regulation plans terminated, definitions added, technical corrections made, obsolete provisions removed, and conforming changes made.

Introduced Feb 28, 2013 and referred to Labor, Workplace and Regulated Industries. No other significant action since. (Get text of bill online.)

In the Senate (SF584)…

Description: Telecommunications enforcement authority clarification; tariff requirements addition; proprietary information protection; certificates of authority specification; alternative regulation plans termination

Introduced Feb 18, 2013 and referred to Jobs, Agriculture and Rural Development. No other significant action since.  (Get text of bill online.)

Surveys show wired service trumps wireless

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I’ll preface this post by saying (again) that I think there’s a permanent place in the world for wired and wireless access. The question of preference has come up lately as people are required to make choices – generally based on finances. Remote communities choose wireless options because it’s so much cheaper than fiber. Residents choose wireless often because a wireless-friendly device (tablet, smartphone) is so much cheaper than a laptop. The National Broadband Plan and federal funding leans toward wireless with the Mobility Fund.

But Telecompetitor is reporting that when asked, UK residents would choose wired over video and mobile services…

If they had to give up one service (video entertainment, mobile, broadband), U.K. consumers would ditch video (49 percent) or mobile (30 percent) before their fixed network broadband connection (two percent), a survey of  more than 10,000 U.K. consumers has found.

The article goes on to describe the survey takers…

Nor is it clear whether the thinkbroadband findings are in some way atypical of “most” consumers. The survey is skewed towards early adopters and information technology-literate users.

About  41 percent of respondents described themselves as “confident” with IT and 49 percent said they considered themselves “power users.”

Still, 51 percent of respondents say they use broadband “for personal use only.” Some 46 percent of respondents use their broadband for work.

MTA Conference – Conversation with FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn and NTCA CEO Shirley Bloomfield

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I had the pleasure to attend some of the Minnesota Telecom Alliance Spring Conference this week. It’s always interesting to talk with the providers who are working on the frontlines of rural communities. I spoke with folks in small rural areas who (Emily Telephone) who provide fiber to their customers and folks who cover a more territory (Paul Bunyan Telephone) and are often asked to expand into new areas. I’m hoping to post more later on some of the conversations we had.

It was also interesting to attend some of the sessions where providers learned about opportunities to expand their services. Conversation of the cloud seemed to be a hot topic. It was fun to hear about the range of services that are available – from remote monitoring to management.

One of the highlights was a keynote conversation between FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn and NTCA CEO Shirley Bloomfield, which is captured in the video below. (Thanks for Brent Christensen for permission and John Schultz for help with video.) The video includes a nice introduction from Senator Amy Klobuchar and Senator Al Franken advocating for the need to expand broadband.

Unfortunately the quality of the video isn’t the best while Commissioner Clyburn is speaking – although it gets better after the first 15 minutes. Bloomfield did ask about the Chairman Genachowski and Commissioner McDowell stepping down. The assumption is that the 1700 people working at the Commission will be able to carry on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Cqc5rxX1mg

Here’s a very abbreviated list of questions from the video…

What are your priorities? 

Lifeline reform, universal service reform, broadband pilot programs. Healthcare is also important. We want enhanced and more robust service for consumers.

Universal service and Intercarrier Compensation and need for predictability are important to providers. How will the Sixth Order help?

We’re in a state of transition. The market breeds unpredictability. We have been engaged with reforms that we all agreed had to happen.

Clyburn talks about highlights

  • MTA members use funding to provide broadband but there was a need for efficiencies and we have been addressing that need. In the long run we’ll all be better off.
  • We have tried to create a smooth transition to leaving within our means while providing the most modern service available.

A lot of providers have lost of SafetyNet additive support for investments made in hard to reach (high cost) areas. Are you looking at consistency and stability for these providers in the future?

About 40 percent of consumers are choosing mobile over fixed phone lines. The challenge is also an opportunity. Providers can transform current investment to include broadband.

We have aging demographic in rural areas. The transition has been difficult because we have some customers who want only to make calls locally. How do you address the issue of local rates going us while local calling area isn’t?

That’s a difficult question. Hard to serve the most vulnerable population. In some areas the cost is going down due to technology. We made sure that the fund no longer subsidized extremely low rates in some areas. It’s part of the new reality. But we are providing protections. The reforms are set up to support folks who want voice-only services. Also we are concerned about lifeline programs. We are increasing efficiencies. We need that to stay in place. It’s a benefit to all of us to have more people connected – in terms of public safety, to secure jobs and for communication.

We’re concerned about people on fixed incomes and people who don’t quality for lifeline. Calling areas of 900 numbers if not the same service as in metro areas where you can reach so many more. How is this addressed?

Our mission is to make sure there’s competition. With competition we provide a wider range of services. I’ve been hearing about basic phones (voice-only) that will be $10/month.

The services you see for unlimited calling (Magic Jack et al) require broadband. But folks like us who provide basic service cannot meet those prices. How can we compete with Vonage?

But there are people who prefer local providers. You could make the case that your service is superior.

The Chair of the PUC spoke to the group. What do you see as the role for PUCs?

They will become more robust. They will continue to be partners. They will be on the frontlines. That’s why we continue to strengthen the relationships.

Minnesota has statutory authority to set state universal service fund for landline only. They’ve never done it. Will there be an impact on Phase II CAF if we don’t look at state USF?

Yes it could but it’s uncertain. We need to see results of cost models. The biggest impact would be price cap carriers choose to accept federal funds – if they don’t we’ll go to reserve auction, which may present unique opportunities. If the state supported price cap carriers, that might help they move forward.

One issue have been getting all broadband providers to pay in (such as wireless). Is there anything we can do to make that happen at a state level?

No. Some states have adopted different approaches.

Going back to broadband adoption. Several members have been piloting lifeline projects. What do you hope to learn from the pilot programs?

Pilots do help us learn. Broadband adoption is a good goal. We need to find a way to best increase broadband adoption efficiently.

Call completion is a problem here. The FCC has established a site for complaints. Do you have an update?

We have taken steps forward. We understand the dire situation. We have talked to providers about our concern and their responsibilities. We have been collecting comments and have been researching call completions looking at rural vs urban.

Some of our providers also do video and wireless. Spectrum is a big issue. We have folks who have spectrum. We have issues with interoperability. Spectrum auctions were most effective when there were smaller spectrum sections available. We still need a wired network – wireless needs wired.

We do ask people about whether or not here should be a mixed framework. Other countries have created situations that have better suited smaller providers. Competition is best served when there’s a diversity of providers.

Got a $200,000 business idea?

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The Minnesota Cup is a competition that rewards good business ideas. Here’s the quick take from the Minnesota Cup website…

Have the next great business idea? The ninth annual Minnesota Cup competition opens for entries on March 25! The Minnesota Cup supports and accelerates the development of breakthrough business ideas from across the state to build the vibrancy of Minnesota’s business community. Minnesota residents have until May 17 to submit entries on the Minnesota Cup website to compete for $200,000 in prize money.

There are six divisions:

  • LifeScience & Health IT
  • High Tech
  • Energy & Clean Tech
  • Social Entrepreneurship
  • General
  • Student

You can only apply to one division. But the application process seems pretty straightforward. The contest is only open to Minnesota residents. I’d love to see some of the prizes make their way out of the Twin Cities!

Study shows adult Minnesotans have increased their use of smartphones for Internet access

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Some interesting stats from Connect Minnesota…

ST. Paul, MN – New data from Connect Minnesota shows that approximately 2.1 million (51%) adults in the state use the Internet on their cell phones or subscribe to mobile wireless service for a laptop or tablet computer. The previous year’s survey showed that 39%, or 1.6 million adults in the state, used mobile Internet service; a 12 percentage point increase.

In 2011 and 2012, Connect Minnesota conducted residential technology assessments in Minnesota to measure the growth of mobile Internet. The study shows that the reasons Minnesotans do (or do not) choose to access mobile Internet on their cell phones are multi-faceted. In addition we explored questions that have been raised nationally, such as the impact of data caps on mobile broadband adoption and usage.

This survey was conducted in support of Connect Minnesota’s efforts to close Minnesota’s digital gap and explores the barriers to adoption, rates of broadband adoption among various demographics, and the types of activities broadband subscribers conduct online, among other findings.

The data are available via an interactive widget on the Connect Minnesota website.

“Connect Minnesota’s research shows that mobile broadband plays an ever-increasing role in how Minnesotans get online,” said Connect Minnesota State Program Manager Bill Hoffman. “As we look ahead, I think mobile broadband will continue to be an integral part of Minnesota’s broadband landscape.”

Among the key findings of the residential survey are:

  • Among Minnesotans who use mobile Internet and subscribe to home broadband service, 13% say they use their home broadband service less frequently now that they have mobile Internet.
  • Minnesotans who use mobile Internet but do not subscribe to traditional home broadband service are younger, have a lower median household income, and are more likely to reside in rural areas of the state than Minnesotans with home broadband subscriptions.
  • Approximately 557,000 cell phone owners cite wanting to access the Internet while away from home as their main reason for using mobile Internet service.
  • Among Minnesota adults who subscribe to mobile Internet service, 37% say that their plan comes with “data caps,” or restrictions on how much data they can use.
  • Nearly one in three Minnesota adults who have mobile Internet plans with data caps say they had gone over their limit in the previous year. Geographically, 27% of suburban Minnesotans with an Internet cell phone plan have gone over their monthly data limit at least once in the past year. That’s a lower percentage than urban or rural residents.
  • Of the 1.4 million Minnesotans not subscribing to Internet on their cellphones, 27% say that the main reason they do not use mobile Internet service is because they do not want or need it.

Connect Minnesota’s 2012 Residential Technology Assessment was conducted in late 2012 and includes responses from 1,201 residents. The survey was conducted as part of the State Broadband Initiative (SBI) grant program, funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

For a quick comparison, I’ll remind folks of the Pew report on teens and technology I mentioned recently, they reported…

  • 78% of teens now have a cell phone, and almost half (47%) of those own smartphones. That translates into 37% of all teens who have smartphones, up from just 23% in 2011.

Minnesota rallies for telecommuting

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I’ve seen a few articles promoting telecommuting in Minnesota since Best Buy and Yahoo pulled in the reins on telecommuting in their offices. Over the weekend I noticed another vote for telecommuting from Brent Christensen at the Minnesota Telecom Alliance in the Minneapolis Star Tribune…

Today it’s more and more common for a Twin Cities company to employ talented people from throughout the state who do their work from home, taking advantage of the growing rural broadband network that makes the remote workstation a reality in every corner of Minnesota. Rural communities and regional centers — once concerned about a “brain drain” in which talented, educated young people were moving away, often to the metro area, seeking jobs — are now seeing the opposite trend, as Minnesotans who want the pace of a Greater Minnesota lifestyle can often depart the city and the suburbs, and take their good jobs with them.

It’s that trend that is fueling efforts like eWorkPlace, a Minnesota Department of Transportation initiative designed to facilitate more telecommuting throughout the state. Scientists are not needed to prove that the infrastructure for providing high-speed Internet service throughout Greater Minnesota is far less costly than maintenance of our network of highways. And more people working from home means less traffic, fewer emissions and less-frequent need for road construction.

From the start of this trend, the state’s telecommunications providers have worked with employers and communities to provide and continually upgrade the state’s communications network, providing the high-speed, high-capacity and reliable broadband Internet that is increasingly in demand. The biggest names in the Internet world, like Google, have even come to Minnesota in the past year for free workshops to help hundreds of the state’s small businesses establish a Web presence and take their operations worldwide.

Multi-County Initiative Get Local Attention

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It was nice to see the recent broadband meeting held in Hinckley get attention from the local press. I wrote about the meeting earlier – it was a great gather of several counties: Pine, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Carlton and Aitkin. All came to make a plan to expand broadband in their area.

The Kanabec County Times picked up on the economic development opportunities that broadband could bring…

From an economic development perspective, [Bernadine] Joselyn said research shows that economic growth follows telecommunications investment.

“Companies seeking new locations quickly bypass communities without world-class broadband,” she pointed out. “Many of Minnesota’s highest earners, including retired or semi-retired professionals, would prefer to live next to a lake or on a hobby farm. Unconnected communities stand little chance of attracting or retaining these potential taxpayers, not to mention recent college graduates.”

Bill Coleman, president of Community Technology Advisors, serves as a catalyst to bring people together in support of regional broadband goals. “The future is already here,” Coleman observed. “It’s just not evenly distributed.” Coleman and Connect Minnesota’s Bill Hoffman encouraged people to visit the Connect Minnesota website to view an interactive map identifying broadband providers and connection speeds.

Senate vote promotes investment in broadband infrastructure for rural areas

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According to Nebraska .TV…

U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Al Franken (D-Minn.) announced that, early this morning, the United States Senate approved a bipartisan amendment they introduced to promote investment in broadband infrastructure for rural areas. …

“Access to reliable Internet is critical to growing our economy. People living in rural parts of Minnesota are just as entitled to high quality Internet as those living in our cities and towns. Passing my bipartisan amendment will prioritize the expansion of broadband connectivity in rural areas, something that I will continue to work toward until every Minnesotan has broadband access,” said Franken.

The amendment was offered by Senators Fischer and Franken to the Senate budget and was approved unanimously by voice vote.

It’s a good sign – but according to Bloomberg, it sounds as if it’s mostly just that – a sign…

The votes are mostly symbolic because they come in the form of amendments to the budget, which isn’t a bill and can’t be signed into law. It’s an internal agreement among lawmakers establishing the boundaries of their tax-and-spending debate for the coming fiscal year. Congress would have to pass separate legislation making any of the policy changes endorsed in the measure.

Still, the amendment-vote tallies can provide a barometer of support among lawmakers for a specific proposal, which can either help to generate — or to kill — political momentum behind the idea.

EneryoneOn – digital literacy programming at the library and beyond

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libraryI’m on a listserv for librarians – the following message was posted there. I wanted to share it here (with permission) for two reasons. One, it’s a great program. Two, it’s a great reminder to get your librarian involved in digital literacy programming. We’ve been showing patrons how to use computers and the online card catalog since the old shelves went away about 20 years ago. People come to librarians for help. Librarians are trained on how to help with digital and information literacy!

Today, March 21st, Connect2Compete (C2C), http://connect2compete.org/, launches a 3-year national public service campaign to promote digital literacy called EveryoneOn, http://everyonone.org. The key message of the campaign is to encourage limited or non-Internet users to learn how to do “one thing better online”. Public libraries and their community partners are key to the success of this effort due to their demonstrated commitment to providing free access to the Internet as well as to improving people’s skills (e.g. using a mouse, applying for jobs online, creating email accounts, and so much more). While some libraries offer formal classes, all libraries offer public access computers and skilled assistance to patrons at point-of-use.

EveryoneOn Campaign Materials:

Libraries and community partners can begin using these campaign materials at any time via this Ad Council website for EveryoneOn, http://everyoneon.adcouncil.org/. Additional campaign materials for EveryoneOn, including logos, graphics and examples of public service announcements are expected to be made available later this month. Libraries and their community partners will have full access to these campaign materials to promote digital literacy in local communities.

With some preliminary support from the Ad Council, the St. Paul Public Library did a Kickoff event today – 3-21 On! EveryoneOn.org Kickoff. Check their Facebook page for photos!

EveryoneOn is designed to raise awareness of the importance of digital literacy skills – which libraries have embraced for years. This is a great opportunity to promote public libraries as a trusted and valuable provider of free public access technology and training as we strive to build stronger communities.

Orientation:

Libraries will be invited to view a webinar that will discuss EveryoneOn, including campaign toolkit materials and how they might be used.

Training Locator Database:

Connect2Compete is creating a Training Locator database with details about the services and resources the library and their community partners make available to help people learn digital literacy skills or access the Internet. Using information from the Institute of Museums and Library Services and the American Library Association, Connect2Compete has created a database of information about public libraries in the United States.

The database will power a Training Locator tool for people interested in finding digital literacy training or public access computers in their area. A 1-800 phone number will also be available with this information for those without internet access.

Important Notes to Minnesota Library Staff:

1.Your help may be needed to update this database with information about what each library location/branch currently offers.

2.We are advising Minnesota libraries to wait to update their entries until further notice. C2C had a tight launch timeframe, and they will be tweaking the data load for Minnesota libraries. While instructions and a link for updating the Training Locator database are on the Connect2Compete site, we suggest you wait to update Minnesota library entries until further notice from Minnesota State Library Services to avoid possible duplication of effort.

3. Your help to promote the database will be needed in the future. At the moment, C2C is resolving known search problems. So, if you play with the Locator and encounter challenges, try again in a few days. C2C considers 3/21 a “soft launch” for EveryoneOn.

Look for more information soon! If any questions, please contact Mary Ann Van Cura (651-582-8632 or mary.ann@state.mn.us).

Thanks!

Nancy Walton, Director & State Librarian

Frustrated for Broadband in Rural Minnesota: No Joy from Local Provider. Can Policy Help?

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I am sharing the following email we received with permission from author Shauna Kreger…

I would like to say thank you for fighting for use in these small communities in rural Minnesota on Broadband. I am a college student on-line and have trouble doing my school work because I do not have broadband and cannot afford satellite. Satellite is not much better than dial-up ( but you probably already know that). I have tried for past four years to get broadband installed in my area with no luck. I am a quarter of a mile from the cut off of a broadband box. I wrote a letter to Qwest’s board three years ago explaining the benefits of broadband services for the rural communities and the benefits it would have on their company ethics. I also sent them detailed research on when North Western Bell put phone lines in around my area and how it paid for itself. To my disbelief I received an e-mail back from a female on the board stating “putting broadband services in at this time would not benefit Qwest”. I contact the company monthly asking for broadband and I am told I can not get it and there is no future plans for broadband installation in my area. School children need broadband these days to do their homework and their grades are suffering because there is no option. The phone company seems to be monopolizing the rural area of Pine, Kanebec, and other Northern Counties.

I thought about blocking out name of the provider but I figured there have been enough changes at Qwest to provide some distance. And Comcast’s Duane Ring said something very similar at an MHTA meeting in January…

How can we convince providers to expand their service? What prevents growth?

DR: All providers want more customers. It’s what we think about. How do you get a ROI? There’s nothing available now that makes a compelling business case in some areas. We’ve looked at various technologies. We will need a hybrid solution to reach unserved areas.

I heard similar frustration from users while I was touring communities across the state last month. So, while research I posted earlier this week indicates that adoption is where it’s at for closing the broadband gap I’d like to remind folks that access is still an issue too. Adoption is a goal that everyone loves – providers, users, community leaders… It feels good all the way around. The apple pie of broadband! And I wholeheartedly support adoption too.

Access is another issue because there is a gap between the goals based on perspective: most providers want to make money while customers (and community-oriented leaders) want to see service in areas even where the business case isn’t strong. Broadband proponents see broadband as an investment in the community. Many providers see it as an investment for stakeholders. (Note: there are local independent, coops and community providers that see investment in the community too!)

Addressing tough issues of access could be where the policymakers can have the greatest impact. It seems like encouragement (via tax incentives, public-private partnership or other options) is worth trying but at some point we may need to see stronger measures that require providers to address universal service and/or support community/municipal efforts to get the job.

Minneapolis Push to Increase Digital Literacy starts today

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I’m sorry I’m too late to get anyone to these events today but I did want to applaud the efforts around Minneapolis to promote digital literacy. Today the city and various partners are kicking off a series of activities to promote digital literacy in 2013…

The City and its partners are hosting a series of open houses March 21 to encourage new users, community members and businesses to get connected with local community technology resources.  In addition to libraries and parks, there are several locations in Minneapolis where residents can use computers with Internet for free, and improve their digital literacy skills. These locations are referred to as “Community Technology Centers” and the following locations are partnering with the City to host these open houses through their association with the Technology Literacy Collaborative, a local network of digital inclusion supporters committed to sharing best practices, advocating for technology and digital literacy skills and access, and promoting collaborative efforts.

Partners include:

You can learn more about the yearlong effort on the City of Minneapolis website. You can also get a nice personal view of the event from a recent article by Alan Palazzolo in MinnPost. He makes the point that while there are some great resources out there, the hard part is getting word to the folks who most need it. So if you see a time and place to share the news, I hope you will.

Speaking of hopes, I’m also hoping that this citywide effort might spur efforts on a wider scope and/or serve as a model to others. I suspect that one impetus for the effort is the 2012 Minneapolis Digital Inclusion survey spearheaded by Otto Doll. It’s not the first time I’ve said that I’d love to see that survey expanded!

Check out broadband at the library – literally!

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libraryI love this story! I saw it posted on WebJunction…

Providence Community Library initially purchased two Mobile Beacon hotspots (at $100 each device plus $120/year for the service). They placed the hotspots into circulation at a library branch that serves a neighborhood with low rates of home broadband service. The hotspots were promoted through their website, newsletter, Facebook page, and posters. The response was immediate. The hotspots are so popular, Providence Community Library is purchasing one additional device for the pilot branch and three devices for an additional branch. They intend to keep records of the success of the offering so as to request grant funds for additional devices.

Providence Community Library has posted the lending guidelines for their hotspots. They do have additional borrowing requirements including a signed user agreement, similar to loaning out a technology device. Providence Community Library can shut down the internet service to the device and they make this fact known.

This is a great idea. Unfortunately right now the service serves mainly urban locations…

Mobile Beacon’s offerings are similar to Mobile Citizen, also a Clear reseller available to non-profit, education and government. Both Mobile Beacon and Mobile Citizen sell unlimited access for $120/year. They were both created by nonprofit organizations. The service area of both is limited to Clear’s coverage map which is mostly urban.

I know that PCs for People had been working with a similar service, in fact I think it was Clear in the Twin Cities, and they found that many of the recipients of their donated computers were interested and able to sign up for the $120 annual service. While Clear is primarily an urban provider, it sure seems like the kind of project that could be replicated in rural areas using different providers.

For folks who aren’t sure they want to make the investment checking out a connection at the library provides a great trial run, which is important especially as reports continue to indicate that one of the main reasons people don’t go online is that they don’t see the value. No better way to experience the value than have it at home for a week. It might be nice to find a way to pair the connection with a device (laptop, tablet, whatever) too for folks who have nothing at home.

Mediacom Launches New Generation Broadband Service

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Thanks to the folks from Mediacom for sending me this update.

Digital Families Gain Faster, 50-meg Internet Speeds; Broadband Boost for Carlton, Lake, Itasca, Pine and St. Louis Counties

GRAND RAPIDS, MN – March 19, 2013 — Mediacom Communications announced today that it has more than doubled the speeds of its broadband Internet service to provide homes and businesses throughout its Northern Minnesota service areas with download speeds of 50 mega-bits-per-second (Mbps) and upload speeds of 5 Mbps. The higher-speed Internet service, Ultra 50, is 150-percent faster than the 20 Mbps service many customers have been using.

Mediacom’s Ultra 50 broadband service became available in recent weeks after upgrades to the company’s fiber-optic communications network were completed in Cloquet, Eveleth, Hibbing and Two Harbors. Ultra 50 is the result of the cable industry’s innovative channel bonding technology known as DOCSIS 3.0 that uses a cable modem to deliver faster Internet speeds used for bandwidth-intensive applications such as movie downloads, file sharing, and online gaming.  The 50-meg service is ideal for homes and businesses where multiple devices or multiple Internet connections are used to send or receive data.

“From the largest cities to the smallest towns, Americans are consuming more bandwidth and demanding a faster Internet,” Jensen said.  “With recent launches, Mediacom delivers the high speeds of Ultra 50 broadband service through an extensive area of Minnesota, from Worthington to Litchfield in the southern and central areas of the state, and now extending north to include communities in Itasca, St. Louis, Carlton, Pine and Lake Counties.”

The DOCSIS technology of Mediacom Ultra 50 allows a consumer to download a high-definition (HD) movie (6 gigabytes) in just 16 minutes.  That compares to the 4.4 hours it would take to download the same movie using a common 3 Mbps DSL service from a traditional phone company, according to Mediacom Regional Vice President Bill Jensen.

“This broadband boost demonstrates Mediacom’s commitment to continually invest in technology and expand our fiber network to ensure that consumers in all of our service areas can connect to reliably fast broadband service,” Jensen said.

Jensen explained that new Internet applications have rapidly developed and changed how today’s consumers use the Internet.  “We watch news, sports and movies online; we frequently check updates for weather or sports scores, find recipes, play games, share digital photos with friends and family.  The list goes on and on.”

Mediacom was among the earliest cable companies to offer the new-generation broadband service of DOCSIS 3.0, which it makes available to both residential and business customers.  Each Mediacom Ultra 50 customer is equipped with a new, more powerful modem configured for the higher Internet speeds.

“The broadband speed of Mediacom Ultra 50 is in greater demand today than even just 12 months ago,” Jensen said. “It has become essential for families using multiple devices that connect to the Internet — tablets, laptops, smart phones or gaming consoles.  With the dramatic changes in the way today’s families and businesses use the Internet, the need for more bandwidth has never been greater.  The speed of Ultra 50 delivers a reliably better experience for the whole family or office.”

Mediacom Communications is the nation’s eighth largest cable television company and one of the leading cable operators focused on serving the smaller cities in the United States, with a significant concentration in the Midwestern and Southeastern regions. Mediacom Communications offers a wide array of broadband products and services, including traditional and advanced video services such as digital television, video-on-demand, digital video recorders, high-definition television, as well as high-speed Internet access and phone service. Through Mediacom Business, the Company offers affordable broadband communications solutions that can be tailored to any size business.

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IMPACT AREA:  higher-speed broadband service, Mediacom Ultra 50, is available to residents and businesses in the areas listed below.

Carlton County:  Cloquet, Esko, Carlton, Moose Lake, Moose Lake Township, Thomson, Windemere

Itasca County: Calumet, Cohasset, Coleraine, Grand Rapids, Harris Township, Keewatin, La Prairie, Marble, Nashwauk, Taconite

Lake County:  Beaver Bay, Silver Bay, Two Harbors

Pine County:  Sturgeon Lake

St. Louis County:  Hibbing, Chisholm, Buhl, Kinney, Mt. Iron, Virginia, Fayal, Eveleth, Gilbert, McKinley, Biwabik, Aurora, Hoyt Lakes, White Township, Proctor, Midway Township, Hermantown

It sounds as if there are tiers of service available beyond their standard Mediacom Prime which is 15 Mbps; they offer Prime Plus speed at 30 Mbps (down) x 2 Mbps (up). They mentioned to me that more and more people are starting to take advantage of the higher level services, which I think helps indicate that while build and they will come may not work for minimum speeds – folks will upgrade with less coaxing once great bandwidth is available.

Better Broadband Means Better Economy in Rural Areas

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Yesterday Telecompetitor mentioned a new report by the National Agricultural & Rural Development Policy Center (NARDeP) Rural Broadband Availability and Adoption: Evidence, Policy Changes and Options. Here’s the info in a nutshell in terms of the connection between broadband and economic vitality:

  • Broadband and economic health are linked in rural areas (potentially in a causal direction):
    • Low levels of adoption, providers, and broadband availability were associated with lower median household income, higher levels of poverty, and decreased numbers of firms and total employment in 2011
    • Increases in broadband adoption between 2008 and 2010 resulted in higher levels of median household income and total employment for non-metro counties
    • Broadband adoption thresholds have more impact on changes in economic health indicators between 2001 and 2010 than do broadband availability thresholds in non-metro counties

And some of the metro-rural differences:

  • The broadband adoption gap between metro and non-metro areas remained at 13 percentage points in both 2003 and 2010; however, this gap increased among low income, low education, and elderly
  • The most rural (non-core) counties experienced significant improvements in broadband adoption between 2008 and 2011
  • Traditional factors – income, education, age, race, and non-metro location – played a role in adopting broadband for both 2003 and 2010; low levels of providers had a negative impact on adoption while higher levels of broadband availability had a positive impact

These findings agree with Jack Geller’s findings on the issue. He often shows using Roger’s Theory of Adoption curve. We’ve seen a broadband adoption increase at a good clip over the last few years – and the remaining non-adopters are laggards. They have lower incomes, lower levels of education, they are older, minorities in rural areas.

adoption curve

Jack also points out that in some ways this is a demographic that will take care of itself, the older demographic more quickly than the young. I think the NARDeP research might indicate that it’s worth the effort and investment to reach out to these folks – especially if the increases in household income and employment seen from 2008-2010 could transfer to these laggards as well. The most difficult thing will be convincing the non-adopters. As the research indicates…

When asked their primary reason for not using broadband 40% of rural residents in 2003 said they didn’t need it. By 2010 that number had climbed to 47%.

The NARDeP also makes some policy recommendations…

  • Draw broadband infrastructure to less economically robust regions lacking it (via programs such as the FCC’s Connect America Fund)
  • Focus adoption programs on populations with lower levels of income and education as well as racial/ethnic minorities; involving community anchor institutions is particularly important
  • Build on diffusion factors such as trialability, observability, compatability to expose nonadopters to the technology
  • Though wireless deployment is helpful, many of the productivity gains and economic advantages of broadband are limited through this technology
  • Support improved data gathering related to price / affordability (including bundles) and service quality (speed)

Could turn out to be some good advice for Minnesota Legislators as they think about the Office of Broadband Development.